habit stickers
from evy's notebook
Mid-2021, I started a new habit tracking system. I've been alternating between physical and digital systems recently, and this one involves marking things I've done by putting stickers into a daily planner notebook. I have a sticker for each activity I strive to do most days, and I place the relevant stickers on the days that I achieve them.
A new feature of this system is that it also keep track of procrastinated tasks or events that I'd like to eventually get to. I write the tasks on small labels, and place them on the day that I accomplish them.
Like all habit trackers, this system incentivizes thinking about my aspirational habits in certain ways:
- There's minimal incentive for streaks because it's difficult to see how long I've been consistently doing a task for. This means it's easier to miss a day, but also easier to keep going after missing a day.
- It's generally harder to see long-term patterns, which can limit my understanding of how I'm doing but also helps me focus on taking care of myself in the moment.
- The system feels less pass/fail than most systems I've used because there are no checkboxes. Each day I start with a blank slate and pick whichever stickers feel approachable for the day. I rarely feel bad about "only" doing some percentage of my daily activities, and I'm usually able to celebrate what I do end up doing.
- Putting stickers on paper is very fun, though it takes a bit more effort to maintain the system because I sometimes have to buy new stickers.
- It's more difficult to transport this tracker around than an app on my phone, but I'm home most of the time due to the pandemic, so it works well for me.
I love experimenting with different habit trackers, and this one has been great for almost half a year! I also love to see how people set up their own habit trackers, and you can anonymously contribute a picture to my collection here.