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Evidence based tracking

Track your day. The research says it works.

Building a better you! A little space to meet yourself, plus more: habits, food, sleep and mood in one private place, a minute a day. Free to start.

Private by default. Share only if you choose: with one person at a time, stopped whenever you like. Or keep it all to yourself.

138randomised trials, nearly 20,000 people: monitoring your progress helped them reach their goals, most of all when they wrote it down.Harkin et al., Psychological Bulletin, 2016
What do you want to track? Tick any that apply

Free to start. Next you choose a password, type the code we email you, and your account opens. We keep your email, what you chose and basic details of your visit: the page, where you came from, your browser type, your IP address and a random id saved in your browser. Privacy.

Read the evidenceSign in
A science card in the Mantra tab with its study named
Progress stats: streak, days written, best run
Home with 90 days of progress charts
Every claim names its studyProgress you can seeAlone or togetherCouples and groupsWork and homePrivate by default
Pick a tool

Ten simple tools for your day, free to start.

Each page shows an example screen, what the same thing costs elsewhere and what the Daily Journal does today. Sign up and tell us which one you want first.

A small example of the Calorie counter screenCalorie counterCount food by typing it. A small example of the Meal planner screenMeal plannerPlan the week, make the list. A small example of the Grocery list screenGrocery listOne shared list, by aisle. A small example of the Weight loss journal screenWeight loss journalWrite the week, see the trend. A small example of the Habit tracker screenHabit trackerStreaks that allow rest days. A small example of the Pomodoro timer screenPomodoro timerFocus in short rounds. A small example of the Sleep tracker screenSleep trackerBedtime, wake time, how you feel. A small example of the Affirmations screenAffirmationsDaily words in your own voice. A small example of the Meditation screenMeditationA quiet timer, then one line. A small example of the Journal screenJournalOne private place for the day.
See all journal tools Free calculators Sign up free
The science

What the research says, and where we use it.

These are the notes inside the app's Mantra tab, each one read back against its source. Most are observational, so we say "linked to" and never "causes".

Tracking
138 trials

Checking your progress helps you reach your goal.

Across 138 randomised studies of nearly 20,000 people, monitoring progress helped, most of all when written down.

Used in: Tracking and Progress
Harkin et al., Psychological Bulletin, 2016
Planning
94 tests

"When X happens, I will do Y" plans work.

Writing a plan in that form helped people reach goals, with a medium to large effect.

Used in: Plan reminders
Gollwitzer and Sheeran, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 2006
Habits
66 days

A new habit took a middle value of 66 days to feel automatic.

It ranged from 18 to 254 days between people. A small study of 96 people, so be patient and expect it to vary.

Used in: streaks and best run
Lally et al., European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010
Gratitude
Once a week

Writing down what you are grateful for lifted mood.

People who listed things they were grateful for reported more positive feelings. Not every measure moved, so treat it as a small, cheap thing worth trying.

Used in: Thoughts of the day
Emmons and McCullough, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2003
People
~50% greater odds

Strong relationships are linked to living longer.

148 studies and about 309,000 people. The link was comparable to well-known risks such as smoking.

Used in: Together and groups
Holt-Lunstad, Smith and Layton, PLOS Medicine, 2010
Happiness
Since 1938

The longest study of adult life points to good relationships.

People with closer ties to family, friends and community were happier, healthier and lived longer. Quality matters more than the number of friends.

Used in: sharing with people you trust
Harvard Study of Adult Development (Waldinger and colleagues)

Studies show links, not proof of cause. Nothing here is medical advice. The app holds more cards on sleep (7+ hours), steps, strength and food, each with its source.

Alone, or with the people you love

Do it by yourself. Or invite someone you trust.

Your journal is private by default. Sharing is optional: you choose who, one person at a time, and you can stop at any time. Or never share at all.

🔒Keep it personal

Only you can see it. Nothing is shared unless you turn it on.

🤝Share with someone you trust

You pick the person. One at a time. Stop whenever you like.

🧍

Personal

Your habits, food, sleep and mood in one private place. Charts show what is working.

💞

Pairs

Invite someone you trust with one link. See each other's streaks, send a reminder, and make a daily check in something you do together.

💼

Productivity

Plan tasks, set if-then reminders and track the habits that keep your work days steady, such as wake up, steps and focus time.

👥

Groups

Friends, family or a team. Joining shares nothing: each person decides who sees what, and whether anyone may write in it.

Every tool in the app

See your progress build.

Every picture below is the real app, shown as it looks on a phone. The people and numbers are demo data for a made up user called Sam.

Home

Your progress, 7, 30 or 90 days at a time

Open the app and the charts answer the one question that keeps people going: am I getting better? Streak, days active, wake up time and exercise days, each with its own line.

  • Switch between 7, 30 and 90 days
  • Choose which of ten stat cards to show
  • A heat grid shows every week at a glance
26 of 30days active
12 dayscurrent streak
6:56amaverage wake up
Why it helpsSeeing progress is the monitoring that the 138 trials measured.Harkin et al., 2016
Home, 90 days
Home, 7 days
Habit tracking

Every habit, every day, in colour

Tracking is a table of your days: one coloured column per thing you track, one row per day. Gaps show up straight away, and so do the runs you are proud of. The Progress view counts it for you.

  • Streak, best run, days written in and this week
  • View 7, 21 or 60 days, and zoom to fit
  • Add your own boxes: steps, reading, no phone time
87%days written in
12best run, days
7 of 7this week
Why it helpsHabits took 66 days to feel automatic, and up to 254. A best run and a streak let you see slow progress.Lally et al., 2010
Progress
Tracking table
Today

One box for each thing, one button each

Type your coffee, tap Add, type your sandwich. The keyboard stays up. Under every box the things you wrote before come back as one tap chips, so the same breakfast takes a second.

  • Food, water, exercise, steps, bedtime, wake up, thoughts
  • Clocks remember the times you really use
  • Switch to Yesterday to fill in what you missed
Why it helpsThe research found writing it down beat just keeping track in your head. A one minute habit is one you keep.Harkin et al., 2016
Today
Today, steps and bedtime
Food

A food diary with real nutrition

Type what you ate and the numbers appear: calories, protein, carbs, fat and fibre for each item and for the day. Save your usual meals and recipes and add them in one tap.

  • Nutrition from the USDA FoodData Central table
  • Per serving, so a bigger plate still adds up
  • The last 7 days in one strip
1,645kcal today
90 gprotein
30 gfibre
Food page
Food table
Mantra

The evidence, one card at a time

Every day opens on a fresh card. Scroll for more: affirmations, quotes, science notes and book ideas. Science cards name the study and the year, and say "linked to", never "causes". Tap the heart to keep one.

A little space to meet myself...plus more
My thoughts, my space, my peace

  • Quotes only appear with a place you can find them
  • Filter by food, movement, mind and more
  • Short enough to read with your morning coffee
146cards in the feed
4kinds of card
A science card
A quote card
Plan

Calendar, tasks and reminders that find you

Put tasks and notes on a month calendar. Set a daily reminder, once a day or every few hours, and it opens over the app until you press Continue. Invite somebody and it lands on theirs too.

  • Repeats and times for any task
  • Send a reminder to a friend or someone you trust
  • Ticked tasks stay on the day, struck through
Why it helps"After I brush my teeth, I will log my day" is the kind of plan that worked across 94 tests.Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006
Plan
Plan tasks
Together

Invite someone you trust. Stay connected.

Make a group of two or twenty. See everyone's streaks side by side, cheer a good week, and send a reminder when someone needs a nudge. Joining shares nothing: you choose person by person who sees your journal.

  • One invite link for a friend, family or team
  • Pick your own colour in the shared table
  • The scoreboard shows rank and level only, never names
Why it helpsPeople with stronger relationships had roughly 50% greater odds of survival, and the Harvard study found good relationships the clearest link to a happy life.Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010; Harvard Study of Adult Development
Shared tracking
Groups and invites
Profile

Levels and badges for showing up

Earn XP for the days you write, the water you drink and the weeks you keep going. Badges come in bronze, silver, gold and platinum, with a few secret ones. Make the app yours with six colour themes.

  • Level, title and XP to the next level
  • Twelve badge groups: consistency, mood, hydration, social
  • Light, dark or match your phone
56badges
6themes
Lv 9Veteran, on the demo
Badges
Themes
Why track at all

Tracking works. Here it is in four numbers.

Real studies, with the source under each. A minute a day is the part you control.

138trialsof nearly 20,000 people found that checking your progress helped them reach their goal.Harkin et al., Psychological Bulletin, 2016
94testsof "when X happens, I will do Y" plans found they helped people reach goals.Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006
66dayswas the middle value for a new habit to feel automatic. It ranged from 18 to 254 days.Lally et al., European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010
309,000peopleacross 148 studies: strong relationships were linked to about 50% greater odds of living longer.Holt-Lunstad, Smith and Layton, PLOS Medicine, 2010
Start tracking freeFree to start. Private by default.

Studies show links, not proof of cause. Nothing here is medical advice.

Free, no sign up

Free calculators and guides.

Work out your numbers in seconds, in kilograms or pounds and in kilojoules or calories. Every formula is shown with its sources, and nothing you type is saved.

BMI calculatorHeight and weight to BMI and the usual adult range. TDEE calculatorDaily energy in kcal and kJ from age, sex, size and activity. Calorie calculatorA daily target to keep, lose or gain slowly, never below a safe floor. Protein calculatorThe national reference amount for your age, sex and weight. Macro calculatorCalories to grams of protein, carbs and fat. kJ to calories converterDivide kJ by 4.184. Food labels in either unit. Water intake calculatorDaily fluids in litres and glasses. Sleep calculatorBedtimes that fit whole sleep cycles. Habit streak calculatorYour current and longest streak, with rest days.
All calculators Habit guides Food guides Free printables Journal tools
Read, print, try

Guides and printables, free to use.

Short answers with the study named, and sheets you can print today. Each page points to the tool that does the sum for you.

Guides to read

How many calories should I eat a day?What is a calorie deficit?How much protein do I need?How to calculate macrosHow to calculate TDEEHow to calculate BMIReading nutrition labels in AustraliaAll guides

Sleep, water and habits

How much sleep do I need?How many sleep cycles?How much water should I drink?Hydration mythsHow to start a habit trackerHabit stacking explainedHow long to build a habitAll habit pages

Printables to download

Habit trackerMeal plannerFood diarySleep diaryWater trackerWeekly plannerGratitude journalAll printables

Mind and journaling

Positive affirmationsDaily affirmationsAffirmation cardsMood trackerGoal setting worksheetDaily plannerAll mind pagesAll calculators
Why it is better

Built for the day you actually have.

Plenty of apps track one thing. This one holds the whole day, backs it with named research, and lets the people you love in.

What you get
Daily Journal
Typical single app
Habits, food, sleep and mood in one place
✓ All of it
Usually one
Research on the pagestudy, year and caution
✓ Named sources
Rare
Progress charts over 7, 30 and 90 days
✓ Built in
Often paid
Sharing with people you trust
✓ Person by person
All or nothing
Your own boxes and colours
✓ Unlimited
Fixed list
Repeat yesterday's entry in one tap
✓ Again chips
Retype it
Installs without an app store
✓ Home screen
Store only

The right hand column describes what is common among single purpose apps, not a named product.

Start writing it down. Bring someone with you.

Sign up free. A minute to begin, a minute a day after that, and you can invite someone you trust once you are in.

What do you want to track? Tick any that apply

Free to start. Next you choose a password, type the code we email you, and your account opens. We keep your email, what you chose and basic details of your visit: the page, where you came from, your browser type, your IP address and a random id saved in your browser. Privacy.

Sign inRead the evidence