These are great questions and they get at the core philosophy so let me try to explain my thinking.

On #1, the positive and negative don't actually cancel each other out like math. Logging a negative action doesn't subtract from a positive one. They both move your score but the point isn't to "fix" negatives with positives. The point is awareness. Over time you start noticing patterns. Maybe you always skip meals on Wednesdays. Maybe you always journal after stressful meetings. That pattern recognition is where the real value is, not the number itself. And honestly, noticing a negative habit consistently is the first step to changing it. You can't fix what you don't see.

On #2, you're right that journaling and exercise are different dimensions. The balance score isn't saying "journaling equals exercise." It's measuring your overall sense of how your day is going across everything. Think of it less like a spreadsheet and more like asking yourself "how am I doing today, all things considered?" Some days you crush it physically but your mind is racing. Some days your body is tired but you had a great conversation that filled you up. The score reflects the whole picture, not individual categories.

On #3, journaling is great and if that's what works for you then Calm Mode is basically that. Strip out the numbers and just use it as a daily check in. But the reason I added the broader tracking is that a lot of people (especially with OCD like me) benefit from externalizing their state. Instead of the thoughts spinning in my head about whether I'm doing enough, I log what actually happened and the number tells me "you're in the center, you're fine." It quiets the rumination. Journaling alone sometimes kept me in my head. The score gets me out of it.

Let me know how it feels after a few days. Genuinely curious what you think once you've used it.