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While performing tasks I would like to tally up a large number while not having to remember it. However the total may reach up into the hundreds, and I only have ten fingers. Also I want to count while e.g. carrying things, walking around etc, and so methods that involve both hands or having to look at the process while doing it (such as simply writing it down) won't work.

There are tally counter devices that exist for this task, but surely there must be a way of counting up numbers without such a device ...

Burrough Clarke
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  • I guess that without a physical tally counter, which can be kept in a pocket and operated with one hand (leaving both hands usually free), you will need a memorisation technique. Associating imagery seems to work well but this isn't really a Life Hack. – Weather Vane May 19 '23 at 22:40
  • Can you explain more about the use cases where you need this? Why not just simply count and remember the number? Can there be any physical component to this tally system, or should this only be in your head? – Greg Burghardt Jun 08 '23 at 21:10
  • Does a tally counter not suite your use case? You can operate it with one hand, it hangs around your neck, and you don't need to keep track of a number. I don't know if this is really a life hack, though. – Greg Burghardt Jun 09 '23 at 15:17
  • I've tried commercial mechanical and electronic tally counters, however they are frequently buggy and break down, plus the cost involved. As for use cases, it is the same as for a tally counter - how to keep track of a incrementing number without having to remember it. E.g. counting the number of times you see, hear or think of something. So there would definately be a physical component involved as the idea is that you don't have to mentally keep track of the tally. – Burrough Clarke Jun 09 '23 at 22:50
  • An app that shows a number on screen, and adds 1 to to it when you say "add". or displays a number when u say a number but ignores other words. would such an app help? – tgkprog Jun 13 '23 at 22:40
  • Not a bad idea, that would meet the requirements if there is an app that can reliably do that. Smart glasses that count how often you e.g. wink would also solve it, but a low-tech solution would be ideal. – Burrough Clarke Jun 18 '23 at 10:36
  • For some reason I can't answer. But just hum a tune in your head where the current tally is the main or only lyric. "And iiiiiiiiii will always be siiiiiiiiiixxxx", "and iiiiiii will always be seveeeeeeen" and so on. –  Aug 18 '23 at 12:31

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Come, Mr. Tallyman, tally me banana Lifehack…

This is a simple two-part problem taken one part at a time.

  1. You do the counting of the… [You never mentioned what you wanted to tally.]
    Let's say you're in charge of counting bananas on some banana grower's property as you walk around or loll by the entrance to the banana storage depot, say.
  2. As you count, you give totals to your tiny, trusty voice recorder, hanging around your neck…
    1 …, 8 …, 4 …, 2 …, 1 …, 9 …, etc.

When there are no more bananas to tally, play the recorder from the beginning of the session with your trusty abacus for summing the total.

All you have to remember is which bananas you already counted as you focus on new ones and bunches to add as they appear.

Look. No Hands! You may only have ten fingers, but you can give them the day off and let them do the walking, or whatever else you need them to do.

Good luck.

Stan
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It will take some time to practice, but what you want is Finger binary - Wikipedia:

Finger binary is a system for counting and displaying binary numbers on the fingers of either or both hands. Each finger represents one binary digit or bit. This allows counting from zero to 31 using the fingers of one hand, or 1023 using both: that is, up to 25−1 or 210−1 respectively.

Examples of finger positions and their values.

Warning: Public display of the 132 tally is not recommended.

Ray Butterworth
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