Big changes come from small, daily, consistent actions.
Those pesky New Years resolutions right?
Ever set yourself New Year’s Resolutions, only to give up on them in just a few short days?
One of the reasons this happens is because, as noble as our intentions are, we often become overwhelmed with the plethora of new habits we need to achieve these goals.
but how do we achieve those goals, then?
In my coaching, I always recommend that we take our goals, and we break them down into bite-size chunks. Then we implement one of these bite-sized chunks at a time until it becomes a habit and then we move onto the next bite-size chunk.
Now, often we can do more than one bite-sized chunk at a time, but the idea is to reduce the overwhelm so we are more likely to succeed.
In the past few weeks, I have been following a clean eating plan. As part of the eating plan, we must weigh and measure ourselves on a weekly basis, as well as take photos.
The idea behind tracking your progress through the various weekly measurements is to keep you motivated and on track. So, when I am tempted to have a slice of chocolate cake, I remember all the progress I have made through the small, daily consistent action that I am less likely to grab the cake fork.
habit trackers – a tool for life
Habit trackers, not unlike the weekly measurements, are a great tool for keeping yourself accountable and motivated, regardless of what the habit is that you want to implement.
Great habits, and as a result a great life, is based on the cumulation of all the small, daily, consistent actions we choose to take.
Do you want to eat well and be healthier? You need to drink plenty of water and eat a variety of fresh, whole foods EVERY DAY.
Do you want to run a marathon? You need to train EVERY DAY.
Do you want to develop a habit of meditating? You need to meditate EVERY DAY.
Do you want to master a new skill? You need to practice EVERY DAY.
Rome wasn’t built in a day
The saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and neither is the life you want.
It’s the cumulative effect of the small, daily, consistent actions that help us achieve our goals, implement good habits and ultimately live our best life.
With this in mind, I have created some FREE habit trackers for you to use, experiment, play with.
What is a habit tracker?
A habit tracker is an easy, and visual, way to track your progress regarding habits you want to achieve (or give up) towards a goal.
It is usually in a table or chart format and can be used weekly, monthly, annually or any other variation of time.
How does it work?
You start by choosing a goal and any corresponding habit that you want to start (stop) to help you achieve that goal.
Choose the most appropriate tracker for you.
And at the end of every day, you do a quick review of the day you have had and you either complete (e.g. check, colour-in) the tracker (or not) depending on if you achieved your daily habit (or not).
There is a definite sense of accomplishment as you check / colour in the boxes and after a week or two, you get a real sense of progress which is a great motivator.
What can I measure with a habit tracker?
You can use a habit tracker for health and fitness goals, productivity, personal development, even cleaning!
For personal development, you might want to track reading, meditating, learning a new skill.
For health and fitness, you might want to track the volume of water drank, your daily number of steps, how many hours you slept.
You might want to track a weekly beauty regimen, phone a loved one, limit your screen time, the amount of money you saved, how regularly you make your bed, the number of hours worked… the possibilities are endless.
Remember, big changes come from small, daily, consistent actions.
What small, daily, consistent action will you start today?