Trying to create new habits? Habit tracking is an absolutely MUST if you want to make them stick!
The chances of you creating a new habit just by setting intentions to do healthier behaviors every day is very low. Only a very few amount of people can do that successfully [+ I am not one of them!].
As humans, we just tend to cling onto the familiar. We find it hard to stick to anything that puts us outside of our comfort zones without a clear system to keep us on-track + motivated for change!
For instance, you want to eat healthier + cook a healthy meal every night. But, you get home from work + you’re exhausted + emotional after a busy day. On a whim, you call + order takeout + chill in front of the tv with your yummy food for the evening… completely ditching your new habit. Most likely, this would repeat a few more times that week.
But, if you were to pick up your habit tracker + realize you couldn’t check off the box that says “cooked a healthy dinner” that night… you would most likely think twice about making that decision again the next day!
Instead, you will more likely than not want to cook up that healthy dinner [that only really takes you 10 minutes! You can totally find that time].
Today, I want to encourage you to start filling in your own monthly habit tracker! To convince you, I am going to go over 7 reasons why you should be habit tracking to create healthy habits fast.
IT WILL REMIND YOU TO TAKE ACTION
We all set good intentions for ourselves when it comes to making healthier decisions every day. But, sometimes we might forget the little behaviors we want to include.
If you write down all your habits you want to create on a tracker, you can look at it every morning to start your day off right!
TIP: Pull out your tracker when making your schedule/to-do list for the day + pencil in some of these new behaviors!
IT WILL HELP YOU STAY MOTIVATED
Give habit tracking about a week + you will see that you will feel more motivated to continue making healthier decisions.
Why? When you see all the checkmarks filling up the worksheet, you will feel a sense of accomplishment + satisfaction with yourself. It’s like you’ll start to become your own cheerleader [which, we all need daily!].
TIP: Use colorful pens to check off your habits to make it a little fun!
IT WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE
Ever wonder why many habits don’t stick? Often times, we aren’t doing the new behaviors as much as we really think. Using a habit tracker helps you see what habits you’re actually following through with + ones that are falling off.
It’s a way to be brutally honest with the effort you’re putting in every day!
TIP: Have a friend track their habits, too so you both can give each other extra accountability!
YOU’LL SEE IF YOU NEED TO ADJUST HABITS
When you track your habits, over time you’ll be able to notice when some habit just aren’t happening. There will behaviors you skip constantly because you will feel some sort of resistance towards them.
That’s ok! That just means you might need to break down the habit more or that you are trying to do too many habits at once.
TIP: Don’t be afraid to cross off habits, change them, or add new ones mid month! No need for perfectionism.
YOU’LL HAVE A HIGHER CHANCE OF THE HABITS STICKING
Like I mentioned in the opening, setting intentions mentally or even out loud to other people almost never works when creating healthy habits. That’s the whole “all talk, no action” bit.
When you track your habits, you’re more likely to consistently repeat the behavior over + over in a short span of time. Which, in turn, will lead to it actually sticking + becoming a part of your lifestyle!
TIP: Track your habits at the same time + in the same place every day [to even make habit tracking a habit!].
IT HELPS YOU GET BACK ON-TRACK
Everyone falls off track. Even the healthiest, most disciplined people! You should never feel bad about it or shame yourself. Instead, just take one small step at a time to get back to the lifestyle you were living/creating.
Having a habit tracker helps remind you what behaviors make you feel good + align with the lifestyle you want to live. So, it makes it easier to get back on-track!
TIP: You don’t need to start a new habit tracker on the 1st of a month. Start wherever you are + just track! Who cares if your monthly tracker is from the middle of one month to another!?
YOU’LL REALIZE THAT HABITS REALLY AFFECT YOUR LIFE
When you track your habits for just a month with habits that are realistic + actionable, you’ll see how much it can affect your daily happiness.
I definitely notice that on days where I can check off even half of my habits, I feel so much more confident + happy throughout the day. If I have an “off” or “bad” day, you can bet I didn’t even get to 1-2 of the habits on my tracker.
TIP: Constantly remind yourself WHY you’re tracking your habits. Write it on the bottom of your habit tracker! [For me, it’s to live a happy + healthier life of constant growth!].
Leave a Reply