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Year in pixels mood tracker

Rate each day in one tap and see your year as a grid of colors, with honest counts of what goes with better days.

If you're struggling or thinking about suicide, you can talk to someone now, free and in confidence. In the US, call or text 988. In the UK and Ireland, call Samaritans on 116 123. Elsewhere, findahelpline.com lists helplines in over 175 countries. If you're in danger right now, call your local emergency number.

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How it works

Once a day, rate the whole day from 1 (Awful) to 5 (Great). That's the year in pixels as Camille of Passion Carnets drew it in 2016: twelve columns for the months, one square a day. A day you skip stays a dot; there's no streak to break.

The colors are yours. The default runs from deep blue to gold, getting lighter at each step so the order still reads in greyscale and for most color blindness. Pick another preset or your own two colors at any time and the whole year recolors. "Show numbers" prints each day's rating in its square.

Tags are optional words for what a day held: walk, work, friends. After 30 rated days, the page compares each tag that has at least 10 days with it and 10 without: the average rating on days with it, the average without, and how many days are behind each. That's all. It can't tell you what causes a good day: something else can go along with both, and with many tags a few will line up by chance.

Everything stays in this browser. One scale for the whole day isn't built for tracking bipolar disorder; people with bipolar say mixed and high-energy days get logged wrong on it.

Questions people ask

What is a year in pixels?
A one-page grid for the year where each day gets one small square, colored by how the day felt. Camille of the Passion Carnets bullet journal blog drew the first one for 2016, "12 columns for the months, and 30 or 31 blocks", and rated each day "in its entirety" rather than each emotion.
What colors should I use?
Any colors you like, as long as they get steadily lighter or darker from your worst days to your best. Camille used red for her happiest days and blue for her worst; many people do the opposite. ColorBrewer notes that lightness carries the order in a good sequential scheme, and that matters because about 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have color vision deficiency.
Does tracking your mood help?
It may: a review of 25 studies in young people found mood-monitoring apps may reduce depressive symptoms by increasing emotional awareness, though the evidence is limited. A trial in bipolar disorder found no benefit, and a review warns that self-monitoring may feed rumination, so if it makes you feel worse, it's fine to stop.
Can it tell me what makes me happier?
No, only what goes with better days: the average with and without each tag, and how many days are behind each. Correlations don't prove causation, and with many tags a few will look related by chance, so treat a row as a question to think about, not an answer.
Where are my moods stored?
Only in this browser on this device: there's no account and nothing is sent anywhere. Browsers can clear saved data (Safari can after 7 days of use without a visit), so export a copy from Settings now and then.

Sources

  1. Camille (Passion Carnets): deep dive into the Year in Pixels (Bullet Journal blog)
  2. ColorBrewer: sequential, diverging and qualitative schemes
  3. Colour Blind Awareness: colour blindness
  4. W3C: WCAG 2.2, 1.4.1 Use of Color (Understanding)
  5. Dubad et al. 2018: mood-monitoring apps in young people (systematic review)
  6. Kauer et al. 2012: self-monitoring and emotional self-awareness in young people (trial)
  7. Faurholt-Jepsen et al. 2015: daily smartphone self-monitoring in bipolar disorder (MONARCA trial)
  8. Faurholt-Jepsen et al. 2016: electronic self-monitoring of mood in bipolar disorder (review)
  9. Foster et al.: correlation versus causation (An Introduction to Psychological Statistics)
  10. Bearable: how to find correlations (minimum days)
  11. WebKit: storage deleted after 7 days without interaction (ITP)
  12. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
  13. Samaritans: contact us (116 123)
  14. Find A Helpline
  15. r/bipolar: mood tracking app for bipolar (what one rating a day misses)