Bounded Self

Bounded Self tracks what things cost you. Not how you feel (that's mood trackers), not what you got done (that's productivity apps). What it actually took out of you. You log 2-3 times a day. Pick a category, rate the energy cost 1-10, optionally tag mood, location, or who you were with. After about a week you start seeing it. Which activities cost the most, which days are worst, and when something that usually costs you a 3 suddenly jumps to an 8.

That jump is what you're really looking for. Spending energy is fine, a high total just means you had a full day. But when the same task starts costing more than it used to, something changed. Most people spot it weeks before burnout actually hits.

Free tier:

• Unlimited tracking, 10 default categories
• 7-day dashboard with charts and daily summaries - Mood, location, and people tagging
• Full JSON data export - Entry goal tracking Premium adds:
• Custom categories and groups
• Energy budgeting, same idea as YNAB but for energy: set weekly budgets by category and track actual spending against them - Automatic cost-shift detection - Longer analysis windows (30-day, 6-month, 1-year)
• Experiments so you can test whether a change actually helped or you just had a good week - Reflection journal tied to energy logs - People and location insights

Made for people who'd rather look at a chart than write in a journal. No gamification, no streaks, no motivational quotes.

No ads. Revenue is subscriptions. Export everything as JSON whenever you want, delete your account within 30 days.