👍 Don't Do OCD Tracking Like This - OCD Recovery

Summary3 min read

Episode Overview

Title: 👍 Don't Do OCD Tracking Like This
Host: Ali Greymond
Podcast: OCD Recovery
Date: May 14, 2026

In this episode, Ali Greymond clarifies the difference between productive OCD recovery tracking and ineffective logging. She explains the goal of tracking mental habits in a way that genuinely supports recovery—and warns against methods that simply chronicle symptoms without promoting progress.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Difference Between Logging and Recovery Tracking

Logging is not Recovery Tracking:
- Ali starts by illustrating a common pitfall in OCD recovery: simply logging numbers ("minutes spent ruminating") day after day without seeing any reduction ([00:00]).
- She compares this to an ineffective weight loss approach:
  
  “A person who is trying to lose weight will say, 8, 10 donuts today. 8, 11, 8, 12, 8, 9, 8, 10. Never actually meaningfully reducing.”
  — Ali Greymond ([00:14])
Purpose of Tracking:
- Proper tracking should reflect an active effort to reduce time spent on rumination and compulsions—not just record keeping.
- The episodes stress that tracking should be approximate and not obsessive about “precise numbers.”

The Real Goal: Reduction, Not Recording

Meaningful Progress:
- Ali emphasizes that the goal is to “reduce those minutes”—meaning fewer minutes spent ruminating, seeking reassurance, or engaging in compulsions ([00:31]).
- She provides examples of progress:
  
  “You could have went on ChatGPT, but you didn’t. You could have asked for reassurance, but you didn’t spend those minutes asking. You could have sat there and ruminated, but you chose not to.”
  — Ali Greymond ([00:35])
Comprehensive Recovery Equation:
- Ali defines OCD’s grip as the sum of rumination, compulsions, and avoidance, each affecting a person’s anxiety and OCD level:
  
  “Rumination plus compulsions plus avoidance is equals your current level of anxiety and your current level of OCD. If you want your OCD to go lower, you need to drop rumination little by little.”
  — Ali Greymond ([00:46])

What Ineffective Tracking Looks Like

Example of Stagnation:
- Ali illustrates an unhelpful tracking chart in which a person’s ruminating minutes remain similar throughout the day and across days—with no clear improvement:
  
  “This is just keeping at pretty much the same level. So there the person is ruminating approximately same amount of time in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening. You can see it right there.”
  — Ali Greymond ([00:54])

How to Track Effectively

Aiming for Meaningful Reduction:
- The expectation isn’t perfection, but consistently working to decrease time spent on OCD behaviors:
  
  “What we need to see is a meaningful reduction, at least a few minutes less each time period, each day. That needs to be the goal. Sometimes you achieve the goal, sometimes not. But more than not, you need to see progress.”
  — Ali Greymond ([01:09])
Resources:
- Ali mentions her OCD Help app as a tool for structured tracking with clear instructions and charts.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Pitfalls of Empty Tracking:
- “This is not recovery tracking. This is simply when the person is logging the numbers.” ([00:00])
On the Need for Reduction:
- “If you want your OCD to go lower, you need to drop rumination little by little.” ([00:46])
On Progress:
- “What we need to see is a meaningful reduction, at least a few minutes less each time period, each day...more than not, you need to see progress.” ([01:09])

Key Timestamps

[00:00] – Introduction and critique of logging vs. tracking
[00:14] – Weight loss analogy and problem with repeated logging
[00:35] – Examples of positive choices: not ruminating, not seeking reassurance
[00:46] – Recovery equation: rumination + compulsions + avoidance
[00:54] – Description of stagnation in hourly tracking
[01:09] – Clear goals for effective tracking and progress

Summary of Actionable Advice

Don’t just log your compulsions—actively work to spend less time on them.
Use approximate measures; don’t get fixated on exact numbers.
Aim for gradual reduction rather than immediate, dramatic changes.
Leverage helpful tools (like Ali’s OCD Help app) for structured tracking.
Focus on consistent progress as the key metric in your recovery journey.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:01]
A
In this example, I want to show you what logging looks like. So this is not recovery tracking. This is simply when the person is logging the numbers. The analogy I can give you that a person who is trying to lose weight will say, 8, 10 donuts today. 8, 11, 8, 12, 8, 9, 8, 10. Never actually meaningfully reducing. So the goal of tracking where we track minutes ruminated approximately without obsessing about precise numbers is to reduce those minutes. Meaning you could have went on ChatGPT, but you didn't. You could have asked for reassurance, but you didn't spend those minutes asking. You could have sat there and ruminated, but you chose not to. Rumination plus compulsions plus avoidance is equals your current level of anxiety and your current level of ocd. If you want your OCD to go lower, you need to drop rumination little by little. This is not dropping rumination what we see here in the example. This is just keeping at pretty much the same level. So there the person is ruminating approximately same amount of time in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening. You can see it right there. So if you are tracking and if you need specific instructions on how to track the time so you can understand this chart better, when you download OCD Help app, you will see it there. But what we need to see is a meaningful reduction, at least a few minutes less each time period, each day. That needs to be the goal. Sometimes you achieve the goal, sometimes not. But more than not, you need to see progress. Download the OCD Help app and start tracking.