The Habit Tracker: Hack for Productivity

I have gotten SO out of routine since the summer started, especially with planning my wedding and all of the traveling. Now that it's a new month I've gotten a burst of inspiration to get back into a solid routine and create new habits.

"Every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become" - James Clear

I get so overwhelmed with what I want to accomplish each week. I write down small goals and tasks and forget where I put them. I get so overwhelmed with the end result or if something is good enough. Having something where your goal is to just make sure you check it off can help eliminate some of that anxiety. At least for myself.

For example, I get so anxious about posting on Instagram. I feed into that feeling of self-doubt/ self-sabotage and I don't post. Then I complain when I'm not making progress. So, it helps me to stop overthinking when I look at this as a habit. I can check it off the list. Because discipline is doing something when you may not feel like it.

I want my routines to run like clock work. But, to do that it takes getting clear on what you want. Once you figure that out, you create habits and routines to push yourself closer to that goal and your dream life. Then you become obsessed with the process and not the product. (Still really working on this btw.)

"When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running. And a system can be successful in many different forms, not just the one you first envision." - James Clear

This is where the habit tracker comes in. It's a simple way to hold yourself accountable, move the needle each day, and have your micro goals in one place. I learned about this in the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you haven't read this book, you absolutely need to. It's a game changer.

Anyway, back to the habit tracker. It takes less than 10 minutes to create...

You're going to open up Google Sheets. In the first column you'll list out the habits you intend on incorporating throughout the week. (I'll insert a picture below.) On the top row you'll have Monday through Sunday.

Now you'll write out how many times a week do you want to complete that task. Throughout the week you'll be checking off the tasks you completed each day. At the end of the week you'll tally them up to see your progress and if you hit your goal.

You can curate your habits depending on what you're working towards and habits you want to incorporate into your every day life.

Maybe you want to create small habits to get you into better shape...

• Drink 1/2 gallon of water

• Walk 10k steps

• Take my probiotic

• Movement

You get the idea. The key is to put it somewhere you can't ignore. I hang mine right on my fridge. So each morning and night I'm guaranteed to see it. I'm still trying to master this and the habits on my list. But I think this is an incredibly simple hack to hold ourselves accountable and stop making excuses.

I also have a list on Amazon of some of my favorite self improvement books that I'll link here.

If you're obsessed with self growth and ways to improve your life I think you'll love these.

Thank you for reading & I hope you gained some value from this post!!!

love,

rachel