Backstory:
Deposited $100 at Pokerstars three years ago, turned it into $2K in three days, lost that in two days due to several horrible beats, tilt and poor BRM. Gave up online play until I noticed last Monday (after three years) that I still had 84¢ in my account, when I tried one of the Lambo freerolls and then checked the cashier. Figured I'd try grinding that 84¢ into whatever I could thru careful and tight play at the .01/.02NL micros to start, and hopefully move up from there. Here are the results after one week:

Day 1: Start with 0.84, .01/.02NL, win 0.17, BR: 1.01
Day 2: .01/.02NL, win 2.41, BR: 3.42
Day 3: .01/.02NL, win 6.61, BR: 10.03
Day 4: .01/.02NL, lose 3.62, BR: 6.41
Day 5: didn't play
Day 6: .01/.02NL, lose 0.37, BR: 6.04; .02/.05NL, win 6.00, BR: 12.04
Day 7: .01/.02NL, win 0.93, BR: 12.97; .02/.05NL, win 11.08, BR: 24.05

Typically bought in for 1.60 - 2.00 at the .01/.02 (except the first day) and 4.00 - 5.00 at the .02/.05 table. Switched gears to the higher blinds on day 6 as it seemed a better game. Although I realize BRM is of tantamount importance considering my small BR, I felt much more comfortable at this stake and played more of my usual game.

Obviously I'd like to take this as far as possible but as a noob, I have a few questions for you long-timers:

1. Considering my small BR, should I stay at the .02/.05, see how that continues unless I lose a BI or two, or drop back down to .01/.02, which I honestly found to be a horrible game? At what point does one move up to .05/.10, etc.?

2. Is it worth investing in tracking software at this point or should I not bother yet? If not, at what point? What programs are recommended?

3. I find I play better/more focused if I challenge myself; say, set a certain $$ goal for the day or session. What would be a realistic 1-month goal to try to achieve, starting from day 1? How about a 3-month goal?

Please post anything else you feel may be relevent, and thanks for any/all replies. I appreciate all the opinions and advice I find on these forums.

First Of All, GL MATE -
Just play the 0.01/0.02$ 2$ buy in till u grind up to 125$, then play 0.02/0.05, You need atleast 25 buy ins to move to the next level im considering a 100BB (BI) in this.. According To that !

LoL, I hope i had the 83c to start lol,, 2 days back lost my whole BR due to tilt and poor BRM ! Will just take a break .......

hey dude, best of luck. i'm doing pretty similar thing but starting in 5CD

1. just stay at 1c/2c for now. you need to manage your bankroll so that your swings don't kill your roll. from what i've seen, 20 to 25 buy ins are usually okay at the micros.

2. i play 5CD so don't know which tracking software is the best

3. comes down to how much time you have to play every week, how many tables you are playing at any given time, etc. - how much time do you have to play each week?

1. BRM is not going to be easy considering you have such a small amount to play with. Consider sticking with .01/.02 until you have about 20-30 buy-ins or so for the next level. Take a 3 buy-in shot and drop back down if you lose. It really shouldn't take long to do this at the nano stakes. You could also move up after 25 BIs or something, idk really. If you're really looking to not bust then just dropping back down when you lose is going to be the most important thing for you.

2. Tracking software like HEM or PT3 are always worth it if you can afford it. If you have the money then definitely try it out as it will pay for itself very quickly. In the meantime you can just download HEM for a 15-day trial and see how you like it. PT3 also has a 60-day free trial. See what works best for you.

3. Setting a certain monetary goal for a day/session is usually a bad idea. It will usually cause you to make more mistakes because you're trying to hit your goal for the day. Not to mention it's not really a great idea to stop playing once a certain $$ goal is hit as long as you are playing well and the game(s) are good. You should instead look to make goals for hands played or hours played. This will allow you to focus more on putting in volume and not worrying too much about results. Setting a goal for buy-ins won/month isn't a terrible idea however if you're looking for extra motivation.

Thanks guys.

@Merv303: single- and occasional double-tabling, and generally putting in ~4 hrs a day, sometimes more.

@deanshmerk: point taken re: the day/session goalsetting. Will try to ease up on that.

You have a long-term goal, like a certain amount to be making? Are you just gonna stick to cash games or venture into the SnG's?

Just gonna stick to the cash for now. No long term goal, not yet anyway.