Why Habits Rule (And How To Leverage Them Better)

If you want to boost your productivity, the easiest way to do so is to develop good habits. (I know it is challenging to stick to these habits, but we’ll get to that in a moment.)

Habits offer you an anchor which then frees your mind to focus on more detail-oriented thinking.

Habits allow your brain has something to tether itself to over time with less and less memory needed to make it happen. After all, it’s far easier to remember a pattern or a regular routine than something different every day. This is why Jerry Seinfeld’s “Don’t Break The Chain” approach works so well.

An example of habit adoption is applying themes to your months and days as outlined in my productivity approach The NOW Year Method. If every Monday is themed as an Administrative Day, your mind knows what you need to focus on. Over time, your mind will automatically know what work you do on Monday before you even look at your to-do list.

But this change only takes place when you intentionally develop the habit of theming your days. Without the power of habit, theming is less powerful.

Once you start to combine habits, you’ll end up with routines.

My morning routine is made up of five habits:

1. Splash cold water on face three times.
2. Make AeroPress coffee.
3. Make NutriBlast for breakfast.
4. Read for 30 minutes.
5. Review My 3 Absolutes.

My evening routine is made up of three habits:

1. Write down My 3 Absolutes for tomorrow.
2. Write in my journal.
3. Leave my office, shutting the door behind me.

Building routines and sticking to them is one of the key building blocks to a more productive life.

Since habits are what makes up your routine, a habit tracking app can be very helpful over the long haul. Habits do not always need to be stacked together to form routines, but when grouped together they become more powerful — and easier to keep.

When you first learn a new habit is often the most challenging time. Much like keeping track of a to do list, you may (and likely will) want something that offers triggers, can get out of the way when not needed, and can even add accountability when required. That’s when tying a string around your finger won’t cut it. You’ll want to invest time in using a habit tracking app so that you can leverage your habits better.

So what habit tracking app should you use?

Much like task management approaches, calendar apps, or email clients, what habit tracking app you use is not a “one size fits all” solution. You’ll want to look at what you want — and don’t want — in your app of choice.

• Do you want accountability from other users by design or by default?
• Do you want something incredibly robust or super simple?
• Do you want something that plays nice with other app or a completely isolated offering?

When it comes to choosing a habit tracking app, you don’t want to spend a lot of time shopping — you should just get started.

That’s where The Productivityist Guide to Habit Tracking Apps comes in.

This free guide will be updated regularly, so you’ll have the latest apps Productivityist has taken a look at and evaluated. If the app has been reviewed at Productivityist, then there will be a link to the review. If it hasn’t, then I’ll provide you our impressions to help you make a more informed choice. This kind of guide serves Productivityist’s mandate at its core: To help you be more effective, more efficient, and better than ever.

Take a look at the guide by clicking on this link, where you’ll find that the apps are listed alphabetically. Let me know if any apps have been left out (remember…this is an ongoing work) and I will evaluate it to see if it should be added to the list in either a basic fashion (simply a mention and a link) or something more comprehensive (perhaps a review).

I hope you’ll find the habit tracking app you’re looking for…and I hope The Productivityist Guide to Habit Tracking Apps helps you do that.