How To Create A Personalized Habit Tracker
Create habits that stick
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Think about the first thing you did this morning.
Did it help or hinder you?
Your morning ritual, your work routine, and your evening habits all shape you to who you are today.
Bad habits pull you in the wrong direction.
Eating ice cream every so often wont hurt you, but do it consistently and you're sure to see problems.
But a good habit can build you up.
Like exercising consistently or taking up thoughts of gratitude.
Habits don't have to be extreme, in fact many are simple.
Like a habit of smiling at someone when you see them.
The key to habits is they build on top of each other over time.
They transform you.
But they take time and consistent effort.
It's not about doing all the good habits in a single day.
Because like the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are you.
And to harness transformation, you need a system to track and shape your habits.
The three parts to creating a habit tracker
Let's break down habit tracking into three key components:
Essentials, Framework, and Reflection.
1. 3 Essentials
To build a habit you need to find what habit you want.
And with the modern world of technology there's always too many things.
So to break down what you want we can focus on our 3 essentials.
What are your 3 essentials?
They're the 3 things you can say say to every single day, and happily say no to everything else.
Essentially, they're your habit filters.
For me they're:
Spiritual life.
Work.
Health.
Additional examples:
Family.
Creativity.
Relationships.
I can say no to fixing an old laptop for fun if I didn't say yes to my health.
Or I can say yes to my spiritual life and say no to entertainment.
Defining your 3 essentials is like having a compass in a distracting world.
2. The Framework
Our brains are excellent.
They can comprehend, think, and learn information like crazy.
But when it comes to storing information, they're not as efficient.
Take John, who’s learning Latin.
He uses flashcards to memorize words but forgets them months later because he stopped reviewing.
Like learning Latin, habits need consistent practice or they fade.
Basically if you don't use it, you'll lose it.
And when you're starting a new habit it's best to use digital tools or paper so you don't lose the habit.
The easiest way to do so is in three simple columns.
Write your habit in column 1.
Define your goal in column 2.
Create a checkbox, or a yes/no in column 3.
Then create as many habits as you want, I would start off with 1-3 simple ones.
For me:
Habit | Goal | Yes/No
Morning reflection | Set intentions for the day | Yes
Deep work session | Focus on coach materials | Yes
Daily exercise | Recovery yoga | No
3. Weekly Reflection
To finish it up it's good to look at a wider level.
Viewing your week you can see bigger goals get completed.
I recommend you do this Sunday evening or Monday morning before your week starts.
Ask yourself:
What went well this week?
What didn't?
What will I do differently next week?
You will learn how you set goals, where you're at, and re-define your trajectory.
By reviewing your week, you can spot patterns.
Maybe you consistently skip a habit because it's too hard in the evening.
Adjusting the time could make all the difference.
Final thought
Good habits aren't built overnight, but with a tracker in hand, you're well on your way.
After a while you may not even need a habit tracker as your habits become automatic.
The point is to stack good habits while redirecting your direction.
What is one small habit you can start tracking today?
I help undisciplined people wanting a change in their unfulfilling lives find purpose and progress towards their personal goals.
Follow me on YouTube: @1andrewrauch, Substack, and Twitter (X): @AndrewRauch00 to learn more.
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