My guilt-free way of tracking hobbies & habits

1/20/2021

Do you also have things that you'd like to do every day, like practice the piano, make the bed, or walk 10,000 steps, but you never manage to keep the habit of doing? I came up with a guilt-free way of tracking them.

I definitely am this way, and the problem is that by having this need to do it every day it turns into a chore. Which automatically makes it boring and a big hassle, amiright?

Even when I stick with it for a while, I always hit a day where it for some reason doesn't get done (time, energy, special thing planned) and it quickly turns into two days, then three. . .

My guilt-free way of tracking hobbies & habits

As you know, I'm a big fan of tracking things and using my bullet journal to keep myself accountable, and it's great for things like making sure I journal every day, because it really affects my anxiety levels if I don't.

But for other things that are a bit less important, it's really disheartening when I miss several days and those unchecked boxes are just staring me in the face, mocking my inability to stick with it.

So as an alternative, I created a separate spread for these hobbies & habits! Things that maybe I'd like to do every day, but is not that bad if I don't (like making the bed). Instead of having any dates on there, I just cross off a box whenever I do it!

This way I still get to cross off a box when I do something, without the guilt when I don't. All positive reinforcement!

As you can see I have focused more on certain things than others these weeks, haha. It's so hard to not have any of the leftover Christmas cookies or birthday cake!

On the other hand, I have had great fun working with the sewing machine I got for Christmas, making things like pot holders, an ironing mat, a sweater for my dog, and currently what may become a dinasour. And I definitely went on more evening walks than I otherwise would have, just to get my 10,000 steps!

As much as I advocate for having daily habits and making things easy to do, we only have so much mental energy to put into it. I do so many things just to manage my chronic illnesses -- like lift weights, use eye drops, figuring out my trigger foods, make healthy desserts & snacks, use an eyelid wash twice a day -- that it's no wonder I don't have it in me to practice guitar every night.

Even if things are small, they still take up mental energy and we have a limited reserve, so use it wisely.

Even if things are small, they still take up mental energy and we have a limited reserve, so use it wisely.

So look over the things you want to do and decide which ones are the most important ones. Think about things like:

does it impact your health?
does it align with your goals?
does it make you happy?
is it important for your mental health?

If it has a negative effect on your life and mood if it's NOT done on a daily/weekly basis, then it's obviously really important to keep up with it. But if it's just for general enjoyment, or just "nice to have/do," maybe the added stress of having to do it every day isn't necessary. Maybe it's okay if you only do it on the weekends, once a month, or just whenever you feel like it!

Remember that things can have a positive impact on your life even if you only do it every now and then -- the important thing is to do them! :)