Create a Daily Checklist to Incorporate Your Habits
In the previous blog post, I gave you 10 ways to cultivate daily habits that will help you reach your goals. Within the post, I mentioned I follow a checklist each day. This checklist is intentionally filled with habits I’m building along with my regular to-do list. Personally, I find it easier to stick with habits when they are mixed in with all the other things I’m doing throughout my busy schedule. Within the checklist, each item is anchored to specific times within my day so that I work more efficiently and unexpected obstacles don’t have the opportunity to throw off my entire day.
That’s a lot of information in just a few sentences, so I figured I’d break it down for you today and show you just what my daily check list looks like and how I utilize it.
First Thing’s First: Review your goals or vision board before you start your day.
I practice what I preach—each day before I start anything, I look over my vision board and my current goals. Why? There are so many benefits of this, but personally, I need a daily refresher! This helps me stay focused on what is important and helps me believe in my success! It also helps zap any negativity from the previous day or feelings of failure away—today’s a new day! Plus, writing down & regularly reviewing your goals makes you 42% more likely to be successful in what you’re cultivating.
Cecelia Tip: I printed my vision board & all the other pages I’m about to show you and put them in page protectors in a binder. Each morning I simply flip through each sheet—having all of this information together helps me reinforce these habits. I also printed my calendar too, so it’s all together and basically free! Plus, it’s easy to throw in a purse when I’m traveling or working away from home.
My Vision Board:
Second Thing’s Second: Break Down Your Goals into Daily Habits that Reinforce Each Other
When creating my Daily Checklist, I was super intentional about what to include and where to anchor it throughout my day. Not only did I want to include daily rhythms that would feed into my goals, I wanted to focus on habits which I can grow and which reinforce one another. For instance, I have a 10 Minute Tidy in the morning before I start my day because a clean house reinforces a productive work environment for me. Working from home is great, but nothing distracts me more than a basket of laundry or messy table. I have to get that out of the way before I begin my day. Eventually, my 10 Minute Tidy will be so routine, that I may be able to grow it into 15 or 20 minutes.
Additionally, you’ll see I decided to use meals as my anchors simple because it fits with my lifestyle. However, you can use whatever is a consistent time break for you—like kids’ getting home from school, your work schedule, etc.
Notice my morning routine part of my check list doesn’t include showering, getting dressed, etc—that’s because I’m already in the habit of wearing clothes everyday. The check list is used specifically for rhythms I’m currently cultivating—like mindful movement in the morning and a short walk to wake up around lunch.
Make Way for Mindfulness:
One of the pages I printed was a sheet of specific people I want to pray for during this season. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I forget to pray all together…and for whom I’m praying. So I simply keep a list of names and say this printed short prayer over each of them daily. I also have a different written prayer to pray over myself before I start the day. If you are not a religious person, this may be a place to write down specific meditations, self check ins, or mindfulness mantras.
Example of My Daily Prayer List
Keep It Fresh with “Habit Categories”
This part is specifically for every single one of you who has said, “I”m just not really good with time management.” Or “I suck at keeping a schedule because I get bored doing the same thing every day.”
Keeping up with a schedule is not the only way to live a productive life. And here’s my answer to it all: Habit Categories.
Habit Categories are just what they sound like: a collection of different approaches to achieve the same result…in this case, the same habit. Habit Categories allow each of us to work intuitively within our strengths…and weaknesses. The idea is that each day you’ll put effort towards your specific goals however you feel fit.
This is the difference between: “My goal is to become more athletic, so I will run 5 miles every day” and “My goal is to become more athletic, so I will do daily activities that will increase my heart rate and strengthen my body.”
On my checklist there are many Habit Categories: Move Body, 10 Minute Tidy, Work Activity, New Project…just to name a few.
For example, one of my goals this (and every ) year is to build a stronger friendship with my husband, to spend quality time with him, and to laugh our pants off. So, to cultivate that rhythm in my life, each evening, as much as it is up to me, I intentionally make time to hang out with him. The Habit Category is “Evening Activity with Husband” but each day it will look different. We may go on a walk, play tennis, bring the dogs to the park, binge watch British crime dramas, make dinner, work from our favorite coffee shop—-but the point is each day I’m prioritizing my relationship by doing something intentionally with my husband. I’m getting in the habit of prioritizing him, the road to get there simply varies.
Habit Categories also help overcome obstacles. For instance, if I’m on a business trip, this gives me freedom to Facetime William —instead of feeling like a failure because I didn’t do a very specific, very geographically bound habit.
My Checklist Highlighting Habit Categories
Keep Your Options Open & Nearby
I have found that broadening my Habit Categories helps me make the most progress on my goals because I’m covering a variety of areas and I’m not getting tired of the same ol’ routine. However, when I first started implementing this, I was able to think of a zillion ways to achieve my goals, but when it came down to actually doing it, I forgot what I needed and wanted to do. Oops.
Fortunately, the solution is simple: Keep a list of options for each “Habit Category” nearby your checklist. Keeping a list means you’ll never run out of ideas AND you can keep track of what you’ve already done.
As I’m planning for my next day, having this list of options nearby helps me answer the questions: What do I need to do? What is relevant for where I’m heading this week? What feels right?
Example of Options for My 10 Minute Tidy
Last, but certainly not least: Make it ridiculously easy to track your progress.
I keep my checklist in a clear page protector in a binder:
1. because it protects the page and 2. I use stickers to track my progress each day.
This helps me stay on task, celebrate what I’ve done, and gives me the option to pause & come back to something if I was stuck. It also helps me notice if I’m getting stuck on the same thing day after day—that way I can self reflect, maybe find another option, or express the underlying issue that is holding me back.
Cecelia Tip: Keep with your checklist with you. You can make it small to keep in your planner & bring it to work with you. Or you can keep it framed in your kitchen or somewhere you’ll regularly interact with it when you’re at home. Not into paper copies, there’s an app (or 3948) for that.
Cecelia Tip: Colorful or encouraging stickers are my favorite. It sounds simple because it is, but they bring me joy & help me to keep going each day.
Stickers for the Checklist & Option Sheets:
As always, if you’re inspired today to start using a checklist in your daily routine, let me know how it’s working for you! I love to hear from purposeful women like yourself and cheer you on!
