The goal is to fill out the chart every night before you go to bed. If you forget, you can fill it out the next morning. After that, just leave the day blank. 

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There are 14 items that (after some research) I selected for this chart. Each has a method of scoring. You can approximate or guess--don't get caught up in exact amounts! Also you can modify any of the rules or ideas to fit your preferences. This chart reflects my current choices--so change it if you like!

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Yoga: Two points per 30 minutes. Yoga can be of any variety including chanting but it is distinct from exercise because it is done with deep mindfulness.

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Exercise: One point per 20 minutes. This includes walking, running, weight-lifting, playing sports, but not walking the dog.

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Meditation: One point per 10 minutes. You can include prayer, visualization, and even receiving a massage. Here's my special technique: I keep six black marbles in my right pocket. At various points in the day, I stop whatever I'm doing and take three deep breaths. Then I notice what is going on. Sometimes I notice three distinct objects, three types of sound, and touch three body parts. For this, I give myself two black marbles (by moving them to my left pocket). Then, three more times in the day, I do this again, transferring one marble each. At the end of the day, if I've moved all marbles, I give myself 2 meditation points. If I haven't moved them all, I give myself one.

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Service: One point per act of service (or per 30 minutes) up to 10. Being of service to others is excellent for self-love. It shows how you have much to offer the world. Volunteering is service as are random acts of kindness. If you are working for pay, then this is service if you are doing it in the spirit of helping others. If in your mind you are grumbling and counting down the minutes until you clock out, then no. In terms of the points, we are going for variety and also time. So if you volunteer for eight hours, that would be ten points (because it is 2 per hour, or 16 total, but the max is 10). If you pick up an aluminum can and put it in a recycle bin, that would be one point. But if you did it again, that wouldn't not be a second point until you did it for an hour. The points are rather irregular that way. Note that artistic pursuits are almost always acts of service.

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Social: One point per different person that you socialize with in a meaningful way, up to 10. We are going for variety. Emails that are lengthy and thoughtful count but only if your pen pal is writing back in a similar fashion. You'll have to assess your involvement in social media to decide if this counts for you. Usually social media is not helpful for self-care.

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Communication: One point per 15 minutes of serious discussion. This is different that socializing because you are involved in a potential conflict. It could be that boundaries are being established or affirmed. It could be that you are revealing truths and being your honest self without masking. Undergoing therapy would count here as well. If you have written in your journal, that's worth one point (irrespective of how much).

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Gratitude: One point per reflection, up to three. A good goal is to write down three things that you did well that day, or three things that you like about yourself, or three things that you are happy about. (I challenge myself to write as many as possible, but that still earns 3 points.)

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Mirror: 2 or 3 points per day. This is the practice of affirming yourself in the mirror. Write down positive things about yourself (such as "I love myself unconditionally") and say them to yourself in a strong voice while looking yourself in the eyes. Here's a way of structuring your affirmations:

1. An overall statement of self-love.

2. A positive thought about your appearance.

3. A trait that you like about your character.

4. Encouragement to follow an intention.

For a third point, recite The Four Agreements and explain how they might apply to recent events in your life.

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Sobriety: Ten points for being sober all day. Clearly this involves refraining from alcohol. You have to decide what other drugs are included. Generally THC would not count as sobriety but you may have a different view. The goal is to have a clear mind. Sacred medicines are probably allowed if you are doing deep personal investigation. 

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WF Diet: Let's say that there are three meals in a day. Each meal that is entirely whole food plant based gives you three points. Whole plant foods include vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes. Very minimally processed foods like tofu could be ok. I'm allowing rice. Bread is certainly processed but I'm allowing Ezekiel bread for fiber needs. You can modify these requirements to fit your idea of healthy eating. What I do is give myself 3 points per meal that is at least 90% whole foods and then another point if all three meals of the day were like that. If I have some snacks along the way that are questionable, I might not give myself the extra point.

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Water: Five points if you drink the right amount of water each day. What is the right amount? It is your body weight divided by 2 in ounces. So if you weight 150 pounds, then 75 ounces. Plus more if you are exercising hard enough to sweat. If I don't quite drink all the cups, I'll give myself reduced points.

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Stools: Zero points if the stool is hard and requires pushing. 1 points if medium hard. 2 if uncertain. 3 points if soft, fluffy, and big. If no poop that day, zero points. I know this is a bit of a repulsive topic for some, but it is an important health concern. Some say that the perfect poop is the goal of yoga. If you are stressed, for example, things can get bound up.

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Scale: Standing on the scale represents being willing to measure oneself, being open to feedback, and noticing the consequences of one's actions. Decide what is the weight that you would like. If you get towards that goal (whether it be up or down from where you are now) then give yourself 2 points. If you stray in the opposite direction of your goal, simply reflect on what might have happened, forgive yourself, and then give yourself 1 point. If you are within two pounds of your chosen weight, then 4 points, because acceptance is best.

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Anguish: Give yourself 1 point per experience of suffering that you embraced, 2 points if it involved tears. In other words, life includes pain. Things don't always go our way and some goals are hard. We can be rejected. If you embrace the experience by sitting with the sensations that arise in the body, then you are growing. If we avoid or repress painful experiences, we can stagnate and feel worse about ourselves. (I'm thinking of retitling this one as "self-compassion" or "emotional listening.")

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There is some room at the bottom of the chart for your own items. Or you could total up the day's points. I try to get over 50--but again, do what works for you--and modify!!!