Hi, I’m new to this forum and generally new to the quantified self movement. I’ve always been interested in data analysis, but only recently started tracking my personal data more closely.
I’m looking for recommendations for the best apps that you use for tracking your data. I’m really interested in apps that are not too domain-specific and can track a variety of types of data.
For example, I’d like to be able to track my weight, finances, moods, web browsing habits, social media usage stats, music practice sessions - all in one place.
Is there an app that can do all this in a nice simple way? Or is there a personal dashboard app you use which can pull in all your data from various tracking apps?
I’m working on a service that can pull in data from other services (currently Fitbit, Foursquare and Withings), and that lets you add custom data (geo locations, measurements with units, ratings, tags etc). There is still a lot of work to be done (add more services, data types, usability etc), so suggestions are welcome.
Eric, thanks for your reply. I did come across Zenobase in my research (on measuredme.com I think). It looks very powerful, but I found it a bit hard to use. There are a lot of steps required just to enter one value. Also, I couldn’t find any pricing information on your site.
Expect to see some usability improvements, but there’s a limit to how far you can go without making the application domain-specific (suggestions are of course welcome). The main focus right now is on improving the API; this will be used to create a few specialized (and easier to use) mobile data collection apps.
Regarding pricing: There will be a subscription fee for storing data beyond a (yet-to-be-determined) threshold. For example, if you are using Zenobase to store the location and other data for each of a dozen cars once a minute, you’ll need to pay something for sure.
I’d love to hear more about what kind of data you are tracking (or would like to track), how you are recording data (manually, or through existing services), and of course what you want to do with the data!
I’ve been using ducksboard, which graphs your data in a grid of widgets. They have a developer API which allows you to push your data to the site, so I can graph my Runkeeper, Sleepbot, social media, myfitnesspal data. It’s really great, though I’ve had to write little Python scripts myself to interface with the API’s. It doesn’t give you deep insight into your data, but it’s a nice overview.
Thanks kwellman. Are you able to pull all your data from other APIs to push into ducksboard or do you need to manually collect some of the data? If so, what do you use for collecting data manually? Do you use spreadsheets at all?
Right now I’m not doing any manual collection. I’ve been relying mostly on Android apps for tracking, and then retrieving the data through their API’s. It’s mostly because manual collection seems like a lot of work and it’s hard to stay committed to that. This means there are some areas that I’m currently not tracking, but I’d like to. I’d like to track how many words I’ve typed everyday in Google Docs, how many pages I’ve read on my Kindle, etc…
I’ve mentioned some of the apps I use earlier. My goal right now is to collect data for as many aspects of my life as possible, mainly for fun and self-discovery. I’m just getting started with this quantified self thing. The apps I use are:
Sleepbot - You manually punch in when you go to sleep and punch out when you wake up.
RunKeeper - Uses your Android’s GPS to record your running distance and speed when you’re working out.
MyFitnessPal - Diet journal
These are ones that have an API or a website to get your data out. They’re not self-tracking apps (by which I mean I’d be using them anyway, and self-tracking is just a nice side-effect).
TimeClock Free - For recording your working hours. Targeted towards freelancers and contract workers.
Goodreads - You can track how many books you’ve read with this app. After I read a book I’ll rate it.
Flixster - This is like goodreads, but for movies.
These are apps I use and would like to get my data out of but haven’t managed to yet.
Mint - Tracks your savings and spending by connecting with your bank account(s).
Habit Streak - You set up questions that the app will ask you every night like “Did you abstain from alcohol today?” in order to create good habits.
I also like to track my online activity. Apps like tumblr, twitter, and facebook offer API’s to get your data out that you can then graph. Foursquare would also be an interesting one to graph.