While our forebears depended on their senses to gauge their progress, we are progressively turning to devices.

Nowadays, if you possess enough curiosity, you can assess your heart rate, step numbers, exercise vigor, and sleep quality—often all from one elegant gadget.

In the best scenarios, these gadgets create a connection between your subjective feelings and what you can measure objectively.

This is typically a fascinating and impressive development.

Our personal feelings and evaluations hold significance, yet they aren’t always the most trustworthy. Humans simply aren’t particularly adept at quantifying our experiences and actions with stark accuracy.

For instance, take a coworker of mine. He thought he was consuming calories within a tight range, but after thorough monitoring, he discovered that he was adding an extra 500 calories a day—thanks to barbecue sauce.

That being said, some individuals excel more than others.

Ben Johnson, the Canadian sprinter, was said to have the ability to call out his 100-meter time within a tenth of a second of what the stopwatch indicated.¹

That’s exceptional performance, to be sure, but it still poses the question:

How skilled are you at self-assessment?

And, how can you enhance your precision through the smart application of technology—like fitness monitors—to guide you in making better health choices?

In the ensuing article, we’ll explore these topics, plus we’ll cover:

• How reliable are data trackers in the first place?
• When is tracking beneficial? (And when is it not beneficial?)
• Can you train yourself to assess things more accurately based on feelings?

Let’s dive in.

First off, how reliable are data trackers really?

Not all data is of the same caliber.

Some brands manufacture superior products compared to others. This involves not only hardware but also the excellence of their software and datasets.

Moreover, not all elements are equally straightforward to quantify.

For example, heart rate and step-count metrics are generally dependable,² but numerous other types of outputs—from calories expended to movement speed—carry significant margins for inaccuracy.

The chart below illustrates the trustworthiness of various tracking devices.

(If you’re interested, we examine the accuracy of various progress indicators in greater detail here: Are Fitness Trackers Worth It?)

Next up, when is tracking truly advantageous?

The positive: Tracking devices provide us with more insights into our behaviors and bodies than ever before.

The negative: Tracking devices give us more insights into our behaviors and bodies than ever before.

“What’s particularly astonishing,” states Samantha Kleinberg, a computer scientist specializing in decision-making, “is that even a small amount of extra information can significantly hinder our decision-making.”³

This represents the tracking paradox: Too little detail complicates making the right decision, but so does an excess of information.

This concept can be depicted as an inverted U-shape, with the optimal point at the peak of the curve.

Today, it’s surprisingly simple to have an overload of information.

Think of the paralysis you experience after reading countless reviews of the countless taco establishments in your area. (All you wanted was a decent el pastor, but now you’re unsure which taqueria to choose!)

Finding just the right amount of information to make sound decisions is an art—especially in the health and fitness realm, where it seems like everyone is pushier in providing more science, more personalization, and more intricacies.

But when all that information begins to intertwine without a discernible way forward, what should you do?

To begin, you can pose a straightforward question to yourself:

Does tracking enhance my wellbeing and effectiveness?

If the response is a definitive yes or no, you’re aware of your next step. (Either persist with tracking as you were, or set the gadget aside and move on.)