I had this idea a couple weeks ago and have been thinking about it a lot:

I would love to be able to open the app, and just start typing whatever I am noticing/doing. So I’d open, and type things like:

-Sunny -Dog walk -Smoothie -Content -Fred -Skipped breakfast -Energized

As I type an item, the app would show me a list of all the things I’ve typed in the past that are the same or similar. So, I type Su- and the app suggests “sunny’ because I have entered that before. I tap the word, and it is logged at current time. Once logged, it lives at the bottom of the entry screen where I can expand it and adjust the time and other variables, if need be.

The app will attempt to auto-categorize logged items, so for the example of “Sunny” it would automatically be categorized as “weather” but, at the end of the week (or whenever) I can go in and see all my entries and re-categorize things, so maybe “Sunny” is actually the name of my friend so I manually put it in the category of “friends” and maybe tag it with “socializing, vacation, mountain biking” or whatever, just to provide more context and ways to make correlations. The app will remember my manual categorizations and default to them in the future.

This idea, in my view, would really streamline the app. I could just log things as they come up by quickly typing them, without needing to create items that will live permanently (and take up space) on a list. Maybe I only see Fred 3 times a year, and I don’t want his name to be taking up space on my list of factors all year long. Still, it would be nice to be able to look back and see, “Hey, every time I see Fred, I am in a good mood, and my mood is lifted for the following two days. I should hang out with Fred more often.”

It (specifically tagging) would also allow for powerful analytics and insights which is my favorite part of the app. Things like “Hey, 80% of the days I meditate, I am in a better mood than days I don’t meditate… I should meditate more.” I love those insights.

Like I said, I have been thinking about this a lot while using the app, and I feel like I can make a very strong case for how this would improve usability and insights. Happy to elaborate and interact in comments.