Data

All statistical studies require data. Data is needed to determine if you are getting better or worse. Also, data must be organized in order to make some sense of it. Once you have data it can be examined, manipulated and studied in order to make use of it. For example: I had an employee who very often came to work late. In talking to him about it I realized that he had no idea how to correct his behavior. All he would say was, "I will try to do better." I convinced him to keep a daily log on the exact time he arrived at work. After two weeks we reviewed the log. The data showed that he seldom arrived early. When he did arrive early it was only a few minutes early. The lates ranged from one minute to fifteen minutes. He was shown that using the start-time as a target he was incapable of getting to work on time all the time. By looking at the data, I asked him to tell me what his target should be. He was a bright person and he answered that it should be ten minutes before the actual start-time. He improved right away after that, not perfect, but improved. The other day, after one of my classes, a lady complained to me that when she lost weight it would not be too long before she would gain it back. She wanted to know what she could do about it. (Opra is having the same trouble.) I asked her to show me her record of the losing and the gaining. Of course, as I knew, she had none. I have asked her to keep a daily log on her morning weight, taking it only after urination. In this way, I will be able to see the swings of high and low, and how long the swings last. Without data I can only guess what the height of the swings are, or what the durations are. From her memory I can only get what she thinks or feels they are. Once she is able to present the data to me I will endeavor to help her.