joint pain and whether it shifts through the day

My hips have been the main thing lately, not constant, more like they decide at random that today is going to be difficult. I notice it most when I have been sitting for a while and then stand, or sometimes halfway up the stairs for no particular reason. I am curious whether anyone found it changed depending on time of day, or activity, or anything they could actually point to. I have been trying to notice a pattern but I am not sure I am tracking the right things.