How happy do you feel right now?
Track your mood to find what truly makes you happy.
Track your happiness for a week by checking in at random moments and asking yourself:
🤔 How happy do I feel right now?
When we recall how happy we were during a period, like a holiday or a relationship, our memory often distorts reality. We remember emotionally extreme moments and how things ended: a joyful day, a stressful mishap, or a chaotic final day. Ordinary moments fade quickly, even though they make up most of the period. This distorted view can influence decisions. We might return to a holiday spot that seems great in memory but disappoints in reality.
To really understand what makes you happy, observe yourself in the moment, not through memories.
Track your happiness at random moments for a week, or longer for a fuller picture. Note your scores and what’s behind each one in a diary, notes app, or whatever you’ll actually use. You can also track other dimensions like energy, stress, or engagement for a richer view.
This method complements life-satisfaction surveys that use the question, “How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?” Those surveys give a reflective, overall evaluation of your life. Tracking happiness in the moment adds another layer: it shows how you actually feel throughout the day and what drives those feelings. Together, they provide a fuller picture, showing both your overall sense of life satisfaction and the day-to-day experiences that shape it.
Follow these steps:
👉 Set a timer to beep at random moments during the day. You can use phone alarms or reminders, or a habit-tracking or mindfulness app.
👉 Record your happiness score from 1 (not happy at all) to 10 (extremely happy) when it beeps. Or simply jot down a score whenever you notice the time spontaneously.
👉 Add the date, time, what you’re doing, where you are, and who you’re with.
Tracking happiness is like using a fitness tracker or heart-rate monitor for your mind.
After a week, review your scores and notes. Look for patterns rather than one-off highs or lows. Examine which circumstances reliably raise or lower your happiness. Use these insights to adjust your days, seek out uplifting situations, and reduce exposure to what drags your happiness down.
Track for a week, spot patterns, and start shaping happier days.
