I Lost My Zip
Two months ago, I lost my Fitbit Zip. I’d used a Zip since 2014, before my second open heart surgery. I tried to buy a new Zip, but Fitbit discontinued production and the remnant units cost about $200.
No, thank you.
I used this loss as a moment to experiment. Would I miss counting my steps? Would I miss the competition of the Workweek Hustle? Would my physical activity decline?
So far, all the answers have been: No.
I still wear my Garmin watch when rucking. I am not dead-set against technology or health data tracking. I still enjoy posting and following my friends’s athletic feats on Strava.
Letting go of the gamification of everyday activity has ushered in a welcome season of peace. One less reason to check my phone a few times per day.
Maybe the moment of peace simply came from changing up a routine after 8+ years. Maybe I was simply ready for a change. Maybe the Fitbit caused me a low-level but constant pang of anxiety that its exit has ameliorated.
In concert with the Fitbit disappearance, I have lessened my own daily tracking. I now track six daily activities – down 40% from my high.
Whatever the cause, I’ve enjoyed the effects of my newly Zipless existence. Onward to month three without the Fitbit. And onward to a bit less tracking – and more simply doing.