Daily Habits to Track

You want to instill some good habits and you know tracking these habits will increase the chances of you sticking with them.

But what are the best daily habits to track?

While I have mentioned a lot of good habits before, I haven’t listed ones that you can easily track.

The secret to your success or failure is found in your daily habits and routines.

Because when times get tough, we fall back to our habits and routines.

So today I actually have 55 ideas for daily habits to track!

 

 

If you’re wondering why you should put in the effort..

Tracking your habits creates a literal visual cue.

This is a powerful signal to your brain.

Another big reason to track your habits is to keep yourself honest about how you’ve really been doing, instead of just an estimate.

There is literal evidence of how well (or poorly) you’ve been doing. You can lie to others, but you can’t lie to yourself about it.
 

 
 

Hours slept

Are you getting enough sleep?

Track how many hours and which hours you’re sleeping.
 

 

No snoozing

Yes, it feels good but we all know snoozing doesn’t actually help.

Interrupting your sleep then attempting to fall back asleep will likely only make you more groggy.
 

 

Waking up early

Do you have a goal for when you want to get up in the mornings?

Keep track of what time you wake up.
 

 

Making the Bed

Making your bed in the morning is one of the easiest ways to start your day by completing a task.

It can create momentum for you to complete more tasks during the day.
 

 

Morning Routine

Your morning routine is something that is specific to you.

A successful morning routine can really contribute to a good day.

Keep track of how often you complete yours.

 

Steps Taken

Maybe you want to aim for 10,000 steps a day.

But if you’re used to a sedentary lifestyle, you might want to start with a lower goal.

Personally I like to aim for 7,000 steps a day – if I get to 10 even better!
 

 

Stretching

Daily stretching can loosen your muscles and decrease your pain.

Stretching has also been shown to reduce risk of injury and improve your posture.
 

 

Workouts

You can both plan and track your workouts.

Planning your workouts in advance will help you be consistent.

Tracking exercise can help you see what is working and what isn’t.

 

 

Food eaten

Tracking your food keeps you more aware of what you’re putting in your body.

This could be a food diary or you could track the calories.

While it’s important not to obsess over the calories, knowing how many you’re consuming can be enlightening.
 

 

No empty calories

Foods that have empty calories have no nutritional benefit.

They are typically filled with sugars, saturated fat and salt.

Also known as junk food. Ok sometimes, but not all the time.

Keep track of the days you didn’t eat junk food.
 

 

Vegetable Servings

Vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet.

Vegetables provide vital nutrients and are naturally low in fat and calories.

The daily recommendation of servings is 3-5 cups of vegetables.

Are you eating enough?

 

 

Fruit servings

Fruits sometimes get overlooked because they do have a good amount of natural sugars..

But fruits also contain a lot of nutrients that many of us don’t get enough of in our diets!

2-4 cups of fruit is the daily recommendation.

Everyone has at least one fruit they like, right?

If you don’t maybe try a new fruit you’ve never eaten before!

 

 

Meals Cooked

Track how often you cook meals, or just your favorites!

When you’re cooking at home you can control exactly what goes into each of your dishes.

That’s why it’s generally healthier than eating out or buying prepacked processed food.

 

 

Lunches Packed

Lunches you pack yourself are generally healthier and most effective.

It’ll also make you less likely to give in to the temptation of going to a drive through, or the vending machine.
 

 

No Meat

Plant based diets are generally better for your health, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up meat altogether.

You could just try aiming for a couple of meatless nights each week.

Or go all the way, you do you!

 

 

No Alcohol

Or you might call them “dry” days.

Track the days that you don’t consume any alcohol.

Consuming alcohol on an every day basis increases the amount of damage done to your liver.

A drink sometimes is perfectly fine, just not all of the time.

 

 

No Smoking

We all know smoking is bad for you – it even says so right on the box!

But quitting smoking can be a difficult task.

If your goal is to quit, it may help for you to keep a log of your progress.
 

 

No Soda

There is something about soda that makes it so delicious and that something is sugar.

Excessive sugars are turned to fat by your liver.

Soda also has no nutritional value – it’s just empty calories.

Opt for water instead.
 

 

Water drank

Keep track of how many glasses or ounces you’re drinking daily.

There are so many benefits to drinking more water.
 

 

Medication taken

Do you have any medications you need to take on a daily basis?

Do you have a difficult time remembering whether or not you took them?

Start keeping track.
 

 

Vitamins taken

Check with your medical professional for any vitamins you might want to take.

Then you can keep track of how often you take them and how they make you feel.

 

 

Night Routine

Getting enough sleep is important for your physical and mental health.

A good night routine can help ensure that you sleep well.

Not to mention, a good morning truly does start with how your night goes.

 

Going to Bed on Time

Are you staying up too late?

Keep track of what time you get into bed.
 

 

Your Moods

Is there a pattern to your moods?

One way to find out.
 

 

Symptoms

If you track how you’ve been feeling each day, you may uncover some patterns.

It can also be useful to have precise information to give your doctor.
 

 

 

Gratitude

A practice that can be difficult in harder or busier times.

But that’s when you need it the most.

 

 

Meditations

Meditation can seriously help your overall well-being.

Track the days that you meditated, or how long you sat.
 

 

No Complaining

Complaining can feel therapeutic but it’s really not.

When you complain you actually raise the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) in your body.

In fact, studies show optimists live longer.

So quit it with all the unnecessary complaining!
 

 

Brain Exercises

Brian exercises literally help keep your brain young.

What do I mean by brain exercises?

It would be anything from putting together a puzzle, completing a crossword puzzle, reading a variety of books, playing word games like scrabble or wordle, number games like sudoku or even playing chess!

 

 
Exercising your brain on a regular basis slows cognitive decline and improves your mental capacity.

Also, it can be in the form of games, so why not?
 

Money Earned

Tracking your income can help keep you on top of your finances.

This can be especially helpful if you have multiple sources of income, or work for yourself.

 

Money spent

Tracking how much you’re spending and on what can help you be more aware of money habits.

You can record the amounts you’re spending daily.

Or try out no spend days – days where you don’t spend money on anything nonessential.

You might even find some new areas in which you can save.
 

 

Money Saved

 
When you keep track of how much money you’re saving, it’s easier to see how close you are to your financial goals!

Estimating how long it will take you to reach your goal will become easier.

It can also help motivate you as you make progress!
 

 

Practice

Practice makes progress no matter what you’re working on.

It could be a musical instrument, drawing, public speaking, a foreign language, math or anything.
 

 

Reading

Often, the more you read the more you enjoy reading.

There are also a lot of mental benefits to reading, such as improved memory.

Tracking your reading can be as simple as yes or no, or as complex as how many pages read.

You decide.
 

 

Creating

Everyone is creative in their own way.

You can challenge yourself to make creativity a habit.

This could be creating something for yourself or someone else.

Maybe you worked on your side hustle, solved a problem or painted a picture.

 

 

Studying

With whatever you’re studying, you need focus.

The most effective way to study is for short periods daily.

Consistent effort leads to success.

 

 

Washing Dishes

Waking up to a clean kitchen is so much nicer than waking up to a dirty one.

It’s a goal of mine to go to bed with an empty sink most nights.

If you have a dish washer instead, track how many times you actually load it up, run it and empty it.

 

 

Tidying up

Small amounts of tidying up daily can prevent you from needing to spend a full day (or multiple days) cleaning up a mess that has gotten out of control.

Doing 10-15 minutes of tidying each night can make your house cleaning a lot more manageable.

 

 

Floors

This could be sweeping, vacuuming or mopping.

Maintaining clean floors can be helpful to prevent a build up of not just dirt, but allergens as well.

Good places to pay attention to are entryways and the kitchen.
 

 

Trash

The trash might not get picked up every day, but you may need to empty them daily.

It’s good practice to at least empty your kitchen trash nightly, or it may start to smell and attract bugs!

Nobody wants the bugs.
 

 

Learning Something New

As far as daily habits to track, definitely include this one, we are all students of life!

Learning new things is one of the best exercises for your brain.

No one knows everything so there is always something else out there to learn.

Learning new things on a daily basis will also help you become better at problem solving, increase your knowledge and likely boost your confidence as well.
 

 

Feeding Pet

I don’t think I need to tell you that it’s important to feed your pet a healthy diet.

You usually want to do this twice daily – but you can talk to your vet about the most appropriate diet.

If you can, be consistent with the times that you feed your pet as well.

 

 

Playing with Pet

Make sure your fur baby is getting all of the love and attention they deserve!

Playing with your pet makes them so happy and shows them that you care.

It also provides them with exercise and stress relief.
 

Walking Dog

If you have a dog, you probably already know dogs need regular walks.

Walking your dog helps them release energy, improve joint health and keep them in good shape.

Walking your dog also has several direct benefits to you as well, such as improved fitness and decreased stress.

Time to go pick up that leash!

 

 

Cleaning Cat Litter

If you have a cat, you should be scooping their litter box daily.

Or at least every other day.

It’s better for your cat’s health and your sense of smell.
 

 

Brush & Floss

You probably don’t need to write it down to remember to brush your teeth or take a shower but what about how frequently you floss?

It’s never too late to start flossing.

Flossing reduces the risk of cavities and helps prevent gingivitis.
 

 

Skin care

Did you know, your skin is the largest organ you have?

Doing skin care daily is important to keep your skin in its best condition and health.

A good skincare routine can help prevent aging and acne.

It’s also not good to go to sleep without removing your makeup, so don’t do that!

 

Sunscreen

You should always be sure to apply SPF. Every day.

It’s one of the easiest ways to protect your skin from sun damage.

Properly wearing sunscreen daily can help prevent premature aging, sunburns and even skin cancer.

Make it a priority for yourself.
 

 

Social Media

If your goal is to grow on social media, you may want to track how frequently you post.

Many experts recommend consistency as a key to having a successful account.
 

 

Screen time

Too much screen time is just not good for you.

Many devices now include a feature that lets you know exactly how long you’ve been scrolling.

Go ahead and check it, my guess is you’ll be surprised by how much time it says!
 

 

Disconnected Time

It’s important to spend time not staring at a screen every day.

Removing the distraction of our devices can help us focus better, decrease anxiety and increase productivity.

If you’re worried you might be bored, just be bored. That’s ok.

We come up with some of our greatest ideas when we’re bored. (link?)
 

 

Journaling

Journaling helps you get your anxious thoughts onto the page and off of your shoulders.

You can use your journal to express your thoughts, feelings and ideas.

Track the days that you stick to journaling.

 

 

Affirmations

Words have power. Especially the words we speak to ourselves.

That’s what makes affirmations powerful.

The more you repeat your affirmations, the more they will sink in.
 

 

Self-Care

Acts of self care can be tiny or grand.

Don’t forget to do something just for you each day.

Self care is rally just you taking care of you.

 

 

Garden

Tending to your garden can have several benefits.

It can help teach patience.

It also usually gets you outside and moving.

Some plants need tending to more than others, but you can check on your garden each day.
 

 

 
 
Habit tracking is common for bullet journals, but you don’t have to have a bullet journal to use a habit tracker.

It’s also highly suggested by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits.

I even have free printable habit trackers that you can download and print out to use.
 
 

 

If you are just starting out you’re probably excited and ready to track all the habits – but resist!

My list includes a bunch of daily habits to track but I suggest starting with just a couple of habits to get yourself started.

You can always add or stack more habits later.

 

 

What habits you should track depend entirely on you and what you want to change or improve.

Which daily habits are going to support your goals?
 
 

 
 

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