figment friday – the index
it seems as if the figment daily themes editors are purposely saving the best prompts for last each week, because friday’s theme is consistently my favorite (and therefore the one i want to share) (meaning that figment friday gets posted later in the day) (not that anyone notices 
). today’s theme leads me to share some insight into my average day.
PROMPT: Harper’s Index is famous for creating curated lists of numbers and statistics, deftly arranged in order to make a larger, often political, point (example here). Similarly, McSweeney’s often uses the structure of the index as a character sketch, organizing personal statistics to reveal something intimate, often ironic, about the writer (example here).
For today’s theme, try your hand at creating your own personal index, illustrating how you spend a typical day.
approximate number of things on my to-do list when i wake up: 84
percentage of those items that will remain “to-do” when i go to sleep: 75
chances that the tasks accomplished will not be the ones intended for that date: 3 in 5
minimum cups of tea required to fuel my day: 6
frequency of pointless distractions: 3 per hour
number of times i open the back door to let the dogs in or out if i work from home: 14
number of times i stop working to chat with a friend if i work from a local coffee shop: 14
percentage by which distractions tighten deadlines: 100
percentage by which my efficiency increases under looming deadlines: 200
probability that either the ember days or the sleep design is playing in my headphones: .82
estimated number of emails sent or received containing the words “revise,” “draft,” or “review” in the subject line: 17
number of emails received that fall into the “newsletters i subscribe to but will barely have time to skim” category: 12
minimum number of photo texts of my niece that i demand from my sister: 1
average number of minutes spent throughout the day smiling at photos of my niece: 7
hours spent running errands: 2
percentage of those hours spent standing in line: 25
percentage of line-waiting time spent reading on my phone:90
chances that i will try to fit in time to run: 3 in 7
percentage increase of run cravings over the previous decade: 300
factor by which food is more likely than entertainment to motivate me to finish work or chores: 5.6
average minutes spent watching tv with lee: 90
probability that i will be snacking while we watch: .99
minutes spent missing my mom: more than i wish to count
minutes spent worrying that i’m not living up to my goals, others’ expectations, or God’s plan for me: more than i should
minutes spent feeling like the luckiest girl in the world: more than i deserve
minutes spent in prayer to make it through the day: incalculable
likelihood, in percent, that at the end of the day i will feel that life is good: 100
Posted on February 24, 2012, in language and tagged figment, writing. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
Love this!