10 Ways to Use a Habit Tracker as a Business Tool as an Entrepreneur

It’s no secret that I love papergoods. There’s something about physical notebooks, planners, and habit trackers that ignites a nostalgic kind of excitement akin to school supply shopping as a kid. I’ve been using planners and notebooks to stay organized since middle school, and over the years I’ve learned what tools work the best for me (and even made my own when I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for).

My favorite secret weapon? The habit tracker.

I had a brief obsession with Bullet Journaling and in that time, I started creating my own habit trackers for my personal life. Though I eventually moved away from that bullet journal lifestyle (it is just TOO time consuming to setup), I loved how customizable it was! One thing that I know about myself is that while I am largely intrinsically motivated, I still love working towards a “prize”. Whenever I set out to create a new habit, I would put rewards in place to keep me on track and structure the goals in a particular way. For example:

• If I drink my 96oz of water a day for 25 of the next 30 days, I’ll buy myself that new hyrdoflask I’ve been wanting.

This works because I specify the goal, set clear parameters for what success looks like, and I identify what the reward will be. A common misnomer about habit trackers is that it has to be a habit that you do daily in order for it to work, but that’s not the case. I’ve developed countless habits that involve me putting in effort towards it every other day, three times a week, once a week, and just about everything in between. You get to determine that parameters of the habit—that’s the beauty of it! While I initially fell in love with habit trackers as a personal development tool, I’ve since realized I can harness its motivating powers to improve my business.

Here are 10 ways you can use habit trackers to create sustainable habits that support your business

1. Use it to establish a consistent social media posting schedule

2. Create a habit of reviewing your website analytics weekly

3. Read a book on business, marketing, your unique industry, etc. for an 30 minutes, 3 times a week.

4. Schedule 3 discovery calls a week with potential clients

5. Take an hour break for lunch daily

6. Commit to sending out that weekly newsletter that you’ve been putting off

7. Establish a morning routine that sets you up for success and do it daily (e.g.: waking up early and reading, meditating, working out, walking the dog, drafting your to-do list for the day, etc.)

8. Spend 5 hours per week working on [big project of your choosing that has seemed too daunting to even start tackling until now]

9. Go out of your way to express gratitude to 3 different clients, contractors, partners, etc. each week

10. Each week, commit to write up directions or record a tutorial on how to do one task of your business that you’d like to outsource one day (Future You will thank you big time for this one!)

11. HARD MODE: Sign off from all work activities by 5pm 😉

This is just a list to get you started and the possibilities are really endless. Once you establish the habits you want to develop to help support you and your business, make sure to also come up with some small rewards for each one as well to keep you on track on the days where you really don’t want to do whatever the task is. No one is motivated 100% of the time, but if you develop habits, you’ll have the discipline needed to press on when motivation escapes you.

If you’re interested in using a habit tracker as a tool that can help both you and your business level up in a supportive and sustainable way, check out the Human-Centered Habits Masterclass for just $11! You'll get access to habit trackers, actionable steps you can take to change your life with habits, and we’ll be bust the top 5 myths around habits!