Had to work on your business plan? Wanted to run four miles a day? Forgot to practice your piano piece to establish world domination? Well, it all boils down to your habits. Any act of doing initially turns out to be a one-time thing. However, if the act is good, it must be a habit. 

According to Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College London concluded that it takes 66 days for a human to form a new habit. The time needed to unfold the sense of continuity is debatable.

Activities are a part of your everyday life. But habits are a way of life. It is directly proportional to the quality of your lifestyle. The bigger picture here is to turn good habits into a lifestyle.

Habit Tracking…Why? Why? Why?

It is a strenuous task to form a new habit. It all depends upon your approach. Snapchat compelled millions of people to form a habit all around the world. You know what they say,

” It is a sin to break the streak.” 

Some of us track our streak record every week on Snapchat. This itself conveys why habit tracking is crucial. 

Knowing Needs a Knock-Knock!

When you track your habits, you are instantly reminded of the fact that the good act has to take the shape of a good habit. The chances of that depend upon the recurrence of the act. 

It is easy to hang up a shingle and intend to lose weight or quit smoking. But it takes a lot more than that to alter it from your lifestyle. Habit tracking is important to evoke the “I have to do it!” sensation in your systems.

Jim Rohn once said,

” Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

There are times in life when you think of giving up. That’s when habit tracking comes in. If you track your habits, it motivates you to continue further. It also sheds light on why you wanted to form or get rid of the habit in the first place.

Habit tracking is a great tool to command yourself to do better. After forming a habit, it has to go to the next level where it becomes a part of your lifestyle and certainly makes you better at what you do.

Satisfaction sounds Soothing!

Habit tracking makes the journey of forming or getting rid of a habit worthwhile. When you check a box on your to-do list, it sure feels awesome. You look forward to the results of your hard work. Losing an inch or completing a part of a project never feels better.

Satisfaction is not only based on the evolution of a habit into a lifestyle but on getting closer to do so. It’s not always about “I did it!”. Sometimes, it’s about ” I’m getting there!”.

Discipline is the Gospel Truth

The prime objective of forming or saying goodbye to a habit is to increase your productivity. To be productive, one has to have a productive approach towards a day. That’s where discipline waves the wand.

5 Effective Ways to Track Your Habits

1. Bullet Journal

This is one of the simplest ways to track your habits. All you need to do is take a pen and a notebook. Write the name of your habit and draw checkboxes in front of the name of the weekdays. 

Make sure to tick the box at the end of the day if you’ve succeeded to come through. This method is very flexible. You can do it anytime and anywhere. 

2. Create a Lucky Draw for Yourself

This method works effectively on children. However, even an adult is a man child. So, no limitations. Win something for yourself. Reward yourself with little things like eating a dessert or watching an entire episode of The Crown, etc. 

The science behind this method is pretty straightforward. You can compel your mind to do anything you want. All it takes is leveraging something you love doing. The will to do something positive eliminates the will to do something negative. As simple as that!

3. Choose What You Pick

It is crucial to devalue all those things that trigger your bad habits. It is hard to do so because there is a constant exchange of information taking place in your life. You lose focus on what matters. Somehow, the actor in the film takes a back seat and turns into a supporting actor. 

You have to observe what to pick and what to throw. It’s always okay to go with light makeup at a party. Similarly, it’s okay to channelize your energy towards the road not taken. Work with the things that help you to stay focused and control your temptations.

4. Have a plan! Not a plaa…

You can only track your habits when you have a clear understanding of what you want. You should have a plan. Start your day by creating a plan for yourself. Like the firemen say, “It’s important to assess the situation before getting into it.”

Chalk out a plan and see what it’s going to take for you to work on your habit every day. Cut the edges of the bread and focus on the centre. Don’t track what prompted you. Track what helped you to hold back.

5. Use a Habit Tracking App

You can use a habit tracking app to track what works for you and what doesn’t. It is a flimsy way. It works very well for some people. On the other hand, others get off the track, pun intended. 

You can try it and see if it helps you gain momentum, develop or get rid of a habit. These apps create a visual presentation of your progress that increases your engagement with your goal to become better.

To Sum Up

Habit tracking will turn you into a more sensitive being, and that goes a long way. Habit tracking helps to discipline your lives gracefully. When you track the amount of alcohol you drink in a day or your carbohydrate intake to lose weight, it marks the beginning of a holistic approach. You become what you believe. If you believe that a disciplined life is a better life, you certainly mature to a point where selective distortion becomes a wonderful trait of your character. 

The Other Side of Life…

When you track your habits, it naturally compels you to see the other side of the story. Habit tracking redefines the ‘can’t’ approach into a ‘can’ one. Eventually, the universe starts to open doors you never thought possible. 

Habit tracking solidifies your mission to live a healthier and joyful life. Habits are there to stay. Habit tracking makes sure that those habits stay in place.