Breaking up with my Fitbit.

I wouldn’t call myself a neurotic person but at some point over the last few years I started to veering toward compulsive. Overly fixated with tracking things. I’ve long enjoyed making lists, documenting experiences and keeping tabs on my life as it happens (duh). But the idea of collecting data was something new, something else to analyze. As though I might some day need to know my step count on a given Thursday in October.

At first I liked the idea of knowing that I was staying active. I rationalized that I worked from home so it was an important reminder to keep moving. Slowly, I became competitive with myself, going extra lengths to meet or exceed 10,000 steps a day. If I didn’t make my steps one day, I would try and do extra the next so that I could maintain the “right” average. As if making my device happy would somehow make me happier. Or healthier. Or maybe even thinner. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

So after more than four years (!) of dutifully clipping on my Fitbit day in and day out, I’m saying goodbye. Of course, Fitbit doesn't make saying goodbye easy. Sure, you can simply let the battery die or put it in a drawer and remove the app from your phone. Another option is to login in and delete the device. But this keeps your profile active. To fully cut ties you need to chat with real live Fitbit representatives who send you an email to confirm this major life decision. Might just be easier to stay connected, eh? 

Maybe I’ll change my mind once I separate myself from my Zip - but I doubt it. Maybe future generations will care to know that I averaged 9,351 steps a day between January 2014 and January 2018 - but I doubt that even more. Here’s to reclaiming my autonomy - one step at a time.