Tips on Using a Habit Tracker.

It can be difficult to stick to a habit that you are trying to build. One of the best ways to build a good habit is by following it through every day. I have already done a post about how consistency is the key to succeeding but this article is all about HOW to stay consistent. One of the best ways I have found is using a habit tracker.

A habit tracker basically is something you can do that marks when a habit has been done. For example, marking an ‘X’ on the calendar everyday once you’ve went that jog. It is an easy and simple method of keeping track of your habits. You can also use a diary or a journal and use the same method. Another example I recently learned about in the Atomic Habits book, is by having 2 Jars and filling one of them with an item and transferring one across every time a habit has been performed. For example, if you want to meditate each day for 30 days you can put 30 marbles in 1 jar and every day after your meditation you can transfer 1 marble to the empty jar, again this is an easy and simple way of tracking your habits.

It can be extremely satisfying to see progress, and this will only motivate you to keep going. It will also give you that instant reward sensation, that we all crave, straight after doing a good habit and this itself will make you feel good and will reinforce that behaviour. A lot of the things we try to achieve doesn’t give us that instant reward feeling. When we want to eat healthier, we may not see the results for weeks perhaps even months therefore resulting in us giving up or feeling unmotivated, but by following this tip and using a simple habit tracker it can really improve our chance of success.

However, it is easy to get caught up in life and not follow through with the habit but if this happens don’t just give up, jump straight back into it and it is will be easy to recover from, set a rule for yourself to never miss 2 streaks in a row. If you follow this rule, you when you use your habit tracker you are setting yourself up for success.