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Home » Get Organized & Start Planning » Habits

Why Track Habits?

January 12, 2023 Leave a Comment

Why Do You Track Habits?

Why Track Habits? The reason behind the flurry of habit tracking spreads - interpreted through the lens of "the happiness project" book. | ChocolateMusings.com

Have you ever stopped to think of why you track habits? Here are some insights from a book I’m reading by Gretchen Rubin called “The Happiness Project,” which gives a pretty good definition of ‘why’ someone should spend their time and energy tracking habits.

Tracking Habits is Boring – Or is it?

Why track habits? At first glance, it sounds very tedious and mundane. That’s what I thought, too. Then I tried it, and I liked tracking the habits. I liked tracking them almost more than doing them. It’s giving yourself that little star, the little thumbs up that you followed through, that you did something you set out to do.

Adding habits to my circle habit tracker for the month on a black page journal sheet | ChocolateMusings.com

Habits: In Pursuit of Happiness

I finally figured out why I like habit tracking so much. It’s not necessarily in the end goal. In fact, the pursuit of happiness makes an overall improvement. The purpose of a habit isn’t to have it end. The goal is to have it continue without effort.

A habit tracker’s unwritten (now written) goal is to have items fall off the list of consciously trying to be a better person and continue to be that better person without thinking about it.

Thanks to Gretchen Rubin and her book (which I’m currently reading on my Kindle Paperwhite), “The Happiness Project,” she defined what I subconsciously knew:

“It isn’t goal attainment by the process of striving after goals – it’s growth that brings happiness” –

Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

Never Ending Habits?

Sometimes writing never-ending habits (i.e., reading scriptures or patiently parenting, doing dishes, daily cleaning) every month seemed like I was spinning my wheels and not accomplishing anything. But the accomplishment is ‘the every day.’ It’s ‘the striving’ to improve my life and the lives of those around me as I progress to be a better human being.

Though I’d been married for over a decade and had children, I felt like I earned an ‘adulting’ gold star when I finally considered that I could permanently take ‘doing dishes’ off my habit tracker – because I made a habit of doing them. Believe me, this was a big accomplishment, and I worked hard to create that habit.

At one point, I decided to weigh myself every day. Keep in mind that I do it – not to gauge my weight per se – but to set the mindset for the day and to reestablish the goals I’ve set for myself. This is a habit I broke and need to get back into.

Want More on This Topic?

Read more about my health journey and how habits + journaling are helping me achieve big goals. Trackers.

Change Yourself for the Better & Others Will Follow

As Gretchen states in her book, “you can’t change anyone but yourself.” But I would say that if you change yourself for the better, others will follow suit. I started making my bed habitually. Sometimes I’d make only my side and sometimes both. It’s been a few years since I started this little habit, and my husband beats me to making the bed. Win-win.

Sometimes, he only makes his side as I do on occasion. But now it feels like a joint effort.

Do you know what the best part is? I never said anything, but he started following my example. I’m not sure if it was guilt, but a change in my habit has also changed my husband’s habits.

***FULL DISCLAIMER: I do not proclaim that this will change your significant other’s habits – I just happened to see positive results in this instance.

On the reverse side: if I notice that my kids are being particularly unkind to each other, I have to step back and ask if they are acting that way because I do, too. Those reality checks hurt (a lot).

Mid-Month Habit Checks

As the month progresses, I sometimes get off course. That’s why I like to do mid-month habit checks – because the middle of the month is when I lose momentum. And simply reviewing my daily goals helps me realign to what I deem essential. It’s all in pursuit of happiness.

Book + Dutch Door bullet journal theme - Habit tracker | ChocolateMusings.com
Adding Details - Building Skyline Bullet Journal Habit Tracker | ChocolateMusings.com
Surfboard Habit Tracker + Notes Page - fun theme + simple habit trackers | ChocolateMusings.com
Circular Habit Tracker with Modern Calligraphy Lettering in my Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com #habit #habitracker #tracker
Ice Cream Habit Tracker + Goals Monthly Spread | ChocolateMusings.com #habits #tracker #goals
Flowers inside the monthly calendar wheel + Habit Tracker Vines | ChocolateMusings.com @ChocMusings #bulletjournal #flowers #floral
Pirate Theme Habit Tracker Compass Rose | @ChocMusings ChocolateMusings.com #pirate #bulletjournal #bujo
Bullet Journal Monthly Habit Tracker & Brain Dump Pages - August 2022 Plan With Me
Space themed circle habit tracker - black page journal | ChocolateMusings.com
Habit tracker & Brain Dump Bullet Journal Sea Creature Theme | ChocolateMusings.com

Want More Posts About Habits?

Find more blog posts on creating and tracking habits.

Want Theme Ideas for Your Planner?

Find more blog posts with theme ideas for your Bullet Journal + Habit Trackers.

How Do You Keep Yourself on Track?

How do you keep yourself on track? Do you do a ‘mid-month habit check?’ If not, try to add it to your planner on the 15th/16th of every month. Then compare where you want to be versus where you’re trending, then make adjustments as necessary.

If you give your habits the priority they deserve, these seemingly insignificant habit checkups will help you in your pursuit. It’s a great way to reevaluate your course throughout the month.

I’m sure as you see steady progress, you’ll come to find out why you track habits. I know that tracking habits and seeing progress helped me progress in positive ways. If you fall away from tracking habits, there’s no better time to start tracking again.

Why Track Habits? The reason behind the flurry of habit tracking spreads - interpreted through the lens of "the happiness project" book. | ChocolateMusings.com

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Filed Under: Blog, Get Organized & Start Planning, Habits, My Muses (My Favorites & Inspiration), Start Planning Here Tagged: bullet journaling, create organizing habits, creating habits, habit tracker, habit tracking, habits, mid-month habit check, planning

10-Minute Task List

March 8, 2022 17 Comments

10-Minute Tasks Featured Image

In this post, I’ll discuss why I developed a 10-minute task list, what it is, and how you can use it in your life.

Table of contents

  • Why a 10-Minute Task List?
  • The Intent of a 10-Minute Task List
  • Finding Clusters of Minutes for a 10-Minute Task List
  • Spare Moments
  • Making a 10-Minute Task List
  • The 10-Minute Task List Bullet Journal Collection
  • Need a 10-Minute Task List for Work – Not Just Home?
  • Why Not Longer Than 10 Minutes?
  • Magic Happens When you Write it Down (There’s Research Behind It!)
  • The Magic of the 10-Minute Task List in My Own Life
  • What Happened After Those Magical 10 Minutes
  • Interested in Building Better Habits?

Why a 10-Minute Task List?

When I first started bullet journaling, I remember a conversation with my husband where I felt dejected by everything I had to do and never felt like I got anything done. I know you’ve been there, too. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, your to-do list grows faster than you can cross items off it. The main culprits seemed to be the recycled tasks. You know, the ones that keep reappearing even though you check them off. Like laundry, dishes, or cleaning the kitchen counters.

That’s when I came up with the 10-Minute Task List. If I found a snippet of downtime, I’d refer to the list and see how much I could get done in those few spare minutes. Seeing how much I could do during those few clusters of minutes felt amazing. But then, the next day, I’d feel that same frustration by having too much to do and not seeing a dent in the tasks.

When I realized that I needed to give credit where credit was due and write down the things that I did during those 10 minutes, for more reasons why I recommend writing down the things you get done, check out this post. It was game-changing mentally for me.

10-MInute Task List in Mind Map Format - List of tasks you can do in 10 minutes or less | ChocolateMusings.com

The Intent of a 10-Minute Task List

The intent is to create a reference for those chores that plague my mind and distract me from my project so I can take care of them before I sit down. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. You want to concentrate but keep getting distracted by the dirty dishes or the cluttered desk. You spend more time fiddling and ignoring these outstanding items than working on the project you need to finish.

If you took 10 minutes to clear away some of the clutter from your mind and satisfied the need to straighten your house a little, do you think you could concentrate? I found a significant improvement in my concentration when using this method.

Have 10 minutes? Make a bullet journal collection with a list of household jobs that take 10 minutes or less then see what you can accomplish. 10-Minute Task List

Finding Clusters of Minutes for a 10-Minute Task List

I have 3 children: the oldest, 12. The youngest just turned 4, and one in between. We like to enjoy our time as a family, and I teach my kids to work hard, and they enjoy helping me do chores. But I do not want to spend every waking moment cleaning, scrubbing, or sorting. I know my kids wouldn’t like helping me do that much cleaning, either.

I started thinking about how I use the cluster of minutes each day. 10 minutes to spare here, 5 minutes there, and I often squander those minutes away. I don’t need my house squeaky clean or perfect. But I like it organized and prefer not to step on Cheerios or Legos on the floor. Why not use those clusters of minutes to work on items from my 10-minute task list?

Have 10 Minutes? 10 Minute Task List in Mind Map form in My Bullet Journal - Go to Collection reference for getting tasks done in a short amount of time | ChocolateMusings.com
Original Version
Have 10 Minutes? 10 Minute Task List in Mind Map form in My Bullet Journal - Go to Collection reference for getting tasks done in a short amount of time | ChocolateMusings.com
New Version in My Current Bullet Journal

Spare Moments

I decided to develop a list of things I could do in just 10 minutes or less. Because we all have spare moments, these items would help lessen the overwhelm of life and help keep me more organized. It was all in the name of being more productive.

I find that when I sit down to work on a project, my mind is suddenly overcome with everything I’ve neglected. All sorts of distractions crept their way into my conscience, demanding attention at that time, although they were nowhere 10 minutes earlier when my mind was not trying to focus. Thoughts of the cluttered bathroom counter, the clean dishes in the dishwasher, and loads of laundry yet to be started.

If you cannot focus, do a quick brain dump of everything in your head. That way, you know what you need to do but focus on your current task.

Making a 10-Minute Task List

Here is the list I started on my phone when I started brainstorming all the ideas I could do in 10 minutes. It quickly grew larger as I realized how many things I could get done in 10 minutes or less, when I created this spread in my bullet journal. I organized each in a category surrounding the central idea.

Cell Phone Notes Version: 10 Minute Task List - things you can do in 10 minutes or less | ChocolateMusings.com
Part 3 Cell Phone Notes Version: 10 Minute Task List - things you can do in 10 minutes or less | ChocolateMusings.com
Part 4 Cell Phone Notes Version: 10 Minute Task List - things you can do in 10 minutes or less | ChocolateMusings.com
Part 2 Cell Phone Notes Version: 10 Minute Task List - things you can do in 10 minutes or less | ChocolateMusings.com

The 10-Minute Task List Bullet Journal Collection

Instead of creating a top-to-bottom list, I started with a central title and built my list based on categories. I love mind-map formats like this because I can move around the list more easily while brainstorming. I don’t feel I have to complete one section before moving on.

Once I moved the list to my bullet journal, I created a mind map version of the list. Since each section circles around the main topic, I won’t start at the top and work my way down. I’ll move dynamically around the list as needed. If I were to list ‘Kitchen’ on the top of a list, I might only clean the kitchen and never move to the bathroom when I start a 10-minute task period.

But that’s just me.

If you’re comfortable with a top-to-bottom list, do what is comfortable for you. Use this method and customize it to suit your tastes.

10-Minute Task List Bullet Journal Collection Header | Mind Map Format for listing collections of ideas surrounding a central idea - in this case 10 Minute Tasks | ChocolateMusings.com

Need a 10-Minute Task List for Work – Not Just Home?

I use this list while I’m at home. I’m sure with a little retooling. You could customize a list to accommodate your work life, too.

If you’re at work and use this method, you might have longer than 10 minutes. You might develop a 25-minute task list instead of a 10-minute task list. Whatever fits into your schedule or slots in between meetings or zoom calls. Having a go-to list makes a huge difference in getting more things done. Because I don’t waste those spare moments deciding what I need to do.

Why Not Longer Than 10 Minutes?

Many people use a Pomodoro timer or the Pomodoro technique to work in short bursts on various projects. I usually have a sliver of time to get something done before the next big thing. 10 minutes is usually the time I have left on the oven timer before we sit down to dinner.

If I can schedule 25 minutes, I will do it. But even if I schedule 25 minutes, I’ll still record these ‘wins’ in my 10-minute task log. Because it’s more about feeling accomplished than the name, I call it.

Magic Happens When you Write it Down (There’s Research Behind It!)

I’ve heard numerous times throughout my life that brain connections are more powerful when you write something down. Not only do you think about it, but the physical transfer of electric brain pulses controlling your fingers to form letters, spell words, and complete sentences creates an even stronger memory as multiple senses are now involved.

I could go on and on about my passion for writing, but that isn’t the point of this post. So here are a couple of articles I found related to why I like to write things down. (I find this stuff fascinating!)

Other research highlights the hand’s unique relationship with the brain when composing thoughts and ideas. Virginia Berninger, a professor at the University of Washington, reported her study of children in grades two, four, and six that revealed they wrote more words faster and expressed more ideas when writing essays by hand versus with a keyboard.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/memory-medic/201303/why-writing-hand-could-make-you-smarter

The act of writing is a complex cognitive process relying on intricate perceptual-sensorimotor combinations. As a highly sophisticated and comprehensive way of externalizing our thoughts, giving shape to memories as well as plans and dreams, sharing our stories, and communicating our emotions and affections, writing always involves the skillful handling of some mechanical/technical device and necessarily results in a visuographic representation – some (more or less) readable text, in the form of a string of letters or symbols.

https://www.intechopen.com/books/advances-in-haptics/digitizing-literacy-reflections-on-the-haptics-of-writing

The Magic of the 10-Minute Task List in My Own Life

After I created this list of items to do in 10 minutes, I went on with my daily life. Then something magic happened. It was just as the kids were going to bed. They were slowly getting into their pajamas, brushing their teeth, filling water cups, and trying to prolong the process as long as possible.

I found myself with about 10 minutes as the bedtime routine dragged on. Instead of harping on my kids, I used the time to tidy the kitchen, put dishes away, fold towels from the dryer, and start a new load of laundry. In the meantime, the kids straightened the living room while I emptied the garbage, de-junked some surfaces, and straightened my desk. I competed against a mini-timer in my head.

After goodnight kisses and the kids tucked in, I looked around and approved. I never referred to the 10-minute list I made, but I didn’t need to. Instinctively I knew what was on that list. Immediately my brain realized that I had 10 minutes and set an internal timer. Once that imaginary timer dinged – the sense of accomplishment blossomed. The best part is it didn’t take an hour or two! All it required was a mere 10 minutes.

What Happened After Those Magical 10 Minutes

A wonderful thing happened later that night as I sat at my desk, wanting to work on a project. My mind was clear! Undone tasks did not hang guiltily over my head. Thanks to those dedicated 10 minutes, I found a mindful peace and added focus to the task at hand.

I’ll review my 10-minute task list and add to it every once in a while to keep it fresh in my mind and keep the magic flowing.

Find out what happens when I start recording the results of the 10-minute speed-cleaning sessions. I couldn’t predict the amazing shift in mental health!

Interested in Building Better Habits?

Here are some books I’ve read on organizing, decluttering, and habits. I’d love a recommendation and add it to my list. Let me know if you have more to add in the comments below.  

 

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Filed Under: #InMy10Minutes, Blog, Bullet Journal, Collections, Get Organized & Start Planning, Habits Tagged: 10 minute tasks, 10 minutes, Bullet Journal, bullet journal lists, cleaning list, get things done quickly, making a list, quick cleaning, task list, to do list

Habit Tracking Overwhelm? Try Tracking 5 Important Habits

February 15, 2022 Leave a Comment

Habit tracking overwhelm? Try tracking just 5 important habits each month - shift your focus from improving everything to a few things and see how fast they change | ChocolateMusings.com

Does your habit tracker overwhelm you? Does one glance at those rows and rows of unchecked items make you want to seal up your bullet journal in King Tut’s tomb and not look at it for three thousand years (at least)? Maybe it’s because you’re tracking too much.

Edited from an Original Post Published 07/19/2018

Table of contents

  • Is Your Habit Tracker a To-Do List Tracker?
  • Why Not Track it All?
  • Narrow Your Focus to 5 Tracking Important Habits
  • What Habits Do I Track?
  • How to Track the Important Habits
    • 1) Make a list of habits that you want to track & narrow it down to five (or a small number)
    • 2) Make a list of Dos and Don’ts for Each Habit (Set Expectations)
    • 3) Determine Your Reward
    • 4) Schedule a Time for the Habit
    • 5) Review Each Day
    • 6) Review Monthly
    • 7) Keep going!
    • Remember:
    • How I Track Difficult to Track Habits
  • It’s About the Feeling
  • Bonus! Real-Time Handlettering Video
Habit tracking overwhelm? Try tracking just 5 important habits each month - shift your focus from improving everything to a few things and see how fast they change | ChocolateMusings.com

Is Your Habit Tracker a To-Do List Tracker?

I used to track every task in my monthly habit tracker. It wasn’t until a light bulb dinged me in the head that I realized I was trying to do too much. Tracking too much split my focus, and I never developed the habits I wanted to cultivate. The thing to remember when it comes to habit tracking is these are the items you’re striving to move from the forefront of your mind to the automated part of your brain. Otherwise, you’re just tracking a to-do list.

Don’t get me wrong, and I love a good to-do list. However, sometimes these two trackers seem to intertwine too much.

Daily to-dos fluctuate, which means they are not ‘cultivated habits’ in my mind. Habits, in my opinion, should be created, cared for, and purposefully developed so they can thrive on their own. After all, isn’t that what a habit should do – survive on its own?

I don’t track things I always do to mark them off. Instead, I track the important habits that I want to cultivate. My to-do list is on a different page.

Habit tracker vs. To Do List - Which is yours? Try tracking less to accomplish more | ChocolateMusings.com

Why Not Track it All?

If you’re like me, you try to take on too much all the time. Everything seems important, and you want to improve everything. (Isn’t that why you track habits in the first place?) Let me teach you something I learned the hard way.

I’ve struggled with quantity over quality my whole life. Slowing down, eliminating unnecessary or fluff, and focusing on just the essentials is a struggle. I cannot decide what Skillshare classes to take (so I try to take them all) and end up splitting my focus.

If everything is a priority, nothing is.

Here’s something to consider: Where do you start if you make everything number one in your book? That’s where overwhelm sets in. That’s when the entire month’s habit trackers go untouched.

If you don’t focus or don’t prioritize, everything will feel rushed or mediocre. Nothing will seem significant. Putting your effort into building a few important habits and tracking those results will yield better (and faster) results than trying to change everything at once. Once you create a habit, you can move on to other items. But there is an art to creating a habit. We’ll talk about those steps below.

I’ve always felt like a jack of all trades but a master of nothing. Especially in my career as a master of nothing. So starting small with these 5 important habits made me really think about what was meaningful in my life.

However, if you feel like just five habits are not enough to cover personal and career improvements split them out and choose five personal and professional habits. This method helps me focus on work when I’m at work and enhances my home life when I’m at home.

Narrow Your Focus to 5 Tracking Important Habits

Don’t get me wrong, I still have a to-do list that I check off, but I use my habit tracker differently. I use it to condition my responses to cues and situations. Tracking the habits and seeing a completed action becomes the reward. Habit tracking for me is deeper, more personal development. For instance, I chose patient parenting as one of my five important habits. Within this one habit are a million tiny mindset shifts that I need to improve. It’s, unfortunately, not a once-and-done checkmark.

I decided to eliminate the daily to-do items from my habit tracker and focus on tracking important habits, so I pared down the number of habits I tracked each day to five. If you need six habits on your list, by all means, track six instead. I chose the number five because it seemed like a good number. I could count them on one hand (so is that considered a handful?). And it wasn’t so few that I felt frustrated by the lack of progress. But you choose the number that’s comfortable for you.

This idea is designed to get you to focus on a few things rather than all the things. Note: Please customize this idea to suit your needs and build a system that helps you accomplish more and eliminate habit-tracking overwhelm that tends to hurt your habit-creating efforts more than help.

Overwhelmed by your habit tracker? Try these suggestions to start *actually* forming habits | ChocolateMusings.com

What Habits Do I Track?

I’ll show you which habits I choose to track, and below I’ll illustrate how I track them. Notice that I create a summary of what a successful habit looks like (my goal).

Here are the habits I track (right now):

  • Patient Parenting: the goal is to curb my reactions and think before I speak or react.
  • Productivity: Using time wisely and ending the day with the feeling of accomplishment rather than regret that I wasted an entire day on games or tv.
  • Scriptures: read or listen to motivating talks or scriptures for 10 minutes per day.
  • Prayers: The goal is to pray twice per day, but I’m focusing on establishing the regular habit of once per day, then I’ll shift the focus to twice per day.
  • Compliment: I think of many good things about people in my head but find that I rarely say them out loud. The goal is to say one compliment out loud that I normally wouldn’t say.

If you chose just five habits, what would you choose to cultivate?

Habits make your world go round - circle habit tracker | ChocolateMusings.com

How to Track the Important Habits

To help know when to mark the box or leave it blank, I write a list of expectations to fulfill for each line on my habit tracker—dos and don’ts for each of the important habits I track.

  1. Make a list of habits that you want to track & narrow it down to five (or a small number)

  2. Make a list of Dos and Don’ts for Each Habit (Set Expectations)

  3. Determine Your Reward

  4. Schedule a Time for the Habit

  5. Review Each Day

  6. Review Monthly

1) Make a list of habits that you want to track & narrow it down to five (or a small number)

Choose your focus! Decide where you want to see improvement in your life and start there.

2) Make a list of Dos and Don’ts for Each Habit (Set Expectations)

Jot down your realistic expectations for marking off the habit each day.
Creating a list of expectations for each habit (especially for habits with no clear-cut way to answer ‘done’ each day) makes it easier to see where you’re falling short and track when you’re making an effort.

3) Determine Your Reward

What reward will you receive for accomplishing your goal? Sometimes all you need is to mark it off in your habit tracker. If you receive satisfaction from checking off items on your to-do list – then marking the habit on your habit tracker might be good enough.

4) Schedule a Time for the Habit

Scheduling your Habit into your day means you won’t be scrambling at the last minute to finish it before bed. If you want to create a habit, it needs to be treated as part of your day. Have it follow (or precede) an already established habit.

Want to drink 8 cups of water? Drink a glass of water before you eat breakfast. Or drink a glass before each cup of coffee. Incorporate the habit you want to cultivate into your established routine so it can grow.

5) Review Each Day

Give yourself a little burst of dopamine and mark off that habit daily. You might consider marking off the habit immediately after it’s done so your brain feels satisfied and wants to do it again. That’s how habits are cemented into your brain by creating a craving for the reward, as Charles Duhigg suggests in his book The Power of Habit.

6) Review Monthly

Review your habit progress each month at the end of the month and determine if you need to adjust any efforts. Are you expecting too much? Do you need to adjust your expectations or the timing of your habit? Take the opportunity to commend yourself as well for what effort you put in. Then resolve to continue or make improvements.

7) Keep going!

If you mess up, keep going. If creating habits were easy, I’m sure you’d have done it already.

Remember:

You are trying to create a habit. A habit by nature is doing something without thinking about it – it’s automated. So give your habit the best opportunity to survive on its own by including it in your life. Don’t make it a fight to have a spot in your schedule. Unfortunately, good habits won’t seed on their own. You must create a place for them in your life and then nurture it so it takes hold.

How to track the important habits - find more information on the blog! | ChocolateMusings.com

How I Track Difficult to Track Habits

Patient parenting includes taking a breath before reacting. It means allowing my kids to talk even when I know they are wrong. It’s about letting them be noisy (within reason) and finding the good through the chaos.

Truly cultivating this habit means not interjecting my opinion into each situation and telling them how to resolve an issue instead of letting them figure it out. Sometimes it means I put on my noise-canceling headphones so I don’t lose them if they stop arguing with each other. But this is the type of person I’m working on developing. I feel like this habit is a deep one that will take years to accomplish. Maybe one I’ll figure out once I’m a grandmother.

Some days, I mark the habit ‘half done’ as an indicator that I tried even though I fell short.

Tracking productivity means so many things. I made a list of things I could do in 10 minutes or less. Doing any of these items makes me feel productive. It helps to give credit! I created a page in my bullet journal called “Give Credit Where Credit is Due” to write down often overlooked accomplishments. Many days, I don’t feel like I get anything done!

Being productive (and giving myself credit for it) greatly boost future productivity. It seems to multiply on itself.

It’s About the Feeling

It feels good to mark things off – not just mark them off, but by tracking the important habits that will help me become a better person.

Because I actually put in effort and forethought before doing the activity, which is key to forming a habit. I can honestly tell you that I stop and think about doing something productive or taking 10 minutes to straighten a room. The best is when I stop myself when dealing with my kids and ask myself, ‘is this patient parenting’? It’s then that I know my habit-tracking efforts are working.

question mark - chocolatemusings.com

Are you a track everything kind of person, or do you track just a few things? How does it work for you? What important habits would you choose to track?

Bonus! Real-Time Handlettering Video

If you love lettering videos, here’s the video where I letter this quote in real-time – no superspeed lettering on this one! Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

  • What to Do if Bullet Journaling Feels Overwhelming?
  • How to Set Up a Habit Tracker in your Planner
  • Favorite Reasons for Habit Tracking

Here are some books I’ve read on organizing, decluttering, and habits. I’d love a recommendation and add it to my list. Let me know if you have more to add in the comments below.  

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Bullet Journal, Get Organized & Start Planning, Habits Tagged: Bullet Journal, habits, handlettering, lettering, mid-month habit check

Habit by Number: Habit Tracker Hack

January 18, 2022 Leave a Comment

Habit by number habit tracking hack Featured Image | How assigning a number to your habits helps you define your habit and increase motivation | ChocolateMusings.com

Here’s an idea to help your habit tracker: track your habits by number. Hear me out. I promise there’s a reason behind this madness.

Table of contents

  • What is Habit By Number?
  • What Did I Track?
  • Why Habit By Number?
  • Was Habit by Number a Success?
  • Books for Thought

What is Habit By Number?

I’m always looking for a way to improve my habit tracker or different ways to motivate me with my habits. A couple of years ago, I created this habit by number spread in my bullet journal and didn’t realize the genius behind it. By defining a number and the habit I intended to cultivate, I created a set of parameters or rules for each habit. The rules made them feel more real and, as a result, more achievable.

When the habit became more achievable, I could feel my motivation increase. Win-win! And all it takes is a little definition and some written expectations to significantly enhance my habit-tracking motivation.

Check out the whimsical space elements plan with me post here!

What Did I Track?

Using this habit-by-number method, here are the habits I tracked for this month:

  1. Not 1 dollar spent – a no-spend habit.
  2. 2 prayers said. If you’re more of a meditator, turn it into a 2-minute meditation habit instead.
  3. 3 Kids need attention. Adjust the numbers to fit your current family situation.
  4. 4 Pillows on a made bed. I customized this number to fit where I needed it. The habit ultimately was to make my bed. But I used the numbers to make it work for me.
  5. 5:30 up.
  6. 6 Dinner Ready, instead of procrastinating every night, I set a goal to have dinner ready by six pm. I think this was the easiest goal for me to accomplish. We now regularly eat before 6.
  7. 7000+ steps. I figure I can adjust it higher once I reach this goal daily.
  8. 8 glasses of water.
  9. 9 minutes of reading. This habit by number is a reminder to sit down for a minute and let me rest. I love to read and rarely make time for it.
  10. In my 10 minutes. This a reminder to give credit where credit is due. It’s amazing what you can accomplish in just 10 minutes. Record what you’ve accomplished, especially if you’re feeling like you’re not getting anything done. I promise this will help you see that you do far more than you realize daily.
  11. In bed by 11. Set your bedtime so mornings are easier.

If you’re intrigued by my idea for 10-minute tasks, here are a couple of posts to read:

  • 10-Minute Task List
  • In My 10-Minutes
Habit Tracker By Number - set your expectations and define your intentions within your habit tracker| April 2018 Plan With Me | ChocolateMusings.com
Habits by number flip out key - if yo run out of room on a page, attach another page to 'flip out' when using that page (in this case a habit tracker). Then fold it back together and turn the page | ChocolateMusings.com
April watercolor habit header - after the pen | Bullet Journal Habit Tracker | ChocolateMusings.com

Why Habit By Number?

Initially, to conserve space on the spread, I decided to use a flip-out key and define the habits that month by number. At first, I thought I was just clever by having numbers 1-11 on the top of my habit tracker page. But as it turns out, using numbers created an achievable, defined goal within the habit.

For instance: 9 minutes of reading – a reminder to take time for myself and read for pleasure. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, but I don’t make time to do it. It’s so easy to put off reading until you have a large chunk of time. But who has a large amount of time? Not a lot of people that I know.

Taking 9 minutes to read a book or a magazine article sounds feasible. What’s more, I don’t have to make a big production or feel like I need to spend a ton of time doing this thing (that I want to do). When 9-10 minutes are up, I know I’ve met that goal for the day and get a little boost by checking off that box.

Habit by number habit tracking hack | How assigning a number to your habits helps you define your habit and increase motivation | ChocolateMusings.com

Was Habit by Number a Success?

The point initially was to include a fun element in my habit tracker. Quite by accident, this habit-by-number method turned into so much more. It assigned a level of realism and achievability to each habit. I could also test what was working and what was not. For instance, I can see that waking up at 5:30 is not working for me. So, I need to focus my efforts on something else or figure out a new strategy for achieving this habit.

Creating a reality check made tracking each habit’s success easier. With defined success, I can adjust methods to automate these habits. After all, isn’t that the point of a habit tracker? To turn these tasks into an automated habit so we don’t have to track them anymore?

Mid-Month Habit Check - Determine your priorities, flip down, habit by number

Books for Thought

My insights on how habits work came from reading books by people who have dedicated their lives (or a good portion of it) to studying habits. I’m grateful to them for doing the research, so I can recognize the benefits of ‘habit-by-number’ and what it does to help me be more successful.

Here are some books I’ve read on organizing, decluttering, and habits. I’d love a recommendation and add it to my list. Let me know if you have more to add in the comments below.  

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Get Organized & Start Planning, Habits Tagged: Bullet Journal, habit by number, habit tracker, habits, tracker

How to Solve a Problem (in Reverse)

January 11, 2022 Leave a Comment

How to Solve a Problem (in reverse) ideas for working through the silly things that hold you back | ChocolateMusings.com

How to Solve a Problem (in Reverse)

How to solve a problem in reverse – get motivated and find answers to your questions by giving yourself reversed solutions or how NOT to solve your problem. The reverse problem-solving method is enlightening, motivating, and a little silly.

Do you have issues solving your problems? Do you have a nagging concern or something you desperately want to change, and no solution seems to work? Whether it’s what to fix for dinner, what color to paint your house, or how to get out of your dead-end job, we all have problems big and small where the solutions elude us. I came across a way to problem-solve in reverse, and it’s very intriguing and somewhat comical.

One of my issues is finding the motivation to solve a problem. Adding research or additional tasks to my everyday life seems overwhelming, so in some cases, I decide that the problem is smaller than the solution itself. Sometimes the answer is living with the problem. But that way of thinking only applies to some situations, not all. If the problem bothers me that much, well, then it’s time to come up with a real solution.

Table of contents

  • How to Solve a Problem (in Reverse)
  • Where I Found This Reverse Problem-Solving Idea:
  • Curious About Reverse Problem Solving? Here’s how to do it:
  • What Problems Do You NOT Want to Solve?
  • Reverse Problem-Solving Example – How to Keep a Messy, Disorganized House
    • Reverse Idea: Don’t Organize Anything!
    • How to Keep a Messy House Conclusion:
  • How Do I Keep Myself Out of a Routine?
    • Some Other Things to Consider When Trying to Throw Routines to the Wolves:
  • Problem-Solving in Reverse: How NOT to Lose Weight
  • Reverse Problem-Solving Conclusion
  • What Other Problems do you NOT Want to Solve?
  • Find More Posts on Habits
  • Here are some additional articles I found helpful for creating routines:
Need to Solve a Problem? Try this reverse method to help you identify the thoughts that are holding you back | ChocolateMusings.com

Where I Found This Reverse Problem-Solving Idea:

While reading the Decision-Making Blueprint by Patrick Edblad, I found a ridiculous solution that made absolute sense. It’s called Inversion. The chapter is subtitled “Thinking backward instead of forward.”

First of all, let me ask the question for all of us: “What”? And the second question is, “how does this apply to my life issues?”

According to the German mathematician Carl Jacobi, the best way to clarify your thinking was to restate problems in their inverse. That sounds complicated. It also sounds like the kind of math my algebra teacher told me I’d use every day.

After reading a little more and trying to restate the question in reverse, it’s ridiculously insightful and surprisingly quite fun. Perhaps here is how we will use that advanced math in our lives, but not in the way our high school math teachers envisioned. Word-problem solving at its best.

Curious About Reverse Problem Solving? Here’s how to do it:

Think of your problem; instead of trying to solve it, you ask yourself how NOT to do it. No answer is too ridiculous. In fact, some of the most absurd-sounding answers might be closer to the truth than we like to admit.

What Problems Do You NOT Want to Solve?

Let’s ask you the question: What problems do you NOT want to solve? Getting in a routine? Going to bed on time? Planning out your day the night before? Here’s how I would think backward about those questions.

Reverse Problem-Solving Example – How to Keep a Messy, Disorganized House

Here’s an example of how to use this problem-solving technique.

First, start with the problem: I can’t keep my house organized.

Now, instead of brainstorming how to set habits and come up with different ideas and tasks, I chose to jot down everything I wasn’t going to keep my house organized.

For example, to keep my house in a disorganized array, I should leave the dishes in the sink and never load them in the dishwasher. If the dishes find their way into the dishwasher, the clean dishes should stay in that dishwasher for several days or a week to ensure they are dry.

To make sure my floors stay at their crummy best, I should sweep only once a week or less. The counters should NEVER be cleared, and laundry should be allowed to pile up so we have to climb over the mounds.

Reverse Idea: Don’t Organize Anything!

All cleaning supplies should be hard to get to for more disorganized fun. I should have to hunt for the correct cleaning item. Playing a game of hide and seek seems fun! Under no circumstances should it be put away after it’s used. When I run out or am low on supply, the best way to make sure that I don’t have it on hand for the next time I need it is to try and remember my shopping list all in my head. We should not ever keep a written shopping list.

Every drawer should be a junk drawer with any item thrown in it. Things do not have a ‘home’ location. If an activity makes you feel organized, avoid doing it at all costs. In fact, why not mix empty wrappers and unusable items with usable items for added confusion and inconvenience?

Finally, the best way to stay disorganized is to pile everything together and discontinue filing. Mail should never be sorted when it comes in. Optimal disorganization means I should touch everything more than once, preferably get lost at least once before I have to use it again.

How to Keep a Messy House Conclusion:

Doing this exercise makes me smile because the actions seem so ridiculous when spelled out like this. The sad truth is that developing these spectacular ways to keep me disorganized was not hard. Because, at some point or another, I must admit (at least a small amount of) guilt!

I also have to admit that I stretched ideas and made them seem more ridiculous than normal life.

From the perspective of keeping a disorganized house, it’s easier to see what habits to change or which ones I need to work on.

How Do I Keep Myself Out of a Routine?

First of all, when reverse problem-solving the life-routine question, I would never ask what plans I’ll make. Secondly, having a contingency plan for when I fall off the wagon would be the furthest thing from my thought process. Thirdly, who wants a routine to stick, anyway?

Excellent tips to keep me away from those pesky routines that might streamline processes and make caring for myself, my house, and my family.

How do you start a new habit or routine? Questions asked | ChocolateMusings.com #habit #routine #journal

Some Other Things to Consider When Trying to Throw Routines to the Wolves:

For one thing, I would never plan anything. If I had a planner, I would carry it around, never open it, or make sure to leave it at home instead of packing it in my purse. I would not set reminders to help me start a routine. Nor would I read any books from those who have experience in creating routines or habits.

Adopting the mindset that routines make you boring will drive you from creating any schedule. In fact, routinely telling yourself that routines are for losers or fuddy-duddies. (Did I just say fuddy-duddy? Also, did you see what I did there? Creating a routine of anti-routine!)

I got the idea of fuddy-duddy from an interview with Anna Quindlen by Gretchen Rubin. She talks about her routines and how she used to view them versus how she sees them now.

Problem-Solving in Reverse: How NOT to Lose Weight

First things first, stop and get a candy bar every day on your way home from work. On Saturdays, visit Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and stock up on sweet enough, gooey goodness to last the rest of the week. Another way to make sure those pounds pack on is to make sure TV is the top priority. When planning meals, takeout and drive-thru should appear on the schedule at least 4 nights per week, and be sure to sprinkle in some quick breakfast stops.

One final suggestion using the reverse problem-solving method and ensuring those pounds stay packed on your hips is increasing your soda intake.

Sounds ridiculous, right? Thinking in reverse adds a bit of comedic relief to problem-solving. If you thought about it, you could add some hilarious bits of advice that run a little too close to reality.

Follow My Health Journey and see what I use to get healthy & lose weight.

  • handmade game board tracker for classrooms, teachers & bullet journals | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #bujo #tracker #gameboard
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Reverse Problem-Solving Conclusion

Though problem-solving in reverse doesn’t provide all the answers, the realizations that it paints open your mind to the pitfalls or games you play with yourself. If you want to stick to a routine, maybe it’s your mindset instead of the method. Reverse problem-solving is admittedly eye-opening, and if I’m candid with myself, it’s a bit humbling.

Problem Solving in Reverse brings out the humor in the situation. Fun, silly responses often evoke the truth more than thinking about solving the problem and becoming frustrated. I find that I’m more honest about the things I need to change and concede that I do some of these actions, which directly impede the progress I DO want to make.

What Other Problems do you NOT Want to Solve?

Here are some additional suggestions for compiling your list using the reverse problem-solving method.

  • How to lose your temper all the time with your kids.
  • How to wake up tired.
  • What I am going to do to avoid exercise?
  • How to make myself miserable (and bring everyone down around me).
  • I’m excited to waste hours of my time scrolling through social media! Here’s how I do it.
  • How I plan to burn bridges and ruin relationships.
  • Who needs a successful marriage? Here’s my course for divorce.
  • Budgeting, smudgeting, why I spend my money on Amazon trinkets and fast food, and how you can blow your paycheck, too.

What other problems do you not want to solve? I’d love to know in the comments below. While you think about that, I’m off to clean my kitchen. But first, I’m going to put my bullet journal in my purse, so I’ll make sure to bring it with me.

Find More Posts on Habits

  • Battle With Stuff #2: How to Create Decluttering Habits
  • Advice For My Younger Self
  • Weekly Time Block Spreads for Your Bullet Journal
  • Find Your Inspiration (When It’s Lost)
  • Things to Learn From Your Friend’s Weight Loss

Here are some additional articles I found helpful for creating routines:

  • Zapier – Daily Routines
  • Goalcast – Establish a daily routine
  • Gretchen Rubin: Search on Routines

Here are some books I’ve read on organizing, decluttering, and habits. I’d love a recommendation and add it to my list. Let me know if you have more to add in the comments below.  

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Find Your Happy, Get Organized & Start Planning, Habits, Journal Prompts & Ideas, Product & Book Reviews Tagged: how to, journaling, Problem solving, Tutorial

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About Me


Hi! I'm Tricia, the creative behind ChocolateMusings.com, I know how it feels to lose your inner muse. After years of darkness (which I call the dark ages of my life), I found my inner muse hiding in the forgotten corners of my soul, I vowed never to lose sight of her again.

Bullet journaling helped reignite the passion for art and living life again while organizing my days. I also discovered modern calligraphy and watercolor. Since then, my use of the bullet journal system has evlolved and I call it 'creative planning'. Here on the blog, I show you how to use your planner to ignite your inner muse and explore creativity and art while staying beautifully organized and living a joyful life.

I invite you to grab some good chocolate and dive into my musings. Let’s ignite your inner muse.

Read more on the about me page. You can also find my policies and disclosures here.

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