Tracking and measuring your new habit towards achieving a goal is essential. In my last article and video I talked about my new habit to improve personal productivity. It is based on what I learned from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.

I must say that my first week using his system has gone extremely well and I have accomplished more in the first few days than I had in the last two or three months. That is because I am doing what needs to be done without distractions. I am also very motivated because I have set up a reward for myself once I complete my work.

To track my new habit, I am using a daily record form where each day I check off if I have done the work. This way I can see if I am being consistent as consistency is essential for habit formation. The days that I don’t plan to do the morning work, such as on weekends, I simply put an X on those days.

You can download this form here.

 

You can also measure the quality of the work by scoring yourself on a scale of 1-10. Rather than just checking off the square for that day you put your score in the square.

Tracking and measuring an activity needs to be simple so it is easy to do. I printed this form and keep it on my desk. I do get satisfaction when I finish my scheduled time and check off the day on the form. I see my progress accelerating and that feels great.

Some goals like to lose weight are difficult as it requires important habit change and a new way of looking at oneself. The weight loss might not show because it needs to happen over time so weighing oneself daily along with tracking activities is important to see the change and stay motivated to do the work.

I realize more now that to achieve a goal I need to examine my habits and work on modifying an existing habit or removing a bad old habit. Whichever strategy works tracking and measuring needs to be included in the process. You can download the daily record tracking form through this link.