A microdosing journal is the most important tool you need besides the substance itself — and yet fewer than 30% of microdosing researchers keep one consistently. When you flip back through 30 days of documentation, you will see patterns you never would have noticed without records. Here I show you how to do it right.

I know, I know — yet another thing you "also" have to do. But hear me out for a moment, because there are solid reasons:

1. Recognize Patterns You Would Otherwise Miss

Your brain is a notoriously unreliable witness when it comes to subtle changes. Microdosing operates by definition below the perception threshold — meaning the effects are so fine that you could barely notice them in the moment. Only over weeks and with data in front of you do trends emerge.

An example from my own research: I only noticed after 6 weeks of journal-keeping that my sleep quality dropped by an average of 1.3 points (on a 10-point scale) on dosing days — but only when I dosed after 10 AM. Without records, I never would have figured that out.

2. Find Your Optimal Dose

The "right" microdose is extremely individual. It depends on body weight, metabolism, sensitivity, and even diet. According to a survey of 1,247 microdoser (Fadiman & Korb, 2019), the ideal dose varies by a factor of 3 — from 5 mcg to 20 mcg LSD equivalent.

Without systematic documentation, finding the right dose becomes guesswork. With a journal, it becomes a structured experiment with real data points.

3. Identify Placebo Effects

This is the uncomfortable part: studies show that a substantial portion of reported microdosing effects could be attributable to the placebo effect. A double-blind study (Szigeti et al., 2021, eLife) with 191 participants found no significant difference between microdosing and placebo in most measured outcomes.

A well-kept journal — ideally with blinded dosing (more on that later) — helps you honestly distinguish: "Do I feel better because the substance is working — or because I believe it's working?"

4. Responsible Research

As researchers, we have a responsibility: to ourselves, to the community, and to the substance. Systematic documentation elevates our work beyond mere use. Every well-kept journal is a small contribution to collective knowledge.

[LINK: Microdosing for Beginners: The Complete Guide → https://lsd-derivate.com/microdosing-einstieg]

Now let's get specific. Here is the template I have been using for over two years and have continuously refined based on community feedback:

Daily Entry Template

Important: Record your morning mood before intake. This is your baseline for the day. Without a baseline, you cannot assess whether the substance or other factors (weather, sleep, stress) are responsible for changes.

[LINK: The Fadiman Protocol Explained: The Classic Microdosing Rhythm → https://lsd-derivate.com/fadiman-protokoll] [LINK: The Stamets Stack: Microdosing with Psilocybin and Niacin → https://lsd-derivate.com/stamets-vs-fadiman]

A scale is only as good as its calibration. Before you start, define for yourself what each number means. Here is my recommendation:

Mood

• 1–2: Very bad. Down, listless, everything is gray.
• 3–4: Below average. No desire for the day, irritable or tired.
• 5–6: Neutral to okay. Functional, but not enthused.
• 7–8: Good. Positive mood, motivated, things are enjoyable.
• 9–10: Excellent. Really good day, flow state, everything is clicking.

Be careful not to fall into "inflation" — gradually tending to give increasingly higher scores over time. Your average should, with honest assessment, land somewhere around 5–6. If it's consistently at 8+, you're either the happiest person in the world or you're rating too generously.

Both methods have pros and cons. Here's my honest comparison:

Digital Options

Pros:

• Automatic analysis and trend tracking possible
• Reminder function (never forget an entry)
• Easily searchable
• Charts and statistics at the push of a button

Cons:

• Less of a "conscious" act — quickly checked off rather than reflected upon
• Privacy concerns with cloud-based apps
• Dependency on technology

Recommended tools: Notion, Obsidian (local!), a simple spreadsheet in LibreOffice/Excel, or specialized microdosing apps (as of 2026, there are about 12 in the App Store — pay attention to privacy and avoid apps that upload your data to the cloud).

Analog (Paper Journal)

Pros:

• Tactile experience promotes mindfulness and reflection
• Zero privacy risk
• No battery, no Wi-Fi, no distraction
• Studies show: handwriting activates different brain areas than typing and promotes memory retention (Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014)

Cons:

• Analysis more laborious (no automatic charts)
• Can be lost
• More tedious for longer observation periods

Milo's Recommendation: Hybrid

Personally, I use both: a physical notebook for the daily entry (takes 3–5 minutes) and I transfer the numerical values weekly into a spreadsheet. This way I have the mindfulness of analog writing and the analytical power of digital analysis.

Once you've mastered the basics, here are some methods that will take your documentation to the next level:

1. Blinded Self-Experimentation

This is the gold standard of personal microdosing research. Here's how it works:

1. Prepare identical-looking capsules — some with a microdose, some with placebo (e.g., vitamin C)
2. Number the capsules and record on a sealed list which contains what
3. Shuffle the capsules and take them in random order
4. Keep your journal as normal
5. Only after completing a cycle (e.g., 30 days): open the list and compare

Sounds like a lot of effort? It is. But it's the only way to rule out the placebo effect. About 15% of community researchers report that after a blinded experiment, they revised their assessment of effectiveness — in both directions.

2. Weekly Reflection

Every Sunday: 15 minutes looking back on the week.

• Which days were the best/worst?
• Does that correlate with dosing days?
• Were there external factors (stress, sleep deprivation, exercise)?
• What would I like to do differently next week?

3. Monthly Data Analysis

Once a month: calculate averages for all scales, separated by dosing days, day-after-dose, and off days. Compare months against each other. After three months, you have enough data points for meaningful trends.

A 90-day analysis will show you, for example: "My average mood on dosing days is 7.2, on off days 6.4, difference 0.8 points." That's more concrete than "I think it somehow helps."

Because theory is only half the story, here's a concrete look at my daily practice:

07:00 — Wake up Still in bed: briefly check in with myself. How do I feel? Hold mood 1–10 in my head.

07:15 — Morning entry Three minutes at the kitchen table. Date, last night's sleep quality, morning mood, energy level. If dosing day: note substance and dose.

07:20 — Intake (if dosing day) On an empty stomach, with a glass of water. Then normal daily routine.

19:00 — Evening entry Five minutes. Mood, focus, creativity, energy, physical observations, notable events. Roughly note nutrition and exercise.

Total time investment: 8 minutes per day. That's 56 minutes per week. Less than one episode of your favorite show. For data that puts your entire research on a solid foundation.

[LINK: Microdosing and Creativity: What the Research Says → /microdosing-kreativität/]

In two years of community exchange, I have seen a few mistakes come up again and again:

Mistake 1: Only Writing on "Good" Days

If you only record when you feel well, you massively skew your data. The bad days are especially valuable — they show you whether the low mood is connected to the dose, the timing, sleep, or external factors.

Mistake 2: Changing Too Many Variables at Once

You start microdosing, simultaneously change your diet, begin meditating, and switch jobs? Good luck figuring out what's causing what. Ideally, change only one variable at a time.

Mistake 3: No Baseline

Keep the journal for at least one week before your first microdosing cycle. This gives you an honest baseline of your "normal" mood, energy, and creativity. Without a baseline, you cannot measure any change.

Mistake 4: Stopping After Two Weeks

The most interesting patterns only emerge after 4–8 weeks. The first two weeks are often distorted by expectancy effects (placebo, excitement, novelty). Stick it out for at least one complete Fadiman cycle (30 days).

How long should I keep a microdosing journal?

At least one complete cycle of your chosen protocol — for the Fadiman Protocol, that means at least 30 days. Ideally 90 days, since the most meaningful patterns only emerge over multiple cycles. Many experienced researchers keep their journal permanently.

Can I just use an app instead of writing by hand?

Yes, that works. Pay attention to local data storage (no cloud), solid privacy policies, and the ability to export your data. A simple spreadsheet (Excel/LibreOffice) is often more practical than specialized apps.

What do I do if I forget an entry?

No big deal — catch up as soon as possible. If more than 24 hours have passed, mark the entry as "retrospective" in your data, since memory is then less reliable. A journal with gaps is still better than no journal at all.

A microdosing journal is not a nice-to-have — it is the foundation for any serious research with substances. 8 minutes a day, a notebook, and an honest attitude toward your own data — that's all it takes.

After 30 days, you will see patterns you never noticed before. After 90 days, you will have a personal data set that tells you more about your individual response to the substance than any general recommendation on the internet.

Start today. Not tomorrow. Today. Take three minutes and make your first baseline entry.

Milo Berger is an experienced microdosing researcher who has been systematically documenting his experiences since 2023. All information is based on community reports and publicly available research data. Not medical advice.