7 Tips For Forming A New Habit {with printable habit tracker}

Do you remember all of those goals and resolutions you set for yourself this year? Let’s check in with ourselves today and evaluate what progress we’ve made toward those goals. I hope you’ve made amazing strides toward accomplishing the things on your list but, if you are like me, there are some goals that you haven’t really started working toward yet. If that’s the case, this blog post is for you!

When I was reviewing my goals the other day, there were several that I admittedly haven’t even thought about since writing them down back in January. One of my goals was to journal for 20 minutes every day. It sounded like a fabulous goal when I wrote it on my goal-setting worksheet, but I’m living proof that goals don’t magically happen just because you write them down. You have to intentionally work on them.

So, let’s chat about how you can whittle away at those big goals you have.

I think the best way to put a dent in them is by taking little baby steps every day, and you can do this by adopting a new daily habit and incorporating it into your routine. It’s amazing how focusing on something for even five or ten minutes per day can really add up by the end of the year.

What is something you want to start doing every day? The possibilities are endless, but ultimately your daily habit should help move you closer to a goal you have. Some examples could be doing the dishes, yoga, working on a new hobby, refraining from drinking soda, doing a no-spend challenge, eating vegetables at every meal, etc.

Think about it for a bit right now…what’s something you can do every day to move you closer to one of your goals for this year?

I’ve been thinking about the things you need to put in place in order to successfully establish a new daily habit, and this is my list of seven tips.

7 Tips For Forming A New Habit

1 | Determine A Realistic Habit

It’s tempting to throw all of your energy into your new habit, but you will quickly burn out. You cannot change your life in just a couple days, so start with something simple and realistic. Forming habits is something that needs to be done in small steps over time, so it’s important that you can realistically repeat your habit every day.

2 | Commit To 30 Days

If you can keep up your habit for a string of 30 days, it should get to a point where you do it almost automatically. Plus, a month is a nice block of time that will fit with your calendar.

3 | Do It Every Single Day

Forming a new habit is all about consistency. Your goal is to do it every single day for a month so it feels like an automatic part of your daily routine.

4 | Focus On One Habit At A Time

Don’t try to start too many new habits all at one time. Taking on too much will set yourself up for failure. Instead, I recommend focusing on one new habit to start with. Once that habit becomes routine, then you can start working on developing another habit.

5 | Track Your Progress

This is such a crucial step! It’s really easy to decide to start working on a new habit, but you have to be able to measure your progress. I designed a pretty printable habit tracker for you to download that will give you a visual place to record your progress. More details about the habit tracker in a bit.

6 | Find An Accountability Partner

Tell someone about the habit you’re working to adopt. That spouse or friend can help you stay on track and motivate you. The best accountability partners are the ones that are working toward the same thing, so see if someone you’re close with wants to take a 30-day challenge with you. Another way to have some accountability is to share daily updates on your social media.

7 | Reward Yourself

Once you make it to the end of your 30-day challenge, you deserve a treat! When you first start working on a new habit, determine what type of reward will help motivate you to really work hard for the next month. If you work hard for 30 consecutive days, then you earn your reward. I imagine you can think of some rewards that will motivate you!

Download This Habit Tracker

To help myself track my progress toward my goal of journaling every day, I designed a printable habit tracker. I have it hanging up by my nightstand so it reminds me to journal every night before I go to bed. Download a copy of the tracker for yourself so you can start charting your daily progress for the next 30 days.

You’ll want to write in the habit you are going to focus on as well as the date you will begin. I also added a blank at the bottom of the printable for you to write in your reward for completing 30 consecutive days.

Hang up your habit tracker somewhere you’ll see it every day, and then start tracking your progress. Use a check mark or a fun sticker to mark each day that you complete your daily habit. Once you start racking up a chain of consecutive days, you won’t want to break it! It’s like a game to make sure your string of boxes continues for the full 30 days. If you can make it to the end of the 30 days without breaking that string, then you earned your reward!

If you aren’t near a printer right now, pin this image so you can download and print the habit tracker later.

If you’ve been around here for very long, you know I’m a huge goal-setter. While it’s fun to dream up huge goals, it’s important that you find ways to break them down into baby steps. A goal doesn’t magically happen, it takes intentional work to get there. Forming daily habits is a great way to achieve many of those lofty goals you have for yourself this year.

So, what is one habit you want to focus on this month? Leave a comment and let everyone know what you’re going to work on!

Have a lovely day, my friends!