Starting Monday, I’ll take on ..
How often do we make promises to change something in life, get rid of bad habits or learn something new?. Sometimes even with enviable eagerness we start what we want to do, but very seldom do we see it through to the end. And for a useful skill to become part of life, you need to make an effort to repeat it regularly only at first, then it becomes automatic, i.e.e. Will become a habit.
In order to achieve what you want, not to give up and step by step get closer to the goal, it is worth to get a habits tracker.
How it can be useful
The tracker works best with introducing useful habits or giving up harmful ones. You can use it to keep track of your progress. For example, to control how many times a week you go to bed on time, learn 20 English words a day, do exercises in the morning. A tracker can help you add something to your daily routine and remind you to do it until the action becomes a habit (and sometimes even after that).
A habit tracker is often a graph in which you track your “progress” on something. In practice, it is usually a table with blank cells that you can cross out or check off as you complete.
Tracker Functions
Helps to visually track progress: a grid of cells with already ticked boxes really boosts morale. You can see clearly how much time you have devoted to your new habit or goal, you can track your activity.
Reminds you of your goals: one of the conditions for using a tracker is that it must be somewhere in front of your eyes, so that at the right moment you do not forget about the commitments you have made.
It disciplines: your actions are planned in advance, so it is easier to do what you have planned in time.
Builds self-esteem: a sense of pride and confidence overflows when you have in front of you a visual confirmation of the path already taken. By the way, some applications allow you to see your growth in learning a new skill in the form of a chart or graph.
Motivates: the desire to tick a box and thus commit to success helps you stick to your goals.
Instills faith: if your path has an end goal, thanks to the tracker you can see daily how many steps you have left to take to the finish line, the daily shortening of this path keeps you from abandoning your plans.
Where do I get a tracker??
Find a ready-made sample and print it out, or keep it electronically. There are plenty of free trackers online. Some stores offer their customers originally designed planner-books.
Download App. It is convenient in that it does not take up space and is always at your fingertips. In addition, you can set a reminder, so you won’t forget to take the next step on the way to forming a new habit. Developers of online trackers supplement them with useful exercises, motivating rewards for completing the next level, and turn the process into an exciting quest. There are many free applications. For example, Loop, Repeat Habit, Motivateo, etc.
do it yourself. If you want to have an exclusive tracker, and you know how to use programs for creating infographics, then feel free to try to create your own design.
How to work with a tracker
Once you’ve bought, made or printed a suitable chart/downloaded an app, write down in it the tasks you’re going to do. If you don’t use an app, set a reminder for yourself so that you do not forget to do the required action.
Place the tracker where you will often see it – on your desk, on the fridge or above your bed.
Do tasks each day and make a note of what you’ve done in the tracker. Check a box, a plus sign, or cross out a step you have taken (depending on the type of tracker).
Rules for keeping a tracker
The tracker should be comfortable.
Down with multitasking. One Tracker, One Goal. If you have something global in mind, for example, to improve your health, not just to start running in the morning, then you can use a universal tracker. It will have several goals at once (healthy eating, sports, quitting smoking or coffee). But it is still better to focus on one thing, and make related goals the prerogative of the future.
The goal must be specific. The tracker is a very practical thing and it doesn’t work with abstract goals like “become more productive”. Write what specific steps you intend to take to achieve it. For example, mastering a new recipe every day.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. The tracker shouldn’t turn into a prison guard. If you didn’t manage to follow the plan today, that’s okay. Don’t blame or blame yourself. Everyone has regression and backsliding. Just keep doing what you have in mind, maybe in a smaller amount and with less enthusiasm than in the beginning. But the most important thing is not to quit.
The tracker should be used until the chosen action becomes automatic, t.e. will pass into the category of habitual activities. Without doing so, you will feel uncomfortable.
What habits you can implement with a tracker?
Self-development
- Read 50 pages a day;
- Learn a foreign language;
- Learn a new hobby;
- Learn to play a musical instrument;
- Study an educational course.
Sports and a healthy lifestyle
- Quit smoking;
- going to bed earlier;
- Drink more water;
- Run in the morning;
- Work out your abs;
- Taking vitamins;
- Give up alcohol;
- Do the bar every day;
- eat more leafy greens.
Beauty and self-care
- use a humidifier;
- Get a facial massage;
- Use patches.
Additional Incentives
At first, keeping your tracker will bring you pleasure, and new experiences will arouse curiosity and enthusiasm. But gradually the fervor will subside and doing the planned activities will involve more and more resistance. Will have the desire to abandon what you have begun and put the tracker in a desk drawer. Some tricks can help in this situation.
Community.It is easier to follow a task in a group of like-minded people. With them you will share your successes, draw inspiration and motivation from those who have been able to reach the end, seek support when your hands are down.
Look for groups in social networks, people strive to achieve the same goal. Or create a community of your own. If you have many subscribers, it’s easy to find followers. As a last resort, invite a friend to join you. For those who are used to competition, it will be a reason not to give up what has been started.
Make the goal public.This example is given by bloggers. They voice their plans on social media and promise to follow them to the end. Otherwise you are ready to part with a n- amount of money. Even if you’re not a blogger with an audience of millions, you might as well follow their lead. Promise your husband or girlfriend that you will pay them if you can’t follow through on your goal.
Tracker in front of your eyes.Let the sheet with the tracker hang above your desk. That way you’ll often stare at it and be less likely to forget to perform the required action.
Encouragement.Promise yourself some kind of reward for meeting your goals. Better yet, break it down into how many tasks and reward yourself for completing each intermediate step.
Remind yourself more often about how your life will changeAfter mastering a skill or achieving a chosen goal, how much good will you bring to it with your new habit. It will be useful to fantasize and imagine all the details of life after.
Remember thatThe hardest thing is to start doing something.So talk yourself into simply taking the first step, such as putting on a sports uniform if the habit you are trying to develop is related to sports. After that, the next step is to leave the house. Move gradually.
Habit tracker – it is not a magic wand, by itself it will not be able to reduce your weight and will not take away your cigarette. No matter how beautiful and handy the tracker is, it can’t do the main thing for you – start implementing. But the tracker copes well with the role of streamlining life and helps not to lose motivation.
When deciding to change something in your life, remember that success depends only on your efforts and your own stubbornness. The tracker is only a good helper. And for it to work the goal must be interesting to you, and the tasks applicable to your life rhythm.
