Baseer Maroof, LCSW · Raleigh, NC · Adults 21+
Activity & mood planner
The core tool of behavioural activation, in your pocket. Plan small things, do them, rate them, and let the pattern show you the way out.
In short
- Plan one or two small activities a day, tied to what matters to you.
- When the time comes, do it by the plan, not the mood.
- Rate mood before and after, plus mastery (getting it done) and pleasure.
- After a few days, the insights show what lifts you and how much of your plan you’re doing.
The planner
Activity & mood planner
Saves on this device only. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Day:
Plan an activity
What area of life does it serve?
Ideas (tap to use):
How to use it
Start smaller than you think
On a heavy day, “shower” is a legitimate activity. Success early matters more than ambition.
Plan it like an appointment
Pick a time. When it arrives, do it whether or not you feel like it. Then tap Done and rate it honestly.
Read the patterns
Look for activities that lift mood even a little, and do more of them. If something scores high on mastery and low on pleasure, keep it, and add something just for enjoyment.
Bring it to therapy
Use “Copy as text” and paste it into a note for your next session. It’s the same record a behavioural activation therapist would ask you to keep.
Why it works
Activity monitoring and scheduling
Tracking what you do and how it affects your mood, then scheduling more of what helps, is the backbone of behavioural activation. In COBRA, BA was as effective as full CBT at 12 months. (Martell et al. 2022; Richards 2016)
Sources
All sources, linked4 references⌄
- Martell CR, Dimidjian S, Herman-Dunn R (2022). Behavioral Activation for Depression: A Clinician’s Guide, 2nd ed. Guilford Press (reproducible forms, incl. TRAP-TRAC sheet). www.guilford.com/add/forms/martell2-forms.pdf
- Jacobson NS, Martell CR, Dimidjian S (2001). Behavioral activation treatment for depression: returning to contextual roots. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8(3), 255–270. doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.8.3.255
- Richards DA et al. (2016). Cost and Outcome of Behavioural Activation versus Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Depression (COBRA): a randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial. Lancet, 388, 871–880. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5007415/
- Ekers D et al. (2014). Behavioural activation for depression; an update of meta-analysis of effectiveness and sub group analysis. PLoS One, 9(6), e100100. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4061095/
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