Loading page…
Loading page…
Behavioral Activation & Exposure Lesson 3 of 10
Rate the accomplishment and enjoyment you experienced in daily activities. Use your weekly review to identify what you want to repeat or adjust.
Goal: Rate every scheduled (and spontaneous) activity for 7 consecutive days.
Time needed: 5–7 minutes at day’s end.
Write down the tasks you actually did today. Both scheduled (✓) and spontaneous.
Example Entry: “Folded laundry,” “Called friend,” “Scrolled TikTok.”
Skip anything under 2 minutes. It won’t move the needle.
Score how accomplished or productive you felt doing each item. Use a 0–10 scale.
Laundry 7, Call 4, TikTok 1.
Use your first gut response. ≤ 3 seconds per rating.
Score how enjoyable or fun the activity was, also from 0–10.
Laundry 3, Call 8, TikTok 5.
Low pleasure isn’t “bad” if mastery is high.
(Optional) Add Mastery + Pleasure for each task (range: 0–20).
Laundry 10, Call 12, TikTok 6.
Anything ≥ 12 = a “high-yield” action.
Circle any row with MP ≥ 12 or with a 7+ in either Mastery or Pleasure column.
Circle Laundry and Call.
These are your mood multipliers. Schedule more of them.
At the end of Day 7, rank your Top 5 activities and choose a few to repeat next week.
Example: Add “Call one friend daily.”
Drop or shrink activities rated below 6.
0/10 lessons completed
Next up: Graded Task Assignment
Doing more is only half the Behavioral Activation story; doing what lifts you matters just as much. Lewinsohn’s early BA trials showed that mood rises fastest when a day blends activities that give a sense of Mastery (productivity, competence) and Pleasure (enjoyment, fun). The Mastery and Pleasure Technique sheet lets you grade every task you completed from your Activity Schedule (BA1), so you can spot the high-return actions to repeat and the low-yield ones to drop.
Why separate Mastery and Pleasure. Can’t I just track mood?
Some tasks (taxes) boost Mastery but not Pleasure; others (Netflix) do the opposite. A balanced blend predicts the largest depression drop. Ratings reveal shortages in either column.
I keep giving 0-3 scores. Am I doomed?
No. Use data to experiment: swap low items for new ones, tweak timing, pair chores with music. Mood usually rises once average MP crosses 8.
Can I rate during the day instead of nightly?
Sure! Log on the spot if it helps recall accuracy. Just be consistent.
What if something felt good but “shouldn’t” (e.g., gaming)?
Rate honesty over judgment. High Pleasure hints at genuine reward pathways you can harness or moderate later.
This lesson is an educational practice resource, not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Discuss behavioral health questions or concerns with a qualified healthcare professional.
These resources explain the background approach. They do not validate this worksheet as a standalone treatment or its suggested practice schedule.
Pencil in one mastery & one pleasure task per day.
Make a manageable start on a task by trying it for five minutes, then deciding what to do next.
Score each activity 0-10 to find mood boosters.
Break big chores into 10-min bites; tick off live.
Organize feared or avoided situations from easier to harder to help plan gradual practice.
Visualize success on Step 1 of hierarchy.
Do the behavioral opposite of an avoidance urge.
Break a goal into small, observable steps and acknowledge progress as you practice.
Link each completed task to a small incentive.
Rehearse (thought + action) for a known trigger tomorrow.
Mastery and Pleasure Technique
Share a thought, ask a question, or tell us about your experience.
Your comment will be public here and in Community.
Loading comments…
