Do you wish you could be healthier, save more money, meditate more, or be more productive in your day to day life? Maybe you stick to a plan for a few days or weeks, but get distracted and lose sight of your goals.
Let me tell you – I know this narrative all too well! While we all know habit change can be hard, there are some simple things you can do to help you stay motivated and not just reach your goals, but create lifelong habits that stick and upgrade your life for good!
Keeping a habit journal is a great way to build new habits, improve your existing habits, and create keystone habits that set you on a more productive, healthier, and happier path, whatever your goals!
So grab your journal and let me show you exactly how you can start implementing these good habits for a better life.
What is a Keystone Habit?
Keystone habits are the fundamental ways you operate in your day to day life.
Are you someone who makes their bed in the morning without thinking about it? This is a keystone habit.
Do you wake up and walk your dog every morning while you drink your coffee? This is another keystone habit.
Ultimately, these good habits have been proven to stack up and create an overall more productive day. When you habit stack- you’re setting the foundation for better choices and more productivity throughout your day.
The absolute best way I have found to stay on track and create lasting keystone habits is with a regular habit journal practice.
Top 5 Tips for Using a Habit Journal Practice to Create Better Habits
Here are my favorite ways I have utilized a DIY habit journal to sink deep into some new keystone habits. Remember that this is personal and everyone has different things they’d like to work on!
A Habit Journal Needs Habit Trackers
Habit trackers are an incredible way to set goals, analyze data, and stay on track.
Start by first deciding all of the different daily goals you wish to achieve. There are tons of different things you can track. Maybe you want to track how many ounces of water you drink in a day, how many steps you take, or even how many hours of sleep you get each night.
Identify these habits you would like to improve on and create a spread– this spread can be as simple or creative as you wish. Then track whether or not you achieved your daily goals!
Creating the intention in a tangible way (such as creating a bullet journaling spread) is a great way to keep you focused on achieving your goals and turning good habits into second nature.
Planning your Days, Weeks, and Years
A great way to start your days, weeks and even years is by goal setting and creating an actionable plan. By planning all the important things you wish to achieve, you’re not only helping yourself in the short term, but creating structure in the long term.
Being able to create a plan for your life is an incredible skill to harness. This can be as simple as opening your bullet journal daily and jotting down a list. The important thing is that you’re setting intentions, creating a plan and working everyday to achieve it.
Plan Meals and Nutrition Goals
One of my absolute favorite things to do is scour the internet for all the best healthy meal ideas. It can be easy to forget these healthy meal ideas when they’re most important– when I’m hungry!
I’ve made it a habit to write out all the delicious meals I would like to make during the week and the shopping list associated with them. This way I know exactly what to make when I am too hungry to think!
You can also set goals to help you eat more meals at home, drink more water, drink less soda, or even set specific goals for weight loss.
The possibilities are endless and can be totally tailored to your specific goals and needs!
Keep Track of Finances
Sure, money isn’t happiness, but it can absolutely be a great source of stress! Create a bullet journal spread to track your income and expenses for the week or month.
Creating a budget is a fantastic way of taking control of your finances and alleviating the stress associated with money management.
If you have a fixed income- track exactly how you spend your money throughout the month. Write down all of your fixed expenses such as rent, insurance, phone bill, car payment etc. Then track all of the other ways you spend during the month too. It can be very helpful to see exactly how much you spend on things such as eating out, coffee, beauty appointments etc.
If your income varies weekly (like mine does) then set goals and track your income vs expenses.
Being able to plan your money habits does not need to mean extreme frugality and cutting out fun purchases. Budgeting gives you the freedom to hit your goals and gain financial freedom.
Start Small and Don’t Overwhelm Yourself
Remember that ultimately, little habits turn into big changes.
By keeping your goals attainable and fun, you’re setting yourself up for long term success. It can be easy to open up a journal on a day where you’re feeling particularly motivated and bite off more than you can chew.
Remember that there will be days where you will be exhausted. There will be days that are much harder than others. Set yourself up to have more wins than losses and you’ll stay motivated to keep on track– even when you don’t feel like it.
You can always add more keystone habits later when you get in the swing of things. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can become a brand new person overnight. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
Bullet Journaling Advice For Keystone Habits
Hopefully you’re excited to jump into your bullet journal to start creating keystone habits for better productivity and a more fulfilling life.
For me– having a beautiful spread to open up to keeps me excited to reach for my journal. So don’t be afraid to take time creating a spread you love!
While creating your spreads, visualize your goals and get excited! You’re about to make some great changes that will have an amazing ripple effect in your whole life. They will affect you in ways you don’t even realize yet!
Forget the old adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks- we as humans are capable of so much more than we could ever dream of!
Lindsay loves documenting her travels and adventures through photography, videography and bullet journaling.
She is an avid traveler and has been to 13 different countries- with many more to come! You can follow her adventures on her tiktok (@lindsayamanphotography), youtube (coming soon), instagram (@lindsayamanphotography ), and her website.
