A habit tracker is a simple tool for improving your habits on a daily basis! It’s a way to help you track how well you’re sticking with daily, weekly, or monthly habits. A good habit tracker can come in many forms, from a sophisticated app to a printable habit tracker bullet journal and a pen.
Whatever habit tracker template design you choose, the important thing to remember is that your habit tracker gives quick proof that you performed your habit. It’s an indication that you are making progress. Of course, that’s not all it can accomplish…
What Is The Best Way To Track Habits?
All you need is a column for each day and a row for each behavior you want to track. Start with the most recent date and work your way backward. You don’t want to discover on the last day of the month that you’ve run out of space! You get down at the end of the day and fill in the boxes for the great habits you did (or did not, depending on your setup).
It takes a lot of repetitions for something to become fully habitual. As a result. most habits are daily. However, it can also be helpful to use a habit tracker for various weekly or monthly routines.
Do Habit Trackers Work?
Habit tracking is powerful for three reasons.
- It creates a visual indication that can serve as a reminder to take action.
- It is motivating to see how far you have come. You don’t want to lose your winning streak.
- It’s gratifying to be able to document your accomplishments in the moment.
Let’s take a look at each one individually!
#1: A habit tracker reminds you to act
Habit tracking creates a succession of visual clues on its own. You’ll be reminded to act again when you glance at the calendar and notice your streak. People who keep track of their progress toward goals like losing weight, quitting smoking, and lowering blood pressure are more likely to succeed than those who don’t. Some reminder wallpapers are also popular.
#2: A habit tracker motivates you to continue
Progress is the most effective form of motivation. We become more driven to continue down that road when we receive a signal that we are moving forward. Habit monitoring can have an addicting effect on motivation in this way. Each small win feeds your desire. Try our free printable calendar!
#3: A habit tracker provides immediate satisfaction
Finally, tracking is enjoyable. Crossing something off your to-do list, completing an entry in your workout log, or marking an X on the calendar is satisfying. It feel good to see your results improve, and if it feels good, you’ll be more willing to stick it out.
What Can You Track In Your Habit Tracker Bullet Journal?
Alright, those benefits sound fantastic, but you don’t need to record every behavior that occurs during your day in your habit tracker. So, what should your write down on a printable habit tracker bullet journal?
The Two-Minute Rule in Atomic Behaviors, suggests that you scale down your habits until they take two minutes or less to accomplish. You can track whatever habits you want in your habit tracker, but starting with these 21 super small habits is recommended:
- Water consumption
- No soda (coffee/alcohol/junk food/etc)
- Read 1 page
- Do 1 push up
- Cook at home
- Meditate 1 minutes
- Symptoms
- Pay bills
- Tidy up
- Period
- Empty inbox – this is a good reminder for people who let their inboxes get out of control. Empty it every day and check it off.
- Less then X hours on time wasters (Facebook, Reddit, etc)
- Floss teeth
- Call mom
- Spend time in nature
- Wake up on time
- Go to bed on time – more helpful with a sleep tracker. If you have trouble sleeping, try ShutEye®, an all-in-one app. ShutEye brings a wide variety of tools to help you fall asleep, and understand your sleep cycles from a scientific perspective.
- Weigh myself
- Take medication
- Take a shower
- Say “I love you” at least once
Notice that most items on this list can be completed in two minutes or less. Make your habits so easy that you can stick to them even on the hard days.
How Many Habits Should You Track?
However, trying to track too many behaviors on a printable habit tracker bullet journal will almost certainly result in you abandoning your habit tracker.
At first, tracking only 2-8 habits is better. You may simply add new habits as you get used to using your habit tracker, but at initially, it’s best to keep it basic.
Filling up your habit tracker as one of your first habits is a simple advice to help you get started with those initial habits!
Look, all habits get simpler with practice. How long does it take? The truth is that the answer is indefinite, because it is no longer a habit if you stop doing it.
A habit is a lifestyle to be lived, not a goal to be reached. You want to create little, long-term adjustments that you can stick with for years. And a habit tracker is one of the tools in your toolbox for changing your habits. It is an effective method to demonstrate your development and encourage you to come back again the next day!