Question 1

What is Bounded Self?

Accepted Answer

Bounded Self is an energy tracking app that works like a bank statement for your capacity. You log how activities, people, and routines cost you energy, then use that data to spot drains, set budgets, and make informed changes.

Question 2

How do I log an energy entry?

Accepted Answer

Tap the + button on your dashboard, rate the energy cost (1-10 or emoji), select a category, and optionally tag who you were with or where you were. It takes under 10 seconds.

Question 3

How often should I log?

Accepted Answer

A few times a day is ideal: after meetings, at the end of a work block, or when you notice a shift. Even 2-3 entries a day will reveal patterns within a week.

Question 4

What is the difference between Free and Premium?

Accepted Answer

Free gives you unlimited energy tracking with 7 days of history, default categories, and basic dashboard views. Premium unlocks full history, energy budgeting, custom categories, journal prompts, trend reports, and weekly email summaries.

Question 5

Who can see my energy data?

Accepted Answer

Only you. Your data is protected by row-level security in our database — no other user can query your entries. We encrypt data at rest and in transit.

Question 6

Can I export my data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Go to Settings > Privacy & Data > Data Export to download a full JSON export of your entries, categories, budgets, and journal notes. You can do this at any time, once per day.

Question 7

How do I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings > Privacy & Data > Delete Account. Your data is permanently erased after a 7-day grace period. During those 7 days you can log back in to cancel the deletion.

Question 8

Is the Free tier really free forever?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Free tier has no time limit and no credit card required. You can track energy indefinitely with default categories and 7-day history.

Question 9

Can I cancel Premium at any time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Cancel through the Stripe portal and you keep Premium access until the end of your billing cycle. First-time subscribers also get a 7-day cooling-off period for a full refund.

Question 10

Are there any hidden fees?

Accepted Answer

No. The price shown is the price you pay, taxes included. There are no setup fees, cancellation fees, or surprise charges.

Question 11

What are energy budgets?

Accepted Answer

Energy budgets work like envelope budgeting for your capacity. You set a target for how much energy each category should cost per week, then track actual spending against those targets. When a category exceeds its budget, the app highlights it so you can adjust.

Question 12

What is a cost shift?

Accepted Answer

A cost shift is when a category that normally costs a consistent amount suddenly costs significantly more (or less). For example, if Meetings usually costs 3 but jumps to 8, something changed. The dashboard surfaces these shifts automatically.

Question 13

Can I create custom categories?

Accepted Answer

Premium subscribers can create, rename, group, and archive categories. Free users get 10 default categories that cover the most common energy areas.

Question 14

What are trends and how do they work?

Accepted Answer

Trends track your patterns over time, including energy by time of day, day of week, category, and mood. After a few days of logging, the dashboard shows rolling averages and flags significant changes from your baseline.

Question 15

Does Bounded Self use AI to analyze my data?

Accepted Answer

No. Insights are generated using standard statistical methods — rolling averages, deviation detection, and category comparisons. Your data is never sent to any AI service or large language model.

Question 16

How do I track something that both costs energy and gives me energy (like exercise)?

Accepted Answer

You can log the same activity twice. You recognize that it takes energy to do the activity, but you gain energy having done it. Both of these count, so you should track both of them!

Question 17

How do I track something that took a long time?

Accepted Answer

Track it several times. For example, a two hour focused work session could be logged once per 15 minutes giving you eight total entries. These likely had different amounts of energy and this repeated logging captures the difference.

Question 18

What category do I use for ___?

Accepted Answer

Choose the one that makes the most sense. If one doesn''t, then you may create a custom category (premium only).

Help Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Need more help?

See your own energy data