The moment I realized my monthly habit tracker was lying to me

I was sitting in my kitchen in Portland last Tuesday staring at my habit tracker for March. Every single box was filled in but I felt like I hadn't actually accomplished anything. Then it hit me. I was tracking stupid things like 'brushed teeth' and 'made bed' just to feel good about filling squares. I had 28 habits listed and only 5 of them actually moved me toward my goals like writing or exercising. Now I keep it to 3 habits max per month and I actually track outcomes not just tasks. Has anyone else caught themselves padding their tracker with fluff just to get that dopamine hit?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_west1mo ago

28 habits is basically a part time job, not a tracker. I bet half of them were "drink water" and "take vitamins" which is just adulting with extra steps. You turned your life into a spreadsheet and the spreadsheet won.

leobrown1mo ago

Ha, jesse_west nailed it. "Adulting with extra steps" is exactly what I was doing. I had 'floss' and 'fold laundry' on there like I was a Navy SEAL of domestic chores. My tracker made me feel like a productivity god but I was just rearranging deck chairs while my actual goals sat gathering dust.