A healthy lifestyle depends on healthy habits. But letโs be honest, creating new habits can be harder than walking through Kmart and getting only what you came for. It takes a whole lot of persistence!ย
A daily Habit Tracker is one of our favourite ways to encourage habits to stick. It's so easy to get started... simply list the top 3-4 habits youโd like to encourage, and start ticking them off each day. Itโs your own personal record of success!
So why are we such fans of Habit Tracking? The benefits are clear:
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Understand your behaviours over time
Tracking your habits over time is a simple and visual way to understand your behaviour patterns. Are you completing some tasks consistently? Are you not doing some at all? Are there particular days or weeks where you were more motivated than others? Youโll start to build a picture of what is working for you, and whatโs not.
Youโll also have useful information to share with your doctors or mental health provider if youโre tracking symptoms or activity levels.
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What gets measured, gets managed
In the daily chaos of life, itโs so easy to forget or lose track of your goals. Writing down a clear goal and committing to measuring your progress will help you to prioritise that behaviour. You can be honest with yourself about how well youโre actually following through on your goals when your progress is written down in black and white!
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A visual reward = motivation
Habit formation is a slow journey. It may take time to actually see the results of your efforts. For example, if youโre walking daily to reduce your back pain, it could take weeks of consistency to begin building strength. Ticking off your tracker can give you a short-term reward (who doesnโt love ticking things off!) while you are waiting for the long-term rewards of your efforts.ย
Being able to visually see the progress you are making will give your brain the signal that you are moving forward. Each small win will motivate you to keep up that streak.ย
30 Positive Habits to Track
Need some inspo? There are endless positive behaviours you could track daily. Start by thinking about your BIG quarterly or annual goals. Break them up into small habits or actions that will help you progress towards your end goal.ย
To kickstart your planning, here are 30 positive habits that anyone can try, right now: Pro tip: Keep it realistic and achievable. If youโre new to habit tracking, start with just one or two to avoid overwhelming yourself!
Home Habits
- Put away washing
- 10 minute family tidy-up
- Water plants
- Kitchen clean before bed
- Daily declutter challenge
Nutrition Habitsย
- Eat 5 serves of veggies
- Caffeine-free day
- Drink 2L water
- Prep lunch night before
Health Habits
- Take Medicationย
- Sleep 7 hours +
- Take supplements
- Track your cycle, energy or pain levels by colour-coding or rating your day
Brain-food Habits
- Read for 15 mins
- Play guitar for 10 mins
- Learn a language for 5 mins
- Phone down by 9pm
Movement Habits
- 10 minute workout
- Stretching
- Kegel exercises
- Walk daily
Self-Care Habits
- Mood tracker (colour-code or rate your day)
- AM journalling
- PM meditation 5 mins
- PM skincare routine
- Eat lunch away from desk
- Floss teeth
Finance + Admin Habits
- No-spend day
- Make dinner at home
- Check + sort personal emails
- Check bank balance
Ready to start?ย
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