Have you tried to incorporate a new habit into your life to improve your quality of life? Or maybe you have tried to increase, let’s say, your daily water intake using a habit tracker? If you are like me you probably have tried out new habits and failed at times and succeeded in some others.
Using a habit tracker, what did you find? Is it just one more thing on your to-do list or are you struggling with finding the perfect app or system that works for you? Well, your bullet journal is a great place to start. I’ll show you 80 ideas for habits to track using your journal. With a journal, you have total control over how your “app” will look, everything you want to track is in one place and you will create the perfect system that fits your needs. Do you need more reasons for starting to track your habits in your bullet journal? Glad you asked.
Benefits of using a habit tracker
For a new habit become second nature to you, it takes on average more than two months for a new behaviour to become a real habit. If you absolutely want a number, experts say that 66 days of performing an action daily a new habit will set in. This all depends though on each individual person and circumstances.
Using a habit tracker will
- Make it likelier to achieve your goals
- Give you a sense of everyday accomplishment and a feeling of being in control
- Show you how you are doing with your goals
- Offer insights into new ways to adjust if need be
“The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John C Maxwell
If you are looking to create a series of new habits, experts recommend to work on one at a time and then build on the established habit. Let a habit be the trigger for your new habit. For example: When you wake up, drink one cup of water. When you mastered that, you can add the next habit, such as practice your daily affirmations. And so on. Stack your habits so to speak.
How to track your habits
When it comes to tracking your habits, it is all about your personal preference. Use whatever system that works best for you and that you enjoy the most. Remember, tracking takes determination to keep going, just like your new habit.
Here are a few ideas for tracking your habits:
- Bullet journal
- App on your phone or computer
- Paper
- spreadsheet
Habit Tracker Ideas for your Bullet Journal
Depending on the tracker and habit that you want to cultivate, you can use a daily, weekly, monthly or annual tracking system. Some work better than others. I just created a double page with all the things I want to track this year. Somewhere during the process, I realized that I should have opted for a monthly tracker spread though.
If you would like to increase your water to eight glasses per day (approx. 2l) you might feel more motivated to track each glass of water you drink. Therefore a daily tracker in your weekly log might be most helpful. For most trackers, a monthly spread works really well.
Here is a list of ideas of habits to track:
Self Care
- Affirmations
- Mediation
- Reading
- Reducing Screen time
- Journal
- Bullet Journal
- Call/write to one friend or family member
- Get outside
- Get up by (X)am
- Go to bed by (X)pm
- (X) hours of sleep
- Mood
Health and Fitness
- Yoga
- Stretching
- Cardio
- Minutes walked
- Supplements and Vitamins
- Medication
- Pill
- Record weight
- No smoking
Nutrition
- No processed sugar
- Meal planning
- Food prep
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- No soda/pop
- Calorie intake
- Water intake
- No alcohol
Hygiene
- Ovulation
- Floss
- Body lotion
- Face cream
- Manicure
- Pedicure
Household
- Vacuum
- Mop floors
- Load/Un-load Dishwasher
- Laundry
- Clean counters
- Dust
- Clean bathrooms
- Declutter
- Water plants
- Grocery shopping
- Change bedding
Family
- Quality time with kids
- Reading to child(ren)
- Playing outside
- Quality time with partner
- Homework
Pets
- Spending time with pet
- Cleaning litter/feeding bowls/Cage etc/
- Groom
Car
- Wash Car
- Vacuum inside of car
- Declutter interior
- Check oil
- Inspection
Financial
- No spend
- Track expenses
- Monthly savings
- Track income
- Pay bills/debt
- No eating out
Creativity
- Colouring
- Doodling
- Playing instrument
- Photography
- Creative writing
Side Hustle
- Create blog post
- Read emails
- Take pictures
- Fill Social Media channels
- Learn something new
- Sign-up for e-course
- Email marketing
- Youtube
- Plan material/posts/content for next quarter
Whatever habits you decide to track and what kind of tracker you use, remember to keep the goal in mind and make the ride as motivating and enjoyable as you can. And if something does not work for you, tweak it. Never give up on your dreams and trying to improve your quality of life. It’s all about you!
Shoot me a message or comment in the section below what habit trackers you like to use and find the most helpful.
