Why you should be tracking your habits

Habits are an integral part of our daily lives.

They are the actions we perform automatically and regularly, shaping our overall wellbeing, productivity, and success.

Our habits have a significant impact on our lives, from the healthy ones, such as exercise and meditation, to the not-so-healthy ones, such as procrastination and overeating.

So, why should you bother tracking your habits?

Improved awareness

Tracking your habits helps you become more mindful of your actions.

When you write down what you do every day, you start to see patterns that you may have previously overlooked.

You might realise that you spend too much time on social media or that you neglect self-care activities.

This increased awareness helps you make informed decisions and intentional choices that lead to positive changes.

Increased accountability

When you track your habits, you are taking ownership of your actions.

You are no longer simply going through the motions; instead, you are actively monitoring your progress and making a conscious effort to improve.

The act of tracking holds you accountable for your habits and gives you the motivation to stick to them, even on days when you don’t feel like it.

Better Goal Setting

Tracking your habits allows you to set realistic and achievable goals.

You can see what habits are working for you and which ones are not, and adjust your goals accordingly.

This ensures you are focusing on the habits that will help you reach your goals instead of working on habits that are not serving you.

Improved self-esteem

Tracking your habits can boost your self-esteem by giving you a sense of accomplishment and progress.

When you see that you are sticking to your healthy habits and making positive changes, it builds confidence and pride in yourself.

It also helps you recognise areas where you need to improve and gives you the opportunity to make positive changes that lead to increased self-esteem.

How habits work

Understanding the science behind habits can help us develop and maintain positive habits and overcome negative ones.

The science of habits starts with where habits come from.

Habits are formed in the brain’s basal ganglia, a region that is responsible for controlling automatic actions.

That’s because habits are formed through repetition and, over time, the brain learns to associate certain triggers with certain actions, making habits automatic, which can be both helpful and harmful.

Good habits, such as exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet, are formed through consistent repetition and have a positive impact on our lives, leading to improved health, increased productivity, and greater happiness.

On the other hand, bad habits, such as procrastination and overeating, are also formed through repetition, but have a negative impact on our lives and can lead to decreased productivity, health, and happiness.

To overcome bad habits, it’s essential to understand the triggers that lead to these habits.

By identifying these triggers, we can learn to replace negative habits with positive ones.

For example, if you have a habit of snacking on junk food when you binge watch TV, you can replace this habit with a healthier habit, such as grabbing a glass of water or replacing chips with rice crackers.

What to track

As mentioned, tracking your habits is an excellent way to gain awareness and accountability of your actions.

By monitoring your daily activities, you can better understand your tendencies, set realistic goals, and make positive changes in your life.

But where do you start?

Here are some common habits that you can track to help improve different aspects of your life:

Health and Wellness

Tracking habits such as exercise, sleep, water intake, and healthy eating can help improve your physical health. Monitoring these habits helps you establish a routine and make healthier choices that lead to a better overall quality of life.

Personal Development

Tracking habits such as meditation, reading, journaling, and self-reflection can help you grow as a person. By focusing on personal development, you can increase your self-awareness, improve your relationships, and find greater happiness and fulfillment.

Productivity and Time Management

Tracking habits such as waking up early, prioritizing tasks, and avoiding distractions can help you become more productive. By monitoring these habits, you can identify areas where you can improve and make changes that lead to greater efficiency and success.

Financial Management

Tracking habits such as saving, budgeting, and avoiding impulse purchases can help you better manage your finances. By monitoring these habits, you can gain a better understanding of your spending patterns and make changes that lead to greater financial stability.

How to track your habits

Step 1: Identify your habits

The first step in tracking your habits is to identify the habits you want to focus on.

This could be anything from exercise, to reading, to spending time with family.

Think about the areas of your life you want to improve, and write down the habits that could help you achieve those goals.

Step 2: Choose a method to track your habits

Lucky there’s a journal for that.

But seriously, there are many ways to track your habits, from pen and paper to habit-tracking apps.

Choose the method that works best for you and start tracking your habits consistently.

Step 3: Make tracking your habits a daily routine

Consistency is key when tracking your habits.

Make it a daily routine to track your habits, either first thing in the morning or before you go to bed.

This will help you establish the habit of tracking, well, habits.

Enter: Habit Stacking

Ok, you’ve got your plan – now it’s time to stack.

Habit stacking is a technique that involves building new habits on top of existing ones.

This makes it easier to adopt new habits because you are leveraging the momentum of your existing habits.

For example, let’s say you want to start reading for 30 minutes every day.

You can stack this new habit onto your existing habit of brushing your teeth every morning.

After brushing your teeth, you immediately pick up a book and read for 30 minutes.

Over time, reading for 30 minutes will become a habit, just like brushing your teeth.

Then, rinse and repeat – pardon the pun – and stack another habit on top of reading.

How long is a piece of string?

You’ve likely heard that habits take 30 days to form.

Hate to break it to you – it’s a myth.

The answer to how long a habit takes to form is not a one-size-fits-all, as it varies based on the person and the habit.

According to research out of University College London it takes on average about 66 days for a new habit to become automatic.

However, further research published in the European Journal of Social Psychology titled “How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world” found that it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a habit to fully form.

The key to forming a new habit is consistency.

The more consistently you perform a behavior, the more likely it is to become a habit.

So, even if it takes longer than 66 days for a habit to form, the important thing is to keep at it and be patient.

How to Recover a Broken Habit

We all have good intentions when it comes to forming habits, but sometimes life gets in the way, and our habits fall by the wayside.

If you find yourself in this situation, don’t despair, and try these steps.

Step 1: Identify the cause of the break

The first step in recovering a broken habit is to identify why the habit was broken in the first place.

Was it due to a change in your schedule, a lack of motivation, or some other reason?

Once you understand why the habit was broken, you can take steps to address the issue and get back on track.

Step 2: Start small

Once you have identified the cause of the break, it’s important to start small.

This means setting achievable goals and gradually building up your habit again.

For example, if your goal was to exercise for 30 minutes a day but you’ve fallen off track, start with 10 minutes a day and gradually build up to 30 minutes over time.

It’s not necessarily a great idea to attempt to immediately reinstate the previous habit.

In the above example, 30min might feel too much, which leads to further demotivation and making it even harder to rebuild.

Step 3: Stay consistent

Consistency is key when it comes to forming and maintaining habits.

Make sure to track your progress and hold yourself accountable.

If you miss a day, don’t give up – simply get back on track the next day.

Step 4: Reward yourself

Finally, don’t forget to reward yourself for your progress.

This could be something as simple as treating yourself to your favorite food, taking a relaxing bath, or watching a movie.

Rewards help to keep us motivated and on track.

Join the club

Habit and behaviour identification and change is a key element to your Story of My Life Journal, and it uses the science mentioned above to support you in making positive adjustments.

But, whether you join the Story of My Life Journal club or do it a different way, we wish you all the best in your habit journey.

You’ve got this.