The Un-Planner: Use A Habit Tracker to Crush Your Goals
Today is the first day of November, a month where I am dedicated to crushing my goals with the help of habit tracker. I had planned on participating in National Novel Writing Month, but business comes first, my friends!
Usually, around this time of year, I start scoping out the new planner options. Maybe scroll through the #bujo tag on Instagram for way too much time. Then I spend tons of money at Michaels on gel pens and planner stickers and beautiful planner packs.
Then I spend hours meticulously writing in all my to-dos, hopes, dreams. You know, the usual.
But, the truth is that I rarely follow through. I get overwhelmed by all the “to do” and ignore all the “done.”
And then I stuff that planner away in mid-February and allow it to mock me for 10 months.
Come on, I can’t be the only one.
What if I told you it doesn’t have to be this way?
I already told you why I use time blocking. Time blocking is perfect for setting up focused work time, but there’s no way to look back on that work. It’s more about how you work rather than how it works for you.
If you want to crush your goals, you need to look back and see what you have accomplished.
Conventional planners, as beautiful as they are, take up too much time. They tell me all the things I should be doing, but not how to do them. Time blocking tells me how to get those things done, but not which things I actually do.
That’s where the habit tracker comes in.
Instead of focusing on what I should do, I focus on the habits that help me reach my goal.
I created a strategy to help me stay on top of my to-do list while still meeting my goals.
I call it the Un-Planner, because instead of planning, I do.
Using a mix of Google Calendar (my calendar app of choice) and my habit tracker, I meet my goals.
The Un-Planner: How A Habit Tracker Will Help You Crush Your Goals
1. Set SMART Goals.
I wrote a whole post about how to set goals you’ll actually achieve. Use these tips to create your goal. I chose two goals for the next month: a personal and a business. After you decide on a goal, or goals, set up some measurable milestones. Those milestones are essential for the next step.
2. Use Google Calendar for time-bound events.
There are two types of time-bound events: appointments and milestones.
The appointments you’d write in a planner can go right into Google calendar. I prefer this method over planners. Google will tell me when I should leave to be there on time, based on traffic and weather conditions.
Milestones should be set once a week, with a major check in at the end of the month. If you’re more comfortable keeping a closer eye on things, set a milestone twice weekly. I prefer Sundays for reflection and Wednesdays for momentum.
3. Determine which daily habits will help you hit those milestones.
If your goal for the month is to launch your blog, you could have the following daily milestones:
· Research blogs in my niche.
· Write one piece of content.
· Source 1 stock photo to use for graphics.
· Network with 1 person in any way.
· Conduct 30 minutes of market research.
(Or you could hire me to do all that for you while you focus on growing your business.)
These tiny habits will add up to help you reach your weekly and monthly milestones.
4. Track your habits
There are so many different ways that you can track your habits. You can use the awesome freebie I created for GoalVember. That’s how I am referring to November since I am going to be ROCKING my goals next month. This is what it looks like:
There are also a ton of apps out there for keeping track of your goals. Search “habit tracker” or “goal tracking” in your app store.
5. Failure is okay!
The whole point of using a habit tracker is to see which habits are sustainable, and which are not. If you’re consistently missing one habit, examine why. Were you short on resources, time, or energy? If so, consider cutting that habit into smaller chunks. As BJ Fogg explains in his TED Talk, tiny behaviors lead to big habits. If you’re unable to drink 100oz of water each day, start with a smaller amount and work your way up.
Happy GoalVember!
If you decide to join along with me in this GoalVember Challenge, use the hashtag #MomtrovertGoalvember on social media so I can see your progress! And don’t forget to follow me using the links at the bottom of the page.
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I love this idea. I have started many planners to find they are not full near the end of the year. My brain is full of all my to do’s as well as my calendar in my head and my Google calendar. A written planner takes more time than this mama has besides the fact that there is almost always something that bumps my plans even though half of my kiddos are adults. I am a health coach so setting goals is big for me and my clients. I love how you have interwoven these. Thanks for the resources. Looking forward to checking out your site more.
Hi Joy!
I’m so happy to hear that this resonated with you! If you end up using this strategy, I’d love to hear more about it! Thanks so much for checking out my site, don’t forget to stop by the freebies page for more free stuff 😉
xoxo
Kamee