Having trouble sticking to your goals?
You’re not alone!
There seems to always be something going on that can easily derail your progress, even with the best of intentions. I have been there so many times!
In the distance between creating your goals and actually achieving them are what I like to call stepping stones. These stones are action-packed steps that are needed to pave the way. Each time you check another to-do off your list for a particular goal, you’re placing one of those stones in your path to step on so that you can move onto the next step and lay a new stone down.
To be able to truly stay on top of your goals, you need a method (that actually works!) to keep track of your stepping stones.
So today, I’m sharing with you what has helped me with my goals and what I’ll be leaning into more during this season of life: habit tracking.
Simple Habits That Changed My Life
Little Habits to Make Tomorrow Easier
Grab your coffee (or favorite drink) and let’s chat about why habit tracking is a gamechanger!
Benefits of Habit Tracking
There are a lot of benefits of habit tracking!
- Helps build and maintain consistency
- Gives you momentum and boosts confidence
- Provides a clear look at your progress
I think the biggest benefit of habit tracking is that it forces you to be aware of where you’re spending your time. We usually don’t lack the desire to reach our goals, but instead get a little off the beaten path when life gets busy.
Easy Ways to Track Your Habits
Tracking your habits should be something repeatable that doesn’t cause you grief.
I love my Cultivate What Matters PowerSheets because it is a goal-specific planner that allows you to track more than one goal at a time and has a habit tracker in each month’s tending list. I’ve also incorporated habit tracking into my Erin Condren LifePlanner by using a stencil or just jotting down my habit and then making seven circles underneath it.
You could do the very same in a notebook that you have at home or even on a small writing pad. Truly, it’s about what works best for you and you don’t have to buy anything new to be successful!
Simple Ways to Stay Consistent
While I believe with my whole heart that habit tracking will serve you well, staying consistent is key! I know it can be so hard to add another thing into your daily life, which is why I’m keeping this as simple!
- Keep your habit tracker somewhere you’ll see it often
- Be sure that your method of habit tracking is something you enjoy (if not, try a different kind!)
- Try habit stacking: attach your habit tracking to an already-established habit
A good way to continue your habit tracking is to have a designated time each week to check in. Note what you’re keeping up with and what may not be going as well, and don’t be afraid to tweak things or pivot entirely if it’s not helpful.
Also, celebrate your wins! It is a big accomplishment to tick off your to-do’s and it will help you keep the momentum.
That’s a wrap on the power of habit tracking, sweet friends! I hope this post gave you a little inspiration to try tracking your habits and goals if you aren’t currently. I have a few spinoff blog posts that I would love to share soon with you! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts in the comments and if you track your habits.
I would be so honored if you shared this on Pinterest if you found it helpful! 🙂
Wishing you all a wonderful upcoming weekend and new month!
I love how you describe the stepping stones as little steps to bring us closer to our goal and then eventually to it! I know I would celebrate it with a coffee! Ha ha!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Aww, thanks so much Carrie! I’m really excited about that analogy and plan on sharing more on that note. 🙂 Yes, I’m all about the coffee celebrations too, haha!
I love this post. It is comforting to know i am a step closer to my goals on every stepping stone.
Annie,
https://www.anniesfooddiary.com/
So happy you loved this one, Annie! That’s exactly right, you are doing great and you’ll keep laying down those stones for a solid foundation and reach your goals – I know it! 🙂
This post was soooo helpful!! I remember reading Atomic Habits and The Power of Habits, and both books were life changing and touch upon similar tips and mindset changes.
https://www.mariannyc.com/traveling-with-a-toddler-and-a-baby-in-nyc/
Yes Mariann, I couldn’t agree more – they are both phenomenal books. I still reread Atomic Habits fairly often! Thank you so so much my friend, I appreciate you!
I really need to track my habits. Because when I fall off, it’s hard for me to get started again. I’m going to check out that app and make my own in my EC planner. Thank you for the ideas!
Jill – Doused in Pink
That’s more than understandable, I think that happens to all of us. It’s a little harder to get back started! I know you’ll do amazing my friend and it’s just about teeny tiny steps that will help you keep track and stay on track, I bet using it in your EC planner would be really helpful since you already use it and hope you love the app if you try it! 🙂
Habit tracking really is a game-changer—love how you break down its power so clearly!
Oh, thank you so much Candice! I was really excited to share this one and have a few more related posts up my sleeve soon.
This sounds like a great idea! Thanks for sharing these tips!
Thank you for being here Laura! Hope these tips are helpful to you! 🙂
It’s great to keep track of habits you’re taking up, I need to start doing things like that! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I hope you’ll find it super helpful if you give it a whirl, Lucy! I’ll be posting some more detailed ways of tracking (simple and easy!) soon too!
Great post! I also use habit tracking apps and I like to have a manual notebook as well. I agree with what you said about staying consistent. It makes all the difference.
Have a great week! /Madison
FASHION TALES
Thank you so much, Madison! So happy you enjoy tracking your habits too and find it helpful. I love that you have a mix of apps and paper tracking too! Wishing you a fantastic weekend! 🙂
What a great way to stay on track! Need to check out that app. Thanks for sharing this Ashley!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
I hope you’ll love the Todoist app, Kathrine!! I’m still using it and finding it so helpful. 🙂 Thank you so so much, my dear friend!
I want to be one of those who can create beautiful to-do lists, but I’m just not one of them. Haha. My handwriting also sucks. Instead, I use the Finch app to track my habits and tasks I need to do. It’s been working so far!
Haha, and that is more than okay Roxanne! It’s truly all about what speaks to you the most and how you love to jot things down and track them, there’s no wrong way to do it, I promise! 🙂 Ooh, I will have to check out your Finch app, I’ve never heard of that before. Love that it’s working for you, you’re doing fantastic! Thank you so so much for stopping by!
I really believe the power of habits. It’s how I get myself to run every day. It’s become a habit just like brushing my teeth.
That’s such a great way to put it Nicole, we love making habits that repeatable and without really even thinking. Love that you run daily! I do it a few times per week, but I think I’d struggle trying to do it each day, haha. Thank you so much for coming by my little space in the blogosphere!
It’s so great to be able to track your progress and see how far you’ve come with reaching your goals. Thanks for sharing, I loved reading this post!
https://melissakacar.com
Thank you so much Melissa, that makes me so happy you loved this post! 🙂
I have to build new habits in my life soon 😀
That’s exciting, Kinga!! You will do fantastic with those new habits and keep your eyes peeled for some more posts coming soon about habits/tracking them!
A solid reminder that steady progress, even in small steps, builds lasting success over time.
Thank you so, so much Melody! That was my hope to share how it really adds up – sometimes we think we have to do all the big things, but all the little things add up quickly if we’re strategic and give it our all. 🙂
This is all excellent advice and super helpful. I learned how to develop good discipline habits in design school. Have you ever heard of The Artists Way? Excellent book.
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Oh, thank you so much Allie!! I love that you learned about good habits and discipline in design school. I imagine it was a whole lot to stay on top of during that time! I have heard of The Artists Way thanks to you!! I haven’t read it all the way through (regrettably), I have signed up for it on Libby and got through a good chunk of it. I really just need to buy it so I can work at my own pace through it! I loved the morning pages idea and tried that out for awhile, it was very helpful!
I really need to get better about this!
It’s all about what works best for you friend! I hope you gained a little something from this post though. 🙂