Powerful formulas to take control of your life
Do it yourself formulas to improve your life
Some mathematicians and developers base a lot of their decisions on formulas and algorithms. When it comes to decision making, intuition is my best friend. Until recently I came across mental models and finally started reading a book I got for my birthday last year. The book by Daniel Kahneman: Thinking Fast and Slow. In the chapter intuitions vs. formulas, Daniel explains the use of formulas and that inspired me to explore where we can and if we should use formulas to help us make better decisions.
When we think about formulas and algorithms it’s easy to relate it to math and computer programming but can they be applied to other parts of our lives as well?
Formulas as mental models
So what is a formula? They can be compared to mental models:
Mental models are how we understand the world… A mental model is simply a representation of how something works. We cannot keep all of the details of the world in our brains, so we use models to simplify the complex into understandable and organizable chunks. (Parrish, S. — Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions, 2019)
These are simple representations that help you understand the complexity of life. They provide guidance, help us understand the world and make better decisions. And they don’t need to be perfect to make sense:
The number of studies reporting comparisons of clinical and statistical predictions has increased to roughly two hundred, but the score in the contest between algorithms and humans has not changed. About 60% of the studies have shown significantly better accuracy for the algorithms. The other comparisons scored a draw in accuracy, but a tie is a tantamount win for the statistical rules, which are normally much less expensive to use than expert judgment. (Kahneman, D. — Thinking Fast, and Slow — 2011).
Now we have determined the power of formulas. Let’s take a look at some examples.
Apgar scorecard save lives
The most striking example of a formula is the Apgar Score and it saves many infant lives each day.
One day over breakfast, a medical resident asked how Dr. Apgar would make a systematic assessment of a newborn. “That’s easy,” she replied. “You would do it like this.” Apgar jotted down five variables (heart rate, respiration, reflex, muscle tone, and color) and three scores (0, 1 or 2, depending on the robustness of each sign). …Applying Apgar’s score, the staff in delivery rooms finally had consistent standards for determining which babies were in trouble, and the formula is credited for an important contribution to reducing infant mortality. The Apgar test is still used every day in every delivery room. (Kahneman, D. — Thinking Fast, and Slow — 2011).
Before Virginia Apgar, the health of a newborn was based on intuition and many babies died because of it. Not because doctors wanted that to happen. They were sincerely handling in the best interest of the child. They had the best intentions, but intention and intuition just weren’t good enough.
DIY
Formulas, algorithms, and scorecards are extremely useful. So why not create a few examples of our own?
The formulas should be a source of inspiration and may provide guidance. I’ll give three of my own examples:
- Formula for injury prevention
- Formula for losing weight
- Formula for productivity
Formula for injury prevention
Long distance running is my passion and I spend a lot of time in my running shoes. Injury is just around the corner and so I have to be sensible and diligent in my training. Because I hate being benched by an injury I developed a few rules that keep me healthy and durable.
High intensity max = weekly distance * 0,1
Let’s say for example that I’m running 50K in a week. This would limit the interval training distance to 5K. This keeps my maximum intensity training on the safe side and gives me enough time to recover in easy runs.
I also allow myself a recovery week every 4th week, which I calculate in the following way:
Recovery week distance = 4 week average * 0,6
If I ran 30K + 50K + 50K + 100K in the last four weeks my total distance would be 230K. That’s an average of 57,5K. The recovery rate is 60% of the distance of a normal week, which would limit my distance to 34,5K.
Formula for losing weight
When you are trying to lose weight you can look at many different factors. This can make it really hard to actually lose weight. With a simple formula, you can give yourself a quick and easy score and see how well you are doing.
Weight change = calorie intake — calorie output
If the number is negative, you lose weight, if the number is positive you gain weight. You can lever both sides of the equation: eat less or exercise more. Although of course, this is a gross oversimplification.
Formula for productivity
Productivity = focus — (distractions * number of tasks)
If you were to give it an imaginary score you might end up with something like this: Focus = 15 — (5 * 2) = 5 productivity.
If the number is negative you won’t be productive. Even a slightly positive number might not be enough. To be really productive you need a higher score.
Focus
Ask yourself the following questions to get a general feeling of your focus level. Measure yourself on a scale from 0 (bad) to 5 (good):
- How well-rested am I?
- How motivated am I to complete the task?
- How well is my mental and physical health?
The lowest score would be 0, the maximum score would be 15.
The questions you ask yourself may vary slightly. For instance, see my previous post: whether you’re an evening person or a morning person. But generally speaking, only a few factors truly give you focus.
Distractions
Give each distraction a 0 to 5 rating, where 0 is not distracting 5 is highly distracting.
Distraction can come in many forms including:
- The number of employees in a room
- A wobbly desk or a flickering light
- Music, talking, noise
Number of tasks
For each task, you are trying to complete increment with one. Working on two tasks would score 2, working on 4 tasks would score you a 4.
The more tasks you are trying to complete, the more difficult it will be to focus on any one of them. It influences productivity negatively.
Now the mathematicians might have found a flaw in the formula. You can do an infinite amount of tasks if you have no distractions. I think Publilius Syrus has something to say about this one. To do two things at once is to do neither.
Formulate
Formula’s, scorecards and algorithms are everywhere. They are part of your life as well, even without you knowing it.
Why not proactively seek formulas in your life? Formulas work like mental models that help you make better decisions (even if they are far from perfect).
Do you have your own formulas? I challenge you to create your own and share them with us.
Bibliography
Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions, 2019
Want more? Read my previous post: The fundamentals of SEO and software development
