The monthly grid is such an easy choice! Seeing box after box filled and connected is so darn satisfying!
So before we start talking goals, let's talk about clarifying rules that arched over the whole process: as I created these goals they had to fit some criteria.
- They had to be things that made me feel better and/or more in control of my life.
- They also had to be things that I wasn't necessarily naturally doing. So while I have seen people with habit trackers that include showering, brushing your teeth, or similar, those are all things I already do and feel in control of.
- They had to be positive, value-adding habits. Creating a "To Don't" list helps a lot of people, but I can honestly say it is probably more likely to throw me into a shame spiral. This is where it gets important to know yourself and be really honest about what you need and how you react to disappointment and adversity.
- They shouldn't be excessively regimented if that can be helped. If I felt like I did enough to check off the box, then I should be able to check off the box. After all, if I'm not following through and only checking off the box so it's not empty, then I'm only cheating myself. But I also didn't need to set myself up for failure. (see: aforementioned shame spiral)
So now let's dig into the goals a bit and they add to me (and how they might help you too). The first goal is a total giveaway: take your vitamins (or whatever meds you're on). I don't normally take pills, but after getting diagnosed with ridiculously low Vitamin D (again!) and being filled in on all the ways that can damage my body, I decided I needed to make sure I'm not forgetting that in my morning pre-coffee fog. I have to tell you: knowing I'm going to have to check it off really makes it stick with me. And worst case scenario: if I forget, I will see it when I'm going to check off one of these other goals and immediately rectify that. That's an easy chain to not break!
The next one is ALL about sanity: processing emails. I have to confess that my work email is pretty pristine, but my personal email? That is a hot mess express. Beyond the (rather rare) email from a friend, every single newsletter, coupon, digest, and spam come to it. And while I am working on becoming a serial unsubscriber to a lot of these things, many others are legitimately there for a reason. Maybe I'm not buying anything from them today, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to tomorrow. Still, it's been so overwhelming: old emails languishing in the inbox, still unread, still glowing as a notification on my phone. I'm horrified to admit the number here, but every day, I get a bit more whittled down and that number gets lower.
Two goals that quite often go hand-in-hand are "take a picture" and "creative time." My initial goal was to make them separate. But I wouldn't discount an extended photo session. Clearly that is creative time. And taking a very random picture taken on my cell phone isn't discounted either. I want to just create a record of my day and my life. So basically no strict rules or time details. Just time to take pictures like this:
Now "10 Minute Tidy" does seem very strict, but it ensures I actually do it. Cleaning can sometimes feel like such an overwhelming task. It's not particularly fun, it can feel endless, and a moment of inattention seems to reset the whole process. This little time limit helps me stay on track. I pick an area, set my timer for 10 minutes, and work on neatening and cleaning until I hear it go off!
"Read 10 Pages" is also very particular. In later months on the tracker, I changed to just reading, but at the beginning I wasn't sure I would carve out time for this hobby I adore unless I set really particular guidelines.
I also wanted to make sure I took a little time every day to work on one of my languages. When you don't use them regularly, it's really easy to find yourself grasping for words you once knew quickly. I definitely didn't want that to happen, so a few minutes with Duolingo or a similar app is completely worth it!
Finally, planning my outfit for the next day. Let me be honest: I am not a morning person. At all. I also have a severe lack of Pretty Pretty Princess in me. Combine the two and I'm likely to be walking out of the house with orange shoes, red plaid pants, a blue argyle sweater, and a neon green purse (those don't all go together, right? Asking for a friend....) Now to combat the lack of fashion sense, I just try to make sure everything is in one or two color palates, which means switching out my purse, shoes, and jewelry. But that takes time that I would rather be spending drinking coffee and demanding to know who keeps propping up the rumor that a job in theatre means no early mornings. The only logical conclusion: do it the night before and be required to check it off so I don't brush it off for another episode of Frasier.
Now I want to know: what habits do you track? If you don't, HOW?!?! You magical unicorn you! But if you do, how do you track them? I am passionately curious!