By consistently staying on track with a habit tracker, you’re setting yourself up for success.

Whether you’re wanting to change an old habit (click here for step one in changing an old habit – map your old habit) or you’ve decided to go all out on a big audacious new habit that will change your life, you need to be prepared.

Guess what?  The mapping and the thinking parts of habits are the easy bits

The hard bit?

Staying on track and consistently repeating your new habit enough times to lay down a new neural pathway.  That’s really challenging.  If it was easy, you would have stuck to every New Year’s resolution and never eaten that after dinner treat despite all your repeated good intentions.

You need to pay attention now.   Because the old neural pathway is very strong and controlling.  It will automatically kick in when you look away.

That’s why a habit tracker will help you stay on track.

Knowing how your brain works, helps you change your brain

If you’ve missed previous blogs on the how/why your brain forms habits, here’s the links:

1. why your brain forms a habit
2. why you self sabotage
3. how your brain automates a habit
4. the 3 parts of every habit and the bit to change

When starting a new habit, or changing an old one, now is about the time when the wheels get a bit wobbly.

Have you lost motivation?  Have you skipped a day, or a few days?  Given up?

Don’t worry.  Every day is a new opportunity to begin again (and to use a Habit Tracker!)

That’s true, however, every time you miss doing your new habit for more than 2 or 3 days, you are creating another habit.  That’s why staying on track is important.

Use a Habit Tracker to consistently stay on track 

Your brain loves progress – it loves patterns, routines, regularity. It’s lazy. That’s why habits are formed.

Using a visual tool is the fastest way to measure progress and gives your brain the visual signal that you’re moving forward.  It makes your brain want to keep continuing on that path because it’s creating a safe routine that requires less energy.

The best tool to achieve this a habit tracker.  A simple way to track whether you did the habit.  Or not.

I’ve put together a Habit Tracker that you can download here.

Or, use a calendar.  You can also create your own tracker on a sheet of paper.  Whichever you feel drawn to.

When you mark off a habit each time you do it, you begin to build a fabulous visual record of your progress.  You can use an X, or (my favourite) a highlighter.  Try a smiley face.

Whether you have set your habit for every day, three times a week, every weekday, once a week, once a month, the visual pattern will build over time.

How is this motivating?

As your pattern grows, it gives your brain proof of progress.  Each time you look at the tracker and feel pride, satisfaction or sense of achievement, this emotional feeling cements the neural pathway even further.

When you visualise your progress you’re giving your brain an added “reward”.  That visual reward is also another emotional anchor to reinforce your determination.  Like a big pat on the back.

Bite Sized Action

Download the iNaturally Habit Tracker.  The design of this tracker caters for one habit for six months, or 1-6 habits a month.  It’s up to you.

Don’t forget to forward this blog to someone you care about.  They can be your habit buddy.
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