Reflect Daily.

About

Hi, I'm Brian, and I've always struggled to do the things I know I should. Exercise, writing, reading. I'd start with great intentions and lose momentum within weeks.

I tried everything. Apps, notebooks, bullet journals, accountability partners, you name it. Nothing stuck.

Most habit trackers were too complex. Too many features, too much setup, too many steps. I'd use them for a week, then abandon them.

Others were too rigid. Binary yes/no tracking. Miss a day and you "fail." The shame spiral starts. You stop tracking. The habit dies.

Then I discovered Marshall Goldsmith's daily questions method: rating yourself 1-10 on "Did I do my best to...?" The behavioral science behind it clicked. The act of reflection itself builds the unconscious trigger that makes you do the behavior.

I started tracking manually. Spreadsheets, notes apps, whatever was around. It was a chore. I wanted something I could open wherever I was, the moment the thought struck — something that would remind me so I'd actually do it.

So I built Reflect Daily. I made it for myself, but figured it might be useful to other people too.

The Science

95% of our daily actions are unconscious. They run on autopilot in the basal ganglia, the part of the brain that works outside awareness.

BJ Fogg's Behavior Model says behavior needs three things: Motivation, Ability, and a Prompt. The prompt is the one everyone overlooks — and without a trigger, no behavior happens.

Marshall Goldsmith's insight was asking "Did I do my best to...?" instead of "Did I do it?" This shift from results to effort removes shame and builds self-awareness. Even a low rating acknowledges you tried.

Reflecting on a behavior daily brings unconscious patterns into conscious awareness. Neuroscience calls this "self-directed neuroplasticity" — rewiring your brain through deliberate reflection.

Here's what happens:

  1. You rate your effort daily (external prompt)
  2. This reflection builds awareness of the pattern
  3. Repeated reflection creates new neural pathways
  4. Over time, the external prompt becomes an internal trigger
  5. Your brain starts prompting you automatically
  6. The behavior becomes unconscious. It's now a habit

You're training your brain to prompt you automatically.

How I Use It

Every morning I rate Sleep and Exercise. Takes 10 seconds.

Throughout the day I rate other habits as I think of them.

On days I use it, I'm more intentional. I actually do the things that matter to me.

On days I skip it, I drift.

How It Works

  1. Add your habits
  2. Once a day, rate each one 1-10 based on effort (not completion)
  3. Watch your streak grow — the plant 🌱 grows on any day you make any effort
  4. Set a daily reminder for the time you choose (optional)

That's it. Takes 30 seconds. Free, always.

I use it every day. If it helps you too, that's a win for me.

—Brian

Contact

Questions, trouble with the app, or an idea that would make it better? Email reflectdailyhabits@gmail.com. A human reads every message.