I use several tools to keep track of things. Like many people with smartwatches and phones, I rely on Apple’s built-in apps for steps and exercise. I also wear an Oura ring, which gives me reliable sleep stats and now helps me log meals. Lately I’ve been keeping a text-based food log in Google Docs, uploading it each morning for ChatGPT to review and suggest improvements (which I mostly ignore). I also record daily meditation time and fasting windows.

All of this data ends up in a spreadsheet. Each month I average the numbers and copy them into another sheet so I can see longer-term trends. I’ve been doing this since January 2019, and it’s fascinating to look back for patterns. Truthfully, I also just enjoy collecting and organizing numbers.

The reason for this post is a newer app I’ve added to the mix: Exist. It recently had a thoughtful refresh and has become a solid addition to my tracking system. With Exist, I can score my days from 1 to 9, add tags, and review insights it generates from my inputs. I’ve found it useful for giving each day an overall grade and spotting the factors that shape whether it feels good or bad.

I know this kind of practice might seem unnecessary to most people, and that’s cool and very understandable. Even my wife pokes fun at me from time to time when she catches me tapping away in my spreadsheets. But I don’t spend time in bars or watch much TV (apart from a good college football game), so I have space for this in my life. If you already have the tracking habit and enjoy reflecting on your data, Exist is worth a try. Screenshot of my dashboard below.