My second attempt at Dear Data covered the complaints I made within a week. This time around, out of convenience, I collected my data in a Google sheet.
The following were topic and supporting questions that helped guide my data collection:
What are my complaints?
- What annoys or frustrates me? What do I find unacceptable/unsatisfactory?
- In which settings do I complain? (Relationships, work, school, etc.)
- Is my complaint attached to a specific subject? (person, place, thing)
- When/how often do I complain? (date, day of the week, time, etc.)
- Is my complaint valid? (Am I being dramatic?)
- Who do I complain to?
- How do I manage my complaints? Do I take any further action?
Although I started collecting data with the subject of the complaint in mind, I found that I didn’t truly need this information in my final visualization. I’m already pretty aware of the things I typically complain about. Additionally, I eventually omitted the actual topics of each complaint. Though I initially thought my visualization would orbit this information, in the end, I found that the most significant trends within the data were how often I complain, who I complain to most and if I take any further action after complaining.
Here’s how it went:
My findings after collecting this data:
- Most of my complaints were valid, although I did throw in a little drama every so often
- My husband hears the majority of my complaints
- 3/8 of my complaints were about work
- I did not take further action as much as I would like to
Now that I know this information, I can make better decisions about my complaining habits, whether I want to continue to complain, and what I’ll do with my complaints moving forward.
Furthermore, creating my own Dear Data visualizations was a great exercise that I hope to continue. Gathering my data around life happenings and habits keeps me present and conscience, offering insight into decisions I have made or may be making. I was also able to identify and analyze which of my habits are healthy and unhealthy. Through these exercises, I practiced being introspective during a very busy life season, which I appreciate.
I struggled the most with the visualization of my data, but with time and practice, I think I’ll learn to try more things. The more I practice, the more comfortable I’ll become, and the easier it will be to track information within my daily life.
Sola's Thoughts 