#NewYearNewHabits

 

Happy New Year CraftyCakes!

Just wanted to share a little new year project with you guys!

Ahhh, the new year, a time we all make ourselves promises we know full well we can't keep, or rather, won't keep.

Let's not.

Lets do this year a little different, shall we?

 

I'm making a list of habits I want to cultivate this year, and rewarding myself for being consistent with them. Because we all know if we attach a reward to something, we are more likely to keep up with it. Sad, but true...we all do this. I know you're going to see this and say, what am I, 6 years old? Can I not stick to a goal without getting something in return right away? Well, how long did you go to the gym last year?

 

Okay, that's what I thought.

I didn't make it past January...so yes, apparently I need a better system to coax myself along the way.

 

Now this is not to say that all the rewards have to be gifts or something you have to buy yourself...these can just be the positive effect the habit has on your life. Ex: I will drink more water (2-3 liters a day)...if I do this 7 days a week, my reward is glowing goddess skin, a better metabolism, and not feeling like a pile of garbage! Yay!

 

 

To make your own New Year Habit Tracker follow these steps;

1. Get yourself a dry erase board or dry erase sticker decal you can put up somewhere in your house that you will see every day.

I'm obsessed with this white marble dry erase board from Target right now...because #marbleandmetalliceverything all day.

2. Write a list (just on a notepad) of the areas of your life you want to prioritize this year.

Mine are:

-Family/Relationship

-Health and Fitness

-Career Goals

-Organization

-Skills/Hobbies

3. Break down that list into realistic habits based on the areas you want focus your energy on.

Example from my list:

-Family/Relationship- Together Things (breakfast with my husband, walking the dogs, family dinners, etc.)

-Health and Fitness- Water consumption, Exercise (yoga and strength), Meditation, Eating Healthy

-Career Goals- Both my Events business and my Craftycake brand - Creating content and outreach

-Skills/Hobbies- Design Skills (practice graphic and lettering)

4. Make a list of Rewards for making time every day to incorporate your desired habits into your daily routine. Keep these realistic- remember it has to be something you can keep up with! However, it also has to be something desirable that will push you to make your goal every week!

Example from my chart:

Drink Water (2-3 liters/day) XXXXXXX = Beautiful Skin + Better Metabolism

Exercise (Yoga + HIIT- 30 mins a day) XXXXXXX = Look and Feel Better

                                                                   +Bonus Reward 8 weeks in a row

                                                                      Buy myself a new fitness item (sports bra, yoga mat, etc.)

 

Morning Pages/Planner (Idea from LittleCoffeeFox) XXXXXXX = More Productive, Focused, and Intentional Days

                                                                                                         +Bonus Reward 4 weeks in a row

                                                                Buy myself a new planner/art supply (watercolors, pens, etc)

 

5. Make a Grid on your dry erase board- 2 thicker columns on either side for your habits and rewards, and 7 smaller boxes in between for your weekly tracking. If you're adding in bonus rewards for multiple weeks, add those boxes dividing your Rewards column.

6. Mark each day you complete the desired habit successfully in the week and reward yourself accordingly! Erase your checkmarks or Xs each week when you reward yourself, and make sure to mark your progress toward bonus rewards!

7. Have fun with it! Add cute magnets or icons to mark off your days, add designs around your titles and headings, you're going to look at this thing every day--make it something eye catching to elevate your work space and keep you pushing toward cultivating a productive and rewarding lifestyle!

Habit Trackers take many forms, they can be in your planner too if you're into that kind of thing--and they can be targeted toward specific topics too! Here are a few of my favorites just for funsies:

1 Plant 2 Agate 3 Mandala

I might need a bigger dry erase board! I'm loving this method so far!

Share with me your boards and the fun rewards you thought of in the comments and tag @craftycake on Instagram so I can see all your cute habit trackers and we can check in and support each others progress! A little accountability never hurt!