How to search for a new yoga mat using data
A few months ago, I realized I needed a new yoga mat. My current mat was designed for hot yoga – absorbent towel-like material top with rubber treading on the bottom. I used it for everything from Ashtanga to Yin.
I decided to find the perfect new yoga mat for myself using my data skills.
Define your goals
I loved my mat. It was soft from a decade of use. Because it was thin – I always felt grounded. It was also lightweight and traveled super easily. Unfortunately, it was starting to give up the ghost. I found myself needing to step off it more and more often because it would slide, curl, or slip. A slippery surface is not ideal when you are balancing your body with your arms, and your nose is hovering inches from the ground.
I knew these goals were key in collecting the type of data I needed to find my new yoga mat.
Do the research and then validate the research
I spent weeks pouring over reviews online. Sadly, they were almost all copy/paste pieces. It read like the writers used a thesaurus to tweak adjectives, so they weren’t repeating the exact same words.
I asked other yogis what they liked about their mats. Many had more than one, which unfortunately skewed my data. I wanted a mat just like my current mat, but better. It was frustrating.
None of my findings inspired me to act. If I bought the “best” mat using this initial research, I knew I would feel cheated and have buyer’s remorse. My data project had failed me.
“ If I bought the “best” mat using the initial research, I knew I would feel cheated and have buyer’s remorse. “
Fail early & fail small
You might think this shouldn’t happen to a seasoned, successful project manager with mad data skills – but I was over-excited. I am also human, and this was personal. Consequently, I made the mistake humans tend to make; I let data drive me. So I scrapped the initial criteria and reflected my unique needs and interests for inspiration.
“I needed to be inspired by the data to build the criteria that reflected my unique needs and interests.”
Letting go of someone else’s criteria freed me to create one in the present, because I almost immediately recognized that I would never have “my mat,” again. That ship had sailed. When I purchased my mat 10 years ago, I had only two criteria: cheap and packable. I needed a new strategy and new requirements. In agile project management, it’s common to hear, “Fail early, fail often; fail small.”
Success only happens when we are super clear about priorities & rankings
I reviewed the original data set and abandoned how I ranked and captured the categories. This reboot was designed to identify fields and information that helped me prioritize what was meaningful to me.
Starting over isn’t the same as starting from scratch
First, price was important, but not more important than sustainably sourced materials.
Second, corporate philanthropy is good, but an intentional partnership with environmental and social justice organizations is better.
And lastly, ultra-lightweight was no longer a priority because I recognized my old mat is still good for travel. However, I kept the field “Mat Weight” as a number and added a key indicator “How much heavier is my gym bag than the mat?” to make comparisons easy.
Now, I clearly understood if the new mat would be significantly heavier for me.
Overall, I am grateful I saw the opportunity to pause , and that I was brave enough to actually stop and reassess . Ultimately, it saved me the headache of sticking to a plan not devised with my real requirements and the heartache of doing business with a company that did not align with my values.
Quickly after this, I found my new mat. It met my requirements, and the purchase prioritized my values.
Learning from data
“Truth be told, my data project surpassed expectations. “
Because my mat has etched graphics, I can see easily, without my glasses, when my feet or hands are out of alignment. This is a big positive for my practice. I got to got to choose my favorite color at no extra cost, even though I didn’t include these perks in the reboot,
Ensuring that my project aligned with my needs and my goals were crystal clear made it easy to see these as value-adds and avoid buyer’s remorse.
“We have to be willing to let go of what we think we should have in order to enjoy what we deserve.”
In essence, when we start a data project, we think we know what we want. When our results don’t inspire us to take action, there is a disconnect between what we think we should have and what we genuinely want.
Being honest with ourselves about the criteria and expectations we use to collect, manage, and maintain our data is key to a successful data project. We have to be willing to let go of what we think we should have in order to enjoy what we deserve.
Do you have a data story or an idea about data you’d like to chat about? Let’s chat!