Pre- and Post-Activity Mood Record
A simple exercise to track mood before and after a planned activity, using a 1-10 scale, to observe changes and inform behavioral choices.
THE IDEA
Exercise: Pre- and Post-Activity Mood Record
Before you start a planned activity, make a note of your mood. Give yourself a score of 1-10, where a score of “1” means “very little energy or motivation” and “10” means “very excited and enthusiastic.”
When you’ve finished, rate your mood again and write down the new score. An increase of even one or two points records an improvement. Your score may also stay the same or go down. You can try the activity again another time or try a different one and compare the results.
When to use it
When feeling low motivation, use this record to discover which activities boost your mood.
In therapy for depression, track mood before and after behavioral activation tasks to reinforce progress.
In a productivity context, identify which work tasks increase your energy and which drain it.
For personal development, use the record to find patterns in activities that reliably improve well-being.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Example: Walking
Before going for a walk, note your mood as 3/10. After the walk, you rate it as 6/10. Your mood improved during that period.
Example: Trying a New Hobby
Before starting a new hobby (e.g., painting), you rate your mood as 2/10. After spending 30 minutes on it, you rate it as 4/10. You can record that improvement and compare it with later sessions.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
What activities have consistently improved your mood after completion?
How can you use this mood record to identify activities worth repeating even when motivation is low?
What might it indicate if your mood score does not increase or decreases after an activity?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Thinking in Systems and Mental Models Think Like a Super Thinker (Dawson, Marcus P)