Metrics - an easy to use an app for building your habits and tracking what matters in your life! Productivity is all about consistency and Metrics is the best tool to help you achieve it. Good habits lead to success but they are hard to build and easy to lose. The Metrics app helps you keep daily track of your habits and actions. Since many habit-tracking apps have other purposes as well, I narrowed the field to apps designed to focus primarily on building habits and not much else. Five Android apps were tested: Loop, Goal Tracker and Habit List, Habit Hub, Habit Bull, and Habitica. Related: 10 Bad Tech Habits You Should Quit in 2020. New Habit app lets you track both bad and good habits, set habit reminders, follow the progress and invite friends to work on your new healthy habits together. App also offers 300+ healthy habit ideas with detailed descriptions and instructions on how to follow them. Many of them inspired by famous and successful people. Strides Habit Tracker is a good all rounder, with all you expect from a great habit tracker and more. The app is quick and easy to use, so you’ll be able to start developing great habits right away.
Things were going great! I was on top of all my work and tasks at home, eating well and exercising regularly. I would get up every morning motivated and ready to take on anything. Inevitably something comes up. Life happens especially in 2020 when pivoting happens every week. We could have the greatest intentions to get things done, but the minute we get distracted, overwhelmed or tired, we fall back on habits, good or bad. How do we get good habits that stick?
Self-Control versus Habits
We are all creatures of habit. According to Wendy Wood, author of Good Habits, Bad Habits, 43% of our daily actions are motivated by habits that we do automatically. These are behaviors we do without making decisions and usually while thinking about something else.
In her studies she found the key to success has nothing to do with intelligence, talent or motivation. When we consider the most successful people we know, we associate their achievement with self-control. They could get better grades, have happier relationships, are more productive, weigh less, or are financially independent.
Recent research by Angela Duckworth shows that people who had high self-control scores didn’t reach their goals by exerting control. Think of every person that’s been on a diet or exercise plan, they may lose all the weight, but several years later they gain it all back. I’ve been there and I’m starting to work my way back down again. This time my healthy habits stick. Why? Because I’m making healthy eating and exercise a part of my routine. Now it’s a lifestyle change, not a diet. Rather than muscling their way with grit and determination, successful people know how to form habits to help them reach their goals.
By establishing a good habit system, when you do hit that obstacle or get stressed, you can rebound faster and stay on track. The best part is when you make your good choices automatic, you don’t have to make those decisions reducing stress and overwhelm. When habits are subconscious, we free up mental capacity to work on our big goals.
Be Kind to Yourself
We have to give ourselves grace As humans, we are not perfect. We can learn from our mistakes and keep going. With self-control, when we get off track, we feel like failures. Habits allow us to keep our goals bite-sized, achievable, and rewarding. Celebrate the small victories!
Go With the Flow
Choose the path of least resistance. We want to make our habits as easy as possible. Small tasks that are so quick and simple, they almost seem ridiculous. We need to reduce the “friction” and make it easier to repeat our desired actions. Set yourself up for success. Put your planner in the center of your desk. Put your running shoes next to the bathroom door so you see them first thing in the morning.
Repetition is the Key
I know we’ve talked aboutS.M.A.R.T. goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Rewarding, and Time Sensitive. I’m tweaking one little step in this goal setting process for myself. Time sensitive shouldn’t be a deadline. That requires self-control to make sure I hit every mile stone. Plus it’s a tremendous let down when I don’t hit that target deadline.
I’ve already messed up on the deadlines I set for myself this year. I accept it and know that much of it I couldn’t control. Some of it has to do with the way I set my habits. The reality is that I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I couldn’t get things done. I believed I didn’t have enough drive and determination.
The one change I made in the last half of the year is to focus on consistency. I set a definitive time to do my tiny task. I’m no longer setting a hard deadline for my goals. I’m making small habits and tasks happen every day. How long can you keep it going? The longer you can keep your habits going, the stronger they will be, the more these habits stick.
Make the Compound Effect Work for You
You are what you do every single day. You may think that your seemingly small habit is no big deal. “Little, everyday decisions will either take you to the life you desire or to disaster by default.” – The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy.
Watch Those Triggers
We have to make our triggers work for us and not against us. I know I’ve done it – I go into another room, see something and it spirals me into a totally different direction. All of a sudden I’ve lost a chunk of time and find myself scrambling to get back on track.
We can make triggers work for us. Put your planner over the sink so you check your schedule. Put your laptop next to the coffeemaker so you check your budget. Use the visual cues to get you to do what you need to do. You can also use friction to stop you from doing a bad habit. Like moving your kids’ snacks from the pantry to a different location so you don’t instantly see and want them.
Stack and Piggyback Your Habits
Identify the habits you already do. You wake up, check your phone, have some coffee… Whatever you do without fail, attach your new habits to these existing habits. When you go to the bathroom, you might take a minute to wipe the mirror and the counter. When you take your dishes to the kitchen, wash and put them in the dishwasher. One habit follows the other immediately after. These can build out over time so you have a whole chain of things you do on autopilot.
Consider piggybacking tasks… This works especially well with the menial tasks that you already do without thinking. You could listen to a podcast while you’re cleaning or walking. To get more movement into my day, I do squats while I’m brushing my teeth and lunges when I load and unload the dishwasher. I also make sure I stand up and do a few stretches after I finish each work task so I don’t sit for 8 plus hours in one place.
Keep Yourself Accountable
This is where your habit tracker is key. I always thought “I didn’t need a habit tracker. I know what I have to do….” The reality is that when I get distracted, I have to deal with a problem at home, or just run overtime at work. The habit tracker tells me where I left off. Many use planners or paper trackers. I am currently using a combination. I started with a basic grid planner (you can grab yours below) and gradually gravitated to digital. Trello tracks my overall day and syncs to my phone so I’ll always have it wherever I go. Plus I can set deadlines to give me an extra reminder.
For new habits that I’m trying to establish, I started using a more focused paper planner. Hanging on a clipboard next to my desk, it’s a visual cue to get me to get things done.
Most importantly, I am part of the Motivated Mama Society. Chelsea Brennan has put together an amazing group of women from all different levels, backgrounds, and perspectives. The roadmap and masterclasses have helped set a solid foundation and mindset that I needed to really get where I want to go. So much about what I learned about habits has come from the lessons taught in the society. It’s a safe place full of encouragement and support. For all the mamas out there, you should join us! They’re re-opening in January!
Remember Start Small
If you’re just starting, this is probably a lot to take in all at once. Just start by thinking about your current habits and what you’d like to change. Pick one. Yes, just one. Start with one until it becomes a part of your routine, then keep building from there. We all have the same habit potential. We just need to know how to make those habits work for us.
Much like task management approaches, calendar apps, or email clients, what habit tracking app you use is not something that has 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 form 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 guide will be updated every so often, so you’ll have the latest apps that I’ve taken a look at and evaluated. If I’ve reviewed the app, I’ll link to our review. If I haven’t then I’ll give you our impressions to help you make a more informed choice. This kind of guide serves our mandate at its core: To help you be more effective, more efficient, and better than ever.
Take a look at the guide below, where the apps are listed alphabetically. I show you for mac download. Let me know if I’ve overlooked any (remember…this is a living document and an ongoing work) and we’ll 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.
Balanced
Download forza for mac. Balanced offers a bit of a different approach to habit tracking in that it stores habits by category, which can work well with the mode-based approach to productivity that TimeCrafting discusses. It also seems a bit less “in your face” about things – something that might appeal to users who want to foster their habits and not feel destroyed if they don’t make them happen every day. (iOS only)
Beeminder
Productivityist reader Brent recommended Beeminder because it helps him by “connecting it with my iPhone location tracking to automatically track when I go to the gym, for example. I find it really motivating.” You may want to check it out.
Coach.me
Coach.me has perhaps the largest reach of any of the habit tracking apps we’ve looked at. Originally known as Lift, the app hasn’t just undergone a name change. It’s also had many features added since it first came on the scene. One of these additions is the ability to sign up with coaches to work on particular habits or areas of self-development. Coach.me also allows for sharing of habits in order to create better accountability or you can make your habits private so only you can see your progress. If you’re looking for a habit tracking app available on the web, iOS, and Android – and one that has staying power – then you’ll want to explore Coach.me. (Multiple platforms)
Commit
Commit was created by Nathan Barry and he used it to help him hit his daily writing goal. Commit is simple and is ideal for those who want to hit a specific goal every single day. It does have constraints, but often constraints can lead to more freedom when viewed properly. This app won’t be for everyone, but for those that want a daily driving force for a habit (or multiple habits), you’d be hard-pressed to find something more suitable than Commit.
Exist
Exist – This app takes the information you enter and creates different forms of graphics from it. For example, it shows how long you have slept, the amount of steps you have walked, the weather, and even your current mood. (Web-based, Android and iOS)
Go F—ing Do It
Simply put, this web-based service propels you to your goals through the use of inverse financial motivation. Don’t complete the goal (or keep up with the habit)? It costs you…cash. (Web-based)
Good Habits
Good Habits is a clean, beautiful, simple app that is based on the “Don’t Break The Chain” approach used by Jerry Seinfeld. (iOS only)
Habit Bull
Habit Bull this app allows you to list out the habits you want to achieve and then shows you how you are doing with charts and graphs. This app offers more features than most so it allows the user to dive deeper into the habits if desired. If you would like to keep things simple, you could do this as well but you will likely not utilize the many available features. (iOS or Android)
Habit Clock
HabitClock is a fairly new app that allows you to build morning routines, and you can do those for both yourself or for your kids. We wouldn’t suggest you have your kids install this app on their iOS device (should they have one), but you can create a routine for them on your device and act as a coach for them as they work their way through their morning routine. (iOS only)
Habit List
Habit List is an iOS only habit tracking app that looks gorgeous and offers statistics that keep you moving in the right direction with your habits. (iOS only)
Habitica
Habitica This app is perfect for any gamers. It treats habit building as if you are a character in an role playing game.(Web-based, iOS or Android)
Hindsight
This app takes a rather unique approach to tracking habits.
irunurun
irunurun is an app that makes habit tracking competitive. It tracks the number of habits you achieve during the week and then ranks you against your friends and allows you to look back at your history to see the progress you’ve made. (Web-based or iOS. Android version is in development.)
Joe’s Goals
Joe’s Goals – A simple, web-based app that helps you track goals and habits. If you are looking for a habit tracker with tons of features, this isn’t it as there is no mobile version available. However, this easy to use, no download required web app will work well for someone who wants to get up and running in just a couple minutes. (Web-based)
Lifetick
This is an app that will jive nicely not only with habits, but with productivity approaches as well – even The NOW Year Approach. Lifetick is very robust but is a web-based app – even on mobile devices – so keep that in mind. (Web-based)
Momentum
Momentum – not be confused with the Chrome extension – is a new entry on the scene and if you’re looking for a habit tracking app that has a decent amount of features then you’ll want to check it out. Want to check out our review? Here’s the review conducted by Lee Garrett.(iOS/Apple Watch only)
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Productive
Productivityist Weekly reader Stacey suggested this addition. “At first, I was a little confused about how to use both Balanced and Productive, but have worked that out for my situation. Love the look of both of these apps.” Turns out Productive is from the makers of Balance (iOS only/ In-App Purchases Available)
Reporter App
Reporter App – This app focuses on the things you care about. The main feature is a list that shows you a snapshot of information about your life: the weather, your location, how loud your environment is, number of steps taken, and number of photos you have added to your device. (iOS only)
Streaks
Productivityist reader Tim says: “Streaks is my current go to habits app. Its simple, deliberately only tracks 6 apps and works for me better than any others for various reasons….” (iOS only, Android forthcoming)
Strides
Strides – A list-based habit tracking app that is simple, clean and organized. With the use of colors in this app you can quickly see where you are successful and what areas need more work. (iOS only)
Toodledo
We wouldn’t have thought about adding a more conventional task management app to this guide, but ATTN: weekly email subscriber Darren mentioned that “they’ve added a habit app and it’s pretty basic but with all their other features it’s a pretty good overall app.” Well said, Darren. Consider Toodledo added to the mix!
Way of Life
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Way of Life – This app breaks down habits into small blocks which represent days. If you are successful, the bar is green. If you do not achieve your habit, it is marked red. This makes it very easy to notice any trends. (iOS only)