Creating Custom Inputs

Trendwell's standard inputs cover most needs. But sometimes you want to track something specific: a particular medication, a unique behavior, or a factor specific to your situation.

That's where custom inputs come in.

When to Create Custom Inputs

Good Reasons

• Tracking specific medication
• Unique health factor (blood sugar, specific symptom)
• Behavior not in standard list
• Testing a specific hypothesis

Not Necessary If

• Standard input covers it (use that instead)
• You're not sure it matters (test with standard inputs first)
• Adding just to be thorough (simplicity beats completeness)

Key Insight: Start with standard inputs. Add custom only when you have specific reason.

Types of Custom Inputs

Yes/No Inputs

For binary things:

• Did you take medication? Yes/No
• Did you meditate? Yes/No
• Did specific symptom occur? Yes/No

Simple, quick to log.

Rating Inputs

For scaled measures:

• Pain level (1-5)
• Energy (1-10)
• Custom symptom severity

More nuance than yes/no.

Time Inputs

For timing-sensitive things:

• When did you take medication?
• When did symptom start?
• Duration of activity

When timing matters.

Category Inputs

For multiple options:

• Type of exercise (walk, run, bike, strength)
• Meal type (standard, indulgent, light)
• Work mode (office, remote, travel)

When categories matter more than scale.

Creating a Custom Input

Define Clearly

Before creating:

• What exactly are you tracking?
• What format makes sense? (yes/no, rating, time, category)
• What's the default (normal) value?

Keep It Simple

• One thing per input
• Clear, unambiguous
• Quick to log

Set Default

What's typical for you?

• Medication taken: Yes (if you take it daily)
• Symptom: No (if it's not typical)
• Use default for exception-based tracking

Custom Input Examples

Medication Tracking

Input name: Took BP medication

Type: Yes/No

Default: Yes (if you take it daily)

Log: Exception when you miss it

Specific Symptom

Input name: Headache today

Type: Yes/No or Rating (1-5 severity)

Default: No or 1 (if rare)

Log: When symptom occurs

Unique Behavior

Input name: Screen time before bed

Type: Yes/No or Rating

Default: Yes or your typical

Log: Exception when you avoid it

Work Factor

Input name: Work mode

Type: Category (office, remote, travel)

Default: Your most common

Log: When different

Analyzing Custom Inputs

Correlation Check

After tracking custom input:

• Does it correlate with your outcome?
• Is the effect significant?
• Worth continuing to track?

Refine or Remove

Custom inputs should earn their place:

• Useful insight? Keep it.
• No correlation? Consider removing.
• Too detailed? Simplify.

Tips for Custom Inputs

Less Is More

• Don't create many custom inputs at once
• Add one, see if it's useful
• Quality over quantity

Clear Naming

• Specific, unambiguous names
• You'll understand it months later
• "Took vitamin D" not "supplement"

Appropriate Default

• Matches your actual typical behavior
• Enables exception-based approach
• Accurate to your life

Integration

• Custom inputs work alongside standard inputs
• They appear in correlations
• Same analysis tools apply

Next Steps

• Read: How to Choose Which Inputs to Track
• Read: Understanding Correlations in Trendwell
• Assess: Do you need a custom input, or does standard work?
• Create: If needed, one clear custom input
• Track: For 2+ weeks before evaluating

Custom inputs let you track your unique factors. Use them sparingly and intentionally.

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Last updated: January 2026