What Five Years Shows That One Month Cannot
The return on duration, stated concretely. Four classes of question that only appear with years of data, and why they justify the years of dull maintenance.
Reading long data
The return begins at two full years. Before that it is an act of faith, and saying so is more honest than pretending otherwise.
6 notes
Seasonality in Your Own Record
Your year has a repeating shape. Finding it takes two years of data and changes how you plan more than any other single finding.
Trends, Noise and the Difference
Most apparent changes in a personal record are noise. Telling the two apart without statistics, using only what a long record makes visible.
Comparing Periods Fairly
Five things that make two periods incomparable, all of them present in most long records, and how to account for each.
The Annual Read
One hour a year with the whole record in front of you. The step that converts a maintained dataset into something that changes decisions.
Questions Only Long Data Answers
Eight questions that require years of record, with what each needs. The concrete case for the maintenance.
These notes are about keeping a personal record for years rather than for a fortnight: durability beats accuracy, and a rough record kept for five years answers questions a perfect record of one month cannot. Tool guides are included as practical comparisons, while the underlying method remains independent of any single product. Nothing here is legal, tax or medical advice: requirements differ by jurisdiction and situation.