Tools for Thriving - Habit Trackers and Routines
I've never been one to set big goals in January. Instead, I set monthly goals that align with my schedule and my frame of mind at that time. Smaller bites are easier to swallow, right? The 2 important components for making my monthly goals successful are my habits and my routines.
Habits fill routines which fuels productivity. There are THOUSANDS of books you can read to prove this. I'm not going to get into the science of it all because I’m sure this isn’t new to you. Instead, I want to share my two cents on why you should use a habit tracker and how to get started.
A habit is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary. Studies tell us it takes anywhere from 18-254 days to make a habit stick. I believe it depends on the habit, its importance in your life, and your history with it.
After setting my monthly goals, my thoughts turn to the habits that need to be in place to make them happen. I will add that habit(s) to the list I'm already working on.
A habit tracker is a way to manage the habits and build in accountability.
Starting a habit tracker is easy but daunting. If you go to Pinterest and search habit trackers, you might be scrolling for the rest of the day. You will find pretty pre-made ones to print out and fill-in or tons of ideas for ways to be artistic and design your own bullet journal version. The app store on your phone will review a plethora of ways to use your device as the tracker. I strongly believe that personalizing the tracker is important to the process of being consistent with it.
Habit trackers are not only a list to check off, they are a neon sign that points to where adjustments need to be made.
Tracking your habits isn’t a guarantee that the habit will stick or will be broken. For example, I wanted to start writing every morning. Anyone here familiar with the Morning Pages from The Artist’s Way? To make this activity a habit and something I hoped to look forward to, I inserted it into my morning routine. Week after week, though, I noticed a lack of checkmarks on tracker for this habit. I had to think through the importance of this writing habit and reassess how to fit it into my life. The habit of free-writing stuck but is a part of my before-bed routine now.
So let’s shift to routines. I think of a routine as a compilation of habits. By definition, routines are commonplace tasks, chores, or duties done regularly or at specified intervals. Getting up as soon as your alarm goes off, taking vitamins and supplements, and putting on the clothes you laid out for your morning workout are all habits and can be a part of a morning routine. Now, I know that many people hear the word "routine" and think mundane and drudgery. I want to challenge that because I believe routines are where the magic happens!
I see routines as a puzzle. When you start a puzzle, you see the picture you are building and all the pieces you need to put into place to make it whole. I have a picture of what I want for my morning routine so that I start my day off right to be a productive one. That picture, or puzzle in this case, has pieces (habits) that need to be in place if the puzzle, or routine, is going to be complete. On days that I don't have time to set each piece (complete the habit), I notice the void in my mindset much like a puzzle would have if a piece was missing.
Tracking habits and inserting them into pre-existing routines is a tool worth having in your toolbox. I’m happy to help you think through the best way to make it all work for you. Contact me to schedule a chat.
This blog was written by Tracy with absolutely no use of AI. Definitions within are from Dictionary.com.
