How to Not Do a Diary Study?

After botching my first diary study, I have some questions. Should I take a research failure as a sign that I'm not good at a method and leave it alone? Do I educate myself on methods I don't use frequently when I am asked to use them? How much stretching is too much? Number four, how do I recover confidence and credibility after a poorly planned and executed research project?I had to take some time to understand what a failure meant in the context of this diary study attempt. Since there was no budget available, I could not use a diary study tool or software,. which definitely would have made this process a lot easier. This reminds me of that time in my career