I’m going to share a personal story with you about why habit trackers are amazing, can bring order into a chaotic space, and leave people feeling powerful and in control of their time and day.
My world exploded when I had my daughter (almost a decade ago now – where does the time go??). Like most new mom’s, I struggled to figure out how to fit basic life needs like showers into days filled with feeding, pumping, diapers, and a colicky baby who cried for three hours at a time. I forgot what day it was – more than once we had to call the track company to see if they could schedule a special pick up because we’d forgotten when trash day was. I forgot to drink enough water. I forgot to eat meals. I forgot to exercise. You know, basic stuff.
I thought to myself, “I really need something that’s like a to do list, but for the things I want to do every day. Maybe I could just print up a bunch of to do lists that all say the same thing.” I posted this query on social media, asking my friends what they did to try to remember basic life chores, even in the face of chaos. Plus, I wanted to remember to do activities that weren’t so basic, too. Like play the piano, and practice my German.
Everyone wrote back the same thing: Set up a Habit Tracker.
A whatnow?
A Habit Tracker is simply a way of keeping track of the activities you want to do each day (or the ones you don’t want to do, too). You can do it on paper, or online, either weekly, or monthly – whichever works best for you. Set up the habits you want to track, and then each day check off the ones you did, and didn’t do.
If you’re like me, most days you won’t do everything, and that’s fine! It’s also a way to keep present those things that are most important to you, so that you have a regular reminder that you want to play the piano, or practice German, or whatever your thing is.
If you want a Habit Tracking app, you can do a quick google search and find dozens to choose from. I’ve checked out a few including habitify and everyday, but I find I really prefer paper.
Here’s the weekly habit tracker I made for you! Just click to download a PDF copy which you can download and print out, or import into a digital notes program like GoodNotes on an ipad.
Why are Habits So Important?
So, what are habits, and why are they so important? Simply put, habits are behaviors that we do automatically, without conscious thought. They can be positive or negative, and they shape our daily lives and the trajectory of our future. They are the building blocks of our success or failure.
The real kicker about habits is that you’ve gotta be consistent. To make the new habit stick, you need to be consistent. This means doing the new habit every day, even when you don’t feel like it. Over time, the new habit will become automatic, and you’ll reap the benefits of your efforts.
My habits:
I keep track of about 25 habits that include:
- Morning pages
- Listening to my morning meditation
- Drinking 8 glasses of water each day
- Exercising
- Spending time outside
- Writing in my gratitude journal before I go to bed
- Decluttering something/cleaning up in the house (doing a little daily means my weekends aren’t spent cleaning everything at once)
- Flossing
Habit Tracking saved my sanity, and I’ll be tracking as long as I still feel like I need more control over my time. Probably forever.
Try using a habit tracker this week, and see what opens up for you! Then, leave a comment, or send me a note, and let me know.