和心理疗法、道的道理差不多。
A Spanish scientist records all his activities so hecan learn how to live more effectively. In February 2010, Morris Villarroel started a 10-year experiment.
He kept detailed log books of his every movement. Each day's entry begins the night before, when he will make a plan for the day ahead.
When he first set out on this project, one of Villarroel's primary goals was time management: to better understand how he was spending timeand the effects of those activities on his health and happiness.
He used to drive to work, for example, but oncehe started keeping his log books, he noticed that he would get upset by small incidents — like someone cutting in front of him — causing stressthat would linger throughout the day.
"Now I take the metro and walk to work — and that also ends up being better from my back." Such small improvements may not seem revolutionary, but together they have improved his overall life satisfaction.
"The good things slowly take over the more negative things."
The log books have similarly helped him to learnbetter from experiences at work — such as givingclasses or conference talks.
"You can see all the little details and how to improve them," he says. Without his records, those ideas would have been forgotten.
"It's kind of like throwing away that information." And with the data entered into the spreadsheet, he can keep track of how long he's spending on different projects and adjust his priorities accordingly.
More generally, Villarroel says that the log bookshave helped to improve his emotional regulation, so he's now less reactive in stressful situations.
"I think: 'Well, this has happened in the past andI've seen it all these different times, so now I cancontrol myself a bit better,'" he says.
In a way, he says, the process of self-reflection helps you take a third-person perspective on events — as if you are a outside observer — so you see a situation more dispassionately.
His original 10-year-experiment was due to end this February, but he's decided to continue after that point.
"It's a habit that I've adopted into the whole my life," he says. "I know it sounds a bit corny, but it's a way to live life a bit more intensely.