Why Do You Track Habits?

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.

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.

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.

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.