Yes, Habit Tracking Actually Works!
THE EASY WAY TO STAY MOTIVATED
Back in the 1980s and ’90s, almost every sports movie included a training montage — and no montage was complete without a giant paper calendar hanging on the hero’s wall. As time ticked by and the big game or contest approached, the hero crossed the days out one by one. Each square was a success, and it was another day of training down! It sounds silly, but according to habit expert and “Atomic Habits” author James Clear, that giant calendar isn’t just movie magic. It actually works! For some people, tracking their habits — literally writing down their successes and failures in order to keep a record — is an effective way to build and stick with new routines, like New Year’s resolutions. In his book, Clear writes that habit tracking works because it makes a particular behavior “obvious, attractive, and satisfying.” Tracking our habits in a visible place (like a calendar on the wall) reminds us to keep our “streak” of good behavior alive and holds us accountable if we mess up. It also just feels good to cross a square off of the calendar.
“The most effective form of motivation is progress,” Clear explains. “When we get a signal that we are moving forward, we become more motivated to continue down that path. In this way, habit tracking can have an additive effect on motivation. Every small win feeds your desire.” You don’t need to use a ’90s calendar to track your habits in 2022. Instead, Clear recommends leveraging technology to make tracking as easy as possible. If you want to build better spending habits, put your credit card statements (which track your spending automatically) front and center. If you want to take more steps each day, buy a Fitbit so you don’t have to count them. That said, if you go the pen-and-paper route — or prefer an Excel spreadsheet — Clear suggests tracking your habit immediately after you finish it. That way, you’ll associate your positive behavior with the rush of satisfaction you get from checking a day off the calendar.
To learn more about Clear’s methods and download his free Habit Tracker Template, visit AtomicHabits.com/tracker .
3 Ways to Deep-Clean Your Head Space
becomes stretched to the limit, and many thoughts race through your head simultaneously. Talk about exhausting!
As defined by Webster’s Dictionary, purification is the act of making something pure and free of contaminants. Traditionally, February is known as the month of purification, but this doesn’t always mean a physical cleaning — it can also mean a figurative cleaning. Resetting and rebooting your mind when feeling bogged down and stressed out is a great way to clear your mental clutter and improve your health and mindset. Here are some great ways to free up your cognitive workspace and ditch stress and anxiety. Reduce multitasking. Focusing on more than one task at a time can be efficient and help you move through your to-do list at a faster pace, but it isn’t always as effective as taking it one step at a time. When you multitask, your mental bandwidth
Be mindful. Being present in the moment will not only help you stay focused but also slow down and enjoy the present without negative background thoughts. No
matter what you’re doing, thinking about grocery lists, a phone call you had earlier at work, or how to entertain your guests over the weekend can wait! Write it down. When your mind becomes “full,” and it feels like there is just no more room for new thoughts or information, it may be time to determine what thoughts create the most stress and write them down. Whether you use a journal, a scrap piece of paper, or a dry-erase board, writing down your thoughts can reduce mental clutter and help you to feel less bogged down. In the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, it only makes sense that we all have minds full of thoughts and information, but an overload is never a good thing! Be sure to take some time here and there to clean it out and purify your head space!
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