Using a Habit Tracker Can Change Your Routines

Welcome to The 1% Better Productivity Letter, your weekly dose of simple, actionable strategies to work smarter, boost focus, and build a productive life that fits you.

Today at a glance:

• A simple mindset shift that can help you stick to your habits.
• What habit trackers are, how they work, and why they’re more powerful than they seem.
• The surprising psychology behind crossing off a task.

How a simple piece of paper helped me stay consistent

It took me more than 5 years to come up with a morning routine that I actually enjoy and that gives me enough energy to feel good and focused throughout the entire day.

I still remember the first time this idea of a morning routine came to me.

It was summer, just a few weeks before I brought Luna home (my lovely dog) and I had decided that every morning, before doing anything else, I’d make myself a coffee and go for a 30-minute walk. For some reason, the idea of walking in the quiet of the morning sounded like the dream version of starting a day. And surprisingly, it worked... for about two weeks. I was waking up motivated and excited, grabbing my coffee, setting my timer, and going on my walk. I didn’t even need to listen to music or a podcast. It was just me, my thoughts, and the peaceful silence. It was so, so nice.

But then Luna arrived. She was so small, barely three months old, and obviously scared to be in a new home, and without even realizing it, I broke my routine. I felt too bad leaving her alone in the apartment, even just for 30 minutes, so I gave it up. And like that, my very first try at building a morning ritual disappeared without warning.

You may wonder now, why was I even trying so hard to wake up early and go on walks before work? The truth is, I’ve always loved waking up early, especially in the summertime. There’s something so comforting about being up before the rest of the world, drinking your coffee in peace, maybe reading a bit or just enjoying the stillness without having to rush into your day. It’s one of those tiny luxuries that makes me feel grounded.

The only problem was that I couldn’t seem to find a way to survive that short window right after my alarm went off.

Those first five or ten minutes were brutal. If I could just make it out of bed and splash some water on my face, I’d be fully awake and ready to start the day. But I kept failing at that part. No matter how much I wanted those peaceful mornings, I couldn’t make myself get up when the alarm rang, at least not for longer than a few days or maybe a couple of weeks, until the motivation faded away again.

And what frustrated me the most was that I knew I wasn’t even tired because I’ve always gone to bed early, around 9 or 10 PM, which used to feel weird, but at some point, I realized it’s just how I function. That’s my rhythm.

Then finally, sometime last November, I discovered this super simple thing called a habit tracker - basically, just a piece of paper where you write down a habit you want to build and tick off the days when you manage to stick to it. Nothing fancy.

Here’s a picture of the one I used in December last year.

I was honestly shocked at how well it worked. I stuck with my routine longer than I ever had before, and it felt so good to finally do something I’d wanted for years, just because I had this piece of paper in front of me that held me accountable.

And that’s when I knew I needed to understand what’s behind itwhat makes us actually stick to habits, and why something that simple can be so powerful.

And that’s exactly what I want to share with you today.

From Idea to Action

You know what’s funny? The idea of habit tracking feels so modern, like something that came along with productivity influencers and aesthetic planners, but in reality, the roots of this method go way, way back.

One of the earliest public mentions of a habit-tracking method actually comes from Benjamin Franklin, who in the 1700s created his own system to track 13 virtues he wanted to improve. He made a simple table where he marked every day he succeeded in practicing a specific virtue. So, no fancy apps or printable templates, just a pen, paper, and the intention to get better. And that’s basically what a habit tracker still is today.

A habit tracker is a too, that helps you build new habits or reinforce existing ones by keeping a visual record of your progress. You simply write down the habit you want to build, and then every time you complete it for the day, you mark it off. That’s it. You can use a printed grid, a digital template, a planner, a bullet journal, or even just a scrap of paper. What matters is consistency, not the format.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting: why does this actually work?

Why does simply seeing some checkmarks on a piece of paper make us want to keep doing the thing?

There’s actually solid research behind this. According to a 2017 study published in the journal Behavioral Science & Policy, visual tracking of habits boosts consistency because it provides immediate feedback and acts as a form of self-reward.

Our brains are wired to chase that little dopamine hit we get when we see progress. Each checked-off day acts like a tiny win. And a series of wins strung together becomes a streak, and once we see that streak, we really, really don’t want to break it.

And I felt the same. After just one week of checking off boxes on my tracker, I found myself excited to wake up early, just so I wouldn’t miss ticking that day off. Wild how a piece of paper can do that to you.

So, if you’ve been struggling to build a habit, whether it’s journaling, stretching, drinking more water, or waking up earlier, I really encourage you to try this next week.

Here’s your mini-experiment for this week:​
Pick one habit you’d like to start or restart. Just one.
Then, create a super simple habit tracker: you can download one from Canva, google search for one or just draw a little table on a piece of paper.

Then, for the next 7 days, cross off each day you follow through with your habit.

No pressure to be perfect, just stay aware and curious. Watch how your mind reacts to seeing the days pile up.

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Recommendation Zone

If you love a good thriller, this one might be your next obsession.

This week, I finished First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, and I have to say, I loved it.

I’ve read a fair share of thrillers (you know, the classic ones where the husband kills the wife or the other way around), but this one was different. It caught my attention from the very first chapter, and I couldn’t stop flipping through to find out what happens next.

No spoilers, just trust me, if you’re into smart, gripping plots that keep you guessing, give this one a try.

You can find it here.

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Make this the moment you finally take control of your time.

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Remember: productivity does not mean busyness!

Loredana xx