Parameters of My Life for the Next Decade

Prompt: Imagine you were to start collecting data about yourself over the next ten years (2020–2030) to store in a time capsule. What data would you collect and why?”
According to Mini Onuoha in her read, The Point of Collection, there are five theses around data collection — “points that are worth remembering, communicating, thinking about, dwelling on, and keeping in mind”.
The upcoming decade would be a significant 10 years for me since I’m recently pivoting my career, starting married adult life, and settling down in a whole new place.
At such a time of transformation on all levels, who I am now and in the future becomes so fresh to even myself. There’s no better time than now to start “measure” me and the life I’m living.
Here are the things I’d like to collect:
- The mood and energy level of my everyday life
Back in Asia, mental health isn’t such an emphasized topic that people would pay close attention to their mental condition. I recently start to perceive the nuance of my own mental states and discover ways to boost or tame it. Therefore, I’d like to keep a track of how I’m feeling on a daily basis.
- The colors and styles of my outfits
How one dresses and what one wears often represents how they look at themselves and what they want others to see in them.
- The frequency of feeling challenged and then feeling overcome it
I look for a life that I’m constantly meeting new challenges, and I enjoy the process of conquering them.
- The confidence/satisfaction level of my English proficiency
I hope to be about to truly master the language.
- The quality time I spend with family
I want to spend as much quality time as possible with my husband and our future kids, as well as my parents and in-laws overseas.
- The days we spend entirely off work
My husband and I were both super workaholics, we still are, but learning to relax. 😌
- The places we visit
We love diverse cultures and enjoy experiential travels. I look forward to going to as many destinations as possible together. 🌎
- The significant connections I have in my inner circle
I enjoy personal encounters and conversations, but I at the same time struggle with being an introvert. I hope to make more significant friends and having them stay in my inner circle.
- The impacts I make at home, at work, for the community at large, and for the world
I’m a mission-driven person with a big heart. I deeply care about how much impact and contribution I could bring to the places I belong to, as an individual and as a designer.
- How much plastic wastes I avoid or have them repurposed/recycled
I aim for a cleaner earth for future generations to live in. ♻️
Looking at the parameters I listed, I feel I can “see” myself, and see my future life through the combination of these data. I look forward to the next 10 years to come, and I’ll probably do a mid-term review every 6 months to see whether I can learn more about my constantly-changing self, and whether the parameters could help inform my new life decisions ahead.

