How to Use a Habit Tracker to Improve Your Life

There is nothing more thrilling than setting a goal and reaching it! But getting from point A to point B is sometimes easier said than done. That’s why I’ve started using a habit tracker to reach my goals.

Have you ever tried it? Read on to see how it works!

I love new beginnings. Mondays. January. The first of every month. The start of a new season.

There is something special about having a chance to start fresh. I like to take these opportunities to refresh and reevaluate. It’s a great time to check on my progress, and see what steps I can take to keep moving forward.

The best way to evaluate progress is by using written lists. List-making is one of my favorite things to do each year! I make yearly goals, monthly goals and weekly goals. Further, I break it all down into daily to-do lists. (And there I just admitted to you what a huge nerd I am.)

By far my favorite goal-tracking method is my habit tracker. I have been using my habit tracker for a while now–although I took a short break during the quarantine, because…well, you understand.

How to Use a Habit Tracker to Build Better Habits

Set Up Your Tracker

I am a planner-girl from way back. For a while I used a bullet journal to track my habits, but recently I’ve been loving a printable more.

Here’s a peek at my habit tracker from last June:

During the month of June I wanted to do things like snooze my alarm only once, read my Bible and pray every day, exercise, read and write more, and spend time working on projects I enjoy.

I also wanted to get more serious about getting my daily chore done, and staying on top of the laundry. Making my bed faithfully isn’t an issue for me, but I don’t make the boys’ as regularly, so I added that to the list, too.

I feel better and more healthy when I go outside every day, and get go to bed before 11.

Evaluate Your Progress

I fill this in every day, so I have a complete overview all through the month at how I’m doing on my goals. It’s pretty easy to see at a glance what kind of progress I’m making.

You can see on my June habit tracker that I didn’t start out strong on exercising every day, and I skipped a whole week of doing my daily chore. After seeing those empty squares for a few days, I jumped back in and finished the month strong.

You can see that I have a few habits that I complete regularly:

• Read my Bible
• Pray
• Read
• Work on a project

I have a few habits that I am starting to imrpove:

• Exercise
• Daily Chore
• Laundry
• Make (All) Beds
• Go Outside

Then, I have a few habits where I’m really struggling:

• 100 oz of water
• Instagram posts
• Bed before 11

It’s easy to see by this lists what really matters to me, and what really doesn’t.

When you evaluate your habit tracker, you might see a lot of empty squares, too. And that’s okay. Now is the time to decide just how much you want to build that habit.

If you decide these things aren’t really habits you want to build, it’s okay to give them up!

A new month is also a perfect opportunity to add in new habits. But don’t get carried away and try too many! A lot of filled-in boxes on a few habits, is better than fewer boxes on a lot of habits.

How to Use Your Habit Tracker to Reach a Big Goal

You know that saying, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step?” That step can actually be writing down your goals in a habit tracker.

Think about a big goal you have. For this, let’s say you need to declutter your stuff.

You might be able to take a week and go through every last area of your home. But, chances are, you can’t do that. Instead, why not make a goal to spend half an hour every day clearing clutter?

Add it to your habit tracker, and start chipping away at the goal. You’ll see the page start filling up with x’s, and your clutter will start disappearing, too.

Here are a few other big goals you can break down:

• Cut out sugar–aim to only eat a certain amount every day and slowly decrease the amount until you’re down to none.
• Lose weight–aim to count your calories, keep a food log or exercise a little eery day.
• Read more–aim to spend 15 or 30 minutes every day reading.
• Spend less time on your phone–set a limit on your phone and track every day that you don’t allow yourself to go over it.
• Enjoy or learn a hobby–make a plan to spend even a few minutes every day doing something you love.
• Read through your Bible–set a goal to read a certain number of chapters every day.

Make Lasting Change

If you want to make a change in your life, it probably won’t happen quickly or easily. You’ll have to work at it consistently.

A habit tracker gives you the ability to track small changes you’re making. The progress might be slow. But one day you might be filling out your monthly habit tracker, and realize you don’t need to add “drink 8 glasses of water,” because it’s now something you do automatically.

Big goals; small steps. That’s how you make lasting change. Download your free printable habit tracker, and don’t forget to share this post on Facebook and Pinterest!

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