Hi MoxieDoll, and welcome.
It sounds like your moods are more rapidly swinging than mine are in general. And more situationally influenced. Soooo, not sure if this will be helpful to your situation, but... I've charted since 2009 (haha, had to go look in The Folder to see) and wow, have they changed over time(!) The chart format, that is. What they chart is quite familiar. I briefly tried a pre-designed chart, but meh. Made my own. At first, it was just a mood rating graph and a space for notes. Several incarnations later, it's got graphs, color-coding and a lot more detail. Doesn't require a decoder ring though.

As for time of day, I do it at the end of the day. Can't imagine doing it in the morning. I'd have nothing to assess yet. The only baseline it would measure for me would be "morning=crap". Not a morning person. Besides, waaay too spaced out. And again, for myself, reactions to events aren't a big factor in my overall mood, sooo measuring a lesser factor as it deviates from an essentially nonfunctioning baseline... Uh?? Anyhow! Works for others. Like anything else, different formats will be pleasing to different people for different reasons. You will probably want to try more than one from those that look like they might suit you. As for remembering to do it, yes, put it somewhere you will see it. Despite my stunning lack of aptitude for routine, remembering, and sense of time, it's the one thing I almost never forget to do(!)

What is charted? On mine, it's: mood (graph), # hours slept, any sleep issues (color-coded), work (and shift), anxiety level, irritability level (had as numerics, now as graphs), meds and dosage (with a thick line to indicate changes), any alcohol and a small place for a general note if wanted. There is also a space by both anxiety and irritability for a note of any relevant specific event. Everyone who charts does it to see correlations and patterns, but one of the main other reasons I do it is that I have absolutely no sense of time. When did that dosage get increased? How long has a given state been going on? I would have no idea without a written record.

Yes.