The Value of Self-Accountability
Are you familiar with the theoretical model of Schrödinger's cat?
It’s a thought experiment used to explain some very complex ideas in the realm of quantum physics. Simply put, it goes like this: there’s a cat in a closed box. You can’t observe the cat in any way until you open the box. There’s a button on the side of the box that, when pushed, has a 50/50 chance of killing the cat. You have to push the button, but you have absolutely no idea of knowing whether the cat is alive or dead until you open the box.
Schrödinger's point- which, at the time, was at least partially a joke about the state of what was then-modern quantum theory, but has since been viewed as more plausible than Schrödinger himself meant it to be- was that, until we open the box, for all intents and purposes, the cat is in a sense both alive and dead- what he called superposition- that was meant to explain that, in certain models of physics, the state of something isn’t real until it is observed. It exists in an undefined state of all potential outcomes.
The value of Schrödinger's cat to us is the understanding that until we observe and measure what we do, we can’t come to any useful conclusions about why we are the way we are, whether something is good, bad, or indifferent, and what factors can be acted on to change it, if we want to. Our habits, learned behaviors, addictions, and similar things are sitting in a black box- may be helping us, maybe hurting us, maybe doing nothing at all- and until we open the box and take a look, we’re just guessing - if we’re even doing that much- as to what’s going on, and what to do about it.
Why don’t we do this more often?
Measure Your Life
A simple reason is that once we become adults, we’re rarely encouraged to evaluate or check in on where we are as a person- in most cultures, there’s a sense that we’re basically “done,” and that there isn’t much value in trying to observe or plot major changes in the way we live. Besides the fact that this is absolutely wrong- people can, and do, make major changes to the way they live at all points in their lives- I think there’s a more insidious reason at work.
It’s the reason why we give up this powerful tool for tracking and plotting valuable change, and why we give up the benefit that closely follows measuring- personal accountability.
It’s because when we measure what we do- especially things where we suspect there’s a problem- we might discover that there IS a problem: that we’re doing something too much, or doing a very unhealthy thing at all, or not consistently doing a good thing we should be doing, and so on. When we see those things- objective, numerical facts we can’t ignore- we associate them with ourselves being bad, lazy, immoral, and a million other judgments that leave us cold to the idea of subjecting ourselves to all those bad feelings.
One of the most valuable skills we can learn is to evaluate ourselves critically without evaluating ourselves judgmentally: to take a thorough, honest inventory of what we do and who we are without using that inventory to pass judgment on who we are as people.
This distinction is important.
Evaluate without Judgment
“Critical,” as in “critical thinking,” simply means to examine something without preconception or bias- to assess something, even ourselves, with the ability to discern and acknowledge inconsistencies, imperfections, or faults. A food or movie critic, if they’re doing their job, analyzes the good AND the bad- hopefully without bias- to help us decide whether something is worth consuming ourselves.
“Judgment” is an action that has nothing inherently to do with critical thinking. Judgment is passing a concept- what we think of a person, place, or thing- through a set of standards (moral, ethical, professional, legal, whatever) and deciding whether or not the concept passes the criteria set by that standard. It doesn’t account for those standards being accurate, relevant, or fair (though they certainly could be). It’s rarely valuable to assess ourselves (or people in general) in this way: we end up focusing more on the values we’re judging them by, and less on goals beyond simply meeting those standards.
Data doesn’t pass judgment, but it’s a resource we can use to think critically. Data is just that- data. It isn’t who you are, your destiny, or anything else. It’s a measurement- maybe even a measurement only we know- that we can use as a tool to get what we want.
Please don’t ever be afraid to measure yourself, especially if it means measuring behaviors that might lead you to have a healthier, more joyful life. Be a scientist, not a judge or a critic. Let yourself take a sober look at the how often, how much, where, when and what of the things you do, and when you know them- when you’ve looked inside the box- use them to guide your choices and keep measuring to give yourself the other half of that gift- the accountability that comes with measuring change, what works and what doesn’t, and how to plot the course you truly desire.
Until next time, please be extra-nice to your cat. Metaphorical or otherwise.
Take Action
Pick two variables of your behaviour- one that you like (maybe exercising or talking to your partner without devices) and one that you don’t like (maybe smoking, swearing, or biting your nails). Track these behaviours for two weeks on a graph, journal, or whatever works for you.
All you’re doing is tracking how often, when, and where you do these behaviors each day. It can be as simple as making a column for each behavior and jotting down the time and place each time you do it. You don’t need to review or analyze these totals in any special way each day.
At the end of the two weeks, take a look at your results- if it feels fun, try plotting them onto a line graph to visualize it. Try journaling your responses to the following:
Did the simple act of observing these behaviors change their frequency at all?
Did observing the where and when reveal anything to you about these behaviors that were surprising?
Is there anything you’ll do next with this new information?
Further Reading
Self-Accountability. Blog post by Steven Pavlina, productivity consultant and author of Personal Development for Smart People
Manage Yourself: 10 Ways to Make Yourself Accountable at Work, in Life, and with Money. Article at Money Under 30 by founder David Welliver.
The Ultimate Habit Tracker Guide: Why and How to Track Your Habits. Blog post by James Clear, best-selling author of Atomic Habits.
