don't just sit there! start habit tracking.

We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we have only one.

That’s what Confucius already stated. And today, my dear reader, can be the advent of your second life. How so? Habit tracking will help out. It will not help to build the feeling that life is as short as a flash in the pan (well, only if we compare it to the age of our moon, which is around 4.5 billion years old). But it will aid to make you act like you only have one. Habit tracking will boost your daily actions to those you were dreaming and talking about all the time. Stick with me.

the habit tracker: what is it?

Habit tracking is like having a personal accountability coach, except you’re the one in charge. It’s like having a little devil on your shoulder, reminding you to get your butt off the couch and hit the gym. Or, if you’re trying to kick a bad habit, it’s like having a little angel on your shoulder, cheering you on as you resist that second slice of cake.

Habit tracking is a fun and creative way to inspire and motivate yourself to achieve personal growth and positive change. By using colorful and visually appealing journals, stickers, or even apps, you make habit tracking a personalized and enjoyable experience.

Moreover, habit tracking is a powerful tool to overcome procrastination, boost productivity, and achieve success. By breaking down larger goals into smaller, more manageable tasks, you track your progress and build momentum towards your desired outcome. Celebrating small wins along the way also provides a sense of accomplishment and encourages to keep pushing forward.

But here’s the thing: if you’re not consistent with your habit tracking, it’s like playing a game and forgetting to keep score. If you want to be a true habit tracking champion, you need to commit to it and be consistent. No slacking off, no excuses, and definitely no cheating!

Ready to level up your life and make some positive changes? Grab a habit tracker and start tracking! Who knows, you might just surprise yourself with what you’re capable of achieving.

How does it work?

Nothing easier than that! You can download a wonderfully looking habit tracking template. Keep it somewhere with high exposure. Either on your computer or print it out and post it on your fridge, the office cabinet or next to your bed. Alternatively, you easily can create a table in your existing notebook. Write three to five habits you’d like to implement or quit, plus the days of a whole month in it. Every time when you finished the habit, you simply check it with a pen, color it out or put a sticker on it. A great colleague of mine loved to make red circles in her habit tracker.

Upside #1: A habit tracker calls you to act

Do you remember those people in your life, that lit up the whole room solely by entering it? Their presence alone is thrilling and exciting and makes us wanna be as humorous, eloquent, intelligent, or charismatic like them. This is your habit tracker. Your habit tracker may not be able to light up your room, but just by looking at the three to five things that give you goosebumps is inspiring enough. The call of your desires plus the progress you have already made is thrilling to watch and pushes you to get started for another day working towards your dreams.

Upside #2: A habit tracker gives you immediate gratification

You finished reading 10 pages? Great! Check it on your habit tracker!
You went a day without eating glutenous food? Impressive! Check it on your habit tracker!
You gave a compliment to somebody today? Noble of you! Check it on your habit tracker!
Not only does the act of executing or finishing a habit offer you the feeling of joy and fulfillment, on top of it, marking your daily goal as finished is super satisfying.

Upside #3: Habit tracking maintains your momentum

Imagine seeing your 20-day streak of studying your favorite language. How likely are you to keep your streak going? Tremendously high! This is because we hate losing. It’s in our nature to reject loss, so we use our biology to maintain our lofty goals! Smart move! Keep it up.

Habit tracker ideas

Daily habits to track:

→ Meditating for 10 minutes
→ Drinking a jug of water
→ Exercising in the gym for 30 minutes
→ Going to bed at 10:00 pm.
→ Waking up at 07:00 am.
→ Yoga for 15 minutes
→ Limiting WhatsApp usage to 20 minutes
→ Eating a fruit of your choice
→ Limiting expenses to 15 bucks
→ Write a journal about what you are grateful for

Common weekly habits to track:

Planning your weekly meals
Self-care: Getting a massage, going to the library, visiting a museum or the theater
Getting in touch with your accountability partner
Meeting a friend
Learning something new
Planning your activities for next week
Reflecting the past week for what went well and evaluating potential for improvement
Tidying up your apartment
Spending time in nature

Common monthly habits to track:

Giving back by doing volunteer work
Financial planning about your expenses, income and investments
Setting aside time for networking
Becoming more environmental conscious by reducing your Co2 footprint, recycling or planning on how to live a more environmentally friendly life
Practicing gratitude by writing down the things you are thankful for

Habits you may want to quit:

Consuming refined sugar
Answering phone calls and emails after 6 pm.
Gossiping
Going to bed after 10pm
Drinking alcohol weekdays
Smoking
Watching Netflix
Wanting to be liked from everybody
Online Purchases

How to start the habit of tracking

Hold on for a minute! Preparation is 50% of your work, so let’s create a plan which you will stick to. In the beginning it’s not about lifting the heavy weights. It’s about establishing the habit in your life. You will accomplish that, by making your habit easy to finish. For the first 14 days just aim for reading five to ten pages every day, going to the gym for 15 minutes, or meditating for 5 minutes only. When you feel confident, that you will not break your streak, increase the duration and amount of your desired habit slowly. James Clear even suggests in his lifechanging book Atomic Habits to limit the duration of the habit in the beginning to two minutes. Everything you’d like to start, should not take longer than two minutes to execute.

What if i break my streak?

No harm done! The only rule is to never miss twice. Do everything in your power to avoid missing the execution of your habit two times in a row. This is where you would start to establish the habit of being fine with skipping. Your habit tracker and your commitment to work towards your dreams is of invaluable worth. Keep it like that under any circumstances.

Now what are you waiting for? Don’t just sit there! Start habit tracking!