Habit tracking

Is a simple and effective thing to do if you want to stick with a habit for good. No matter the format (calendar, journal, app), it provides immediate evidence whether you are making progress or need to change course.

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The Ultimate Habit Tracker Guide

jamesclear.com

Key Ideas

Habit tracking

The power of habit tracking:

It creates a visual cue that can remind you to act.
It is motivating to see the progress you are making. You don't want to break your streak.
It feels satisfying to record your success in the moment.

To make habit tracking easier:

Manual tracking should be limited to your most important habits.
Record each measurement immediately after the habit occurs.

When your habits break down

The first mistake is never the one that ruins you. It is the spiral of repeated mistakes that follows. Missing one day in keeping a habit is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit.

EXPLORE MORE AROUND THESE TOPICS:

The Habit Loop: 5 Habit Triggers That Make New Behaviors Stick

jamesclear.com

In my book New York Times bestselling book Atomic Habits, I explain that the process of building a habit can be divided into four simple steps: cue, craving, response, and reward. The image below shows the habit loop and how these four factors work together to build new habits.

Key Ideas

The Habit Loop

The cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and, ultimately, becomes associated with the cue.

Together, these fo...

5 primary ways that a new habit can be triggered

Cue 1: Time - Most common way to trigger a new habit
Cue 2: Location - Most powerful driver of mindless habits and also the least recognized
Cue 3: Preceding Event - Many habits are a response to something else that happens in your life
Cue 4: Emotional State - emotional state is a common cue for bad habits
Cue 5: Other People - people you surround yourself with can play a role in your habits and behaviors.

Keystone Habits: Improve All Areas of Your Life with One Small Habit

zapier.com

Not all habits are created equal. Some will have a much bigger effect on your life. These "high return" habits are often called keystone habits, and if you're going to adopt only one new habit, it should be one of these. Writer Mark Manson describes keystone habits as "compounding...

Key Ideas

Keystone Habits

They tend to have ripple effects which change your behavior in unexpected ways.

The power of a keystone habit draws from its ability to set off a chain reaction that causes other...

Examples of Keystone Habits

Exercising regularly is for many people a keystone habit because when they do it, they also make healthier eating and life choices and procrastinate less.

Other keystone habits include: meditation, reading, writing and socialising. They provide a nice foundation for a healthy life in all domains

Identify Your Keystone Habits

Look for behaviors that have a ripple effect, and change your other behaviors without extra effort.

Also, pay attention to how you see yourself when you do a particular habit: Does it change your self-image? Do you feel better when you think of yourself as a person?

4 more ideas

How to Make Your Future Habits Easy

jamesclear.com

This article is an excerpt from Atomic Habits, my New York Times bestselling book. While researching Atomic Habits, I came across a story that immediately struck me with its simplicity and power. It was the story of Oswald Nuckols, an IT developer from Natchez, Mississippi, and his simple strategy for making future habits easy.

Key Ideas

Priming the Environment

Whenever you organize a space for its intended purpose, you are priming it to make the next action easy. This is one of the most practical and simple ways to improve your habits.

Ideas to prime your environment

To draw more: Put your pencils, pens, notebooks, and drawing tools on top of your desk, within easy reach.
To exercise more: Set out your workout clothes, shoes, gym bag, and water bottle ahead of time.
To improve your diet: Chop up a ton of fruits and vegetables on weekends and pack them in containers, so you have easy access to healthy, ready-to-eat options during the week.

Make bad behaviors difficult

If you watch too much television, unplug it after each use. Only plug it back in if you can say out loud the name of the show you want to watch. (Which prevents you from turning on Netflix and “just finding something” to watch.) This setup creates just enough friction to prevent mindless viewing.