A Better Way to Track Your Habits
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 4. 01. 2020
- Today, I'll share a new, paper-based system for tracking your habits that solves several habit-tracking problems.
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Hope you find this one useful! Btw - want a PDF template so you don't have to draw the boxes? Here you go! collegeinfogeek.com/paper-habit-tracker/
Want to learn how to build strong habits that actually stick? Take my FREE habit-building course: collegeinfogeek.com/go/habit-course/ (this is an affiliate link, so using it also supports my channel đ )
Lastly, if you like, you can follow Martin here: instagram.com/yomartholomew
Eagerly waiting for the Notion video, sir! Would be great for the school going and college peeps! Thank you for the template.
Is the two month trial still available
instablaster...
Even more advantages to the paper journal system:
âą Reduces phone use
âą Is not distracting
âą Is a meditative procedure
âą Gain respect for the paper system (while phones are there to be dopamine suckers, the BuJo is there to help you)
Elijah Thanks
iPad med school life, I forget what it feels like to write on paper except during exams lol
@@SunSunSunn haha indeed, then you get to the exam and your hand aches painfully within 30 minutes
I've learned to write with my arm rather than my fingers recently, it's very difficult and precise but saves you from all of the pain
_Da BuJo_
+
Thomas: "..I actually mean my friend Martin who came up with this system..."
Me: Hahaha he's going to call it the martin Method
Thomas: "... so I'm just going to call it the Martin System."
Me: *soul crushes at the missed opportunity for alliteration*
Thomas, can we get a community tab announcment renaming it to the Martin Method??
Not sure how you paid attention.
All I can think of, does he wear contact lenses? See at 0:50 time-frame.
His right-eye has a Blue tone, and his left-eye has a Green tone.
@@ekinteko I can't now đđ
Jeez I scrolled down while watching and read your reply in perfect sync with his words like a subtitle
@@jamboy32192 I support this wholeheartedly
I'm really glad that you addressed the issue of "one failure breaks the streak" because this is definitely a major demotivating factor for most people who made New Year's resolutions.
Thanks!
Yass!!! thanks for mentioning this one failure breaks the streak, i love it too
Failure notes:
3: Couldn't be bothered
4: Couldn't be bothered
5: Couldn't be bothered
At least I got some handwriting practice in. Yay for new habit of 2020!
You deserve more likes....sorry.
âYou are what you do repeatedly every day. If excellence is something youâre striving for, then itâs not an accident. Itâs a habit.â
- Greg Plitt
R.I.P. Greg Plitt đđ»
Reason for failure:
"Ninjas attacked my house"
Ways to improve:
"Need to ninja-proof the house"
đđđ
Funny joke
No one realised that this is not a joke by you but rather from the video itself
@@thegargantuatimes5192 SSSSHHHHH (Illusion Level 100)
Yes, learn kung foo and fun sheui your house
I love this system! I started doing something similar when I originally heard Martin talk about it in the pod last summer. I really like the âneutralâ marker, unforeseen events have always made me feel like a failure in the past.
Really cool system! I'm using it myself now! I do have one idea that I've added to mine that I thought others might find useful: A fourth symbol (I'm using a '/') for a "lateral" or an in-place replacement. This is for unexpected/unplanned things that are not specifically what you wrote for your habit, but serve its purpose anyway. For example, if you wrote habit to lift every M/W/F and one random Friday your friend invites you to a climbing gym because they got a free guest pass and you do that instead of lifting. Certainly depending on your specific fitness goals this might not work as a replacement, but this is just one example. You could definitely just mark that a success, but I think the lateral idea adds some useful fidelity to the record without compromising its simplicity too much, and if you note all laterals on the left page you can keep yourself honest about what really constitutes a replacement. I think this could backfire over time if you find that, continuing the previous example, you deliberately replace lifting with climbing several days a week because you think it's more fun, but that could also be an indicator that maybe you should add climbing to your specific objective in the next cycle. I consider this a more sparing tool than that though, for instances when something unexpected comes up that you didn't plan for, but serves the purpose. You do have to make sure you stay honest here, but that's also true of the neutral marker and I think the left page is a great way to enforce that honesty. Let me know what you guys think of this tweak!
I will try the martin system and your idea probably will give me a boost, but i think that you have also to consider an additional rule: make a maximum percentage of novelty in you cycle, like you can replace only 20% of the habits every cycle or you can replace only one kind of habits in your cycle, the idea of the martin system is to force you to complete trying every habit before making the choice whether you want to expand the habit or delete it, + personally a one week cycle is a lot better than two weeks
Man, this is just amazing! For the last 2 months, I've been thinking about a system like this -- really simple (so on paper at least) and very productive, but couldn't come up with an idea. And now you just give it to me. Great job :)
I already drew a page for the first 2-week sprint in my journal, finishing the first day ;)
This is such a great system because 2 weeks feels a lot less intimidating/overwhelming than a month can sometimes feel, especially if it's a BIG habit you're trying to break or implement! That's why I recommend that clients break long-term goals down into weekly goals - it seems more manageable to try quit coffee for a week, not a whole month...baby steps add up đȘđ
This is absolutely amazing for me, i never had a solution to my failing points. Now i can track everything and find a solution thank you, Thomas Frank đ
I feel like Thomas videos are becoming more relaxed, and we see more of his sense of humour. I like the change!
I've been using this system for two days, and it's working! I never track my progress, now I will. Thanks
Just received the weekly newsletter and came check this out. I can tell you put a lot of work into the video making process...and it was totally worth it, it looks sooo cool! Congrats, man!
Thank you!! I always feel discouraged with apps! Life gets in my way on daily basis and I very often cant continue my streak because of unrelated events. At first I used to simply keep a diary where I would write what Ive done or havent, but it fell flat as well. Im glad youve presented this method. Thank you and Martin!!
I honestly think Martin brings a lot of value to college info geek and he makes a pretty good team with Thomas. I have been listening to the podcast for almost three years now and I want to say thanks to both of you for all of the great content.
1:30 - Exp
2:30 - markers
2:50 - setup
4:25 - notes area
-------
Works 2 week cycles
Hey, Thomas! Just finished your second course on Skillshare and found it truly useful. Thank you for providing so much value.
P.S. Love your sense of humor :)
69đđđđđ
@@j5545 grow up
@@j5545 what are you, 14? đ
I really wanted to implement that and had actually decided to "Martin" my habits this year - meaning the things I focus on will change every 2 weeks. So a video on how he does that exactly is incredibly helpful!
More Martin please! ^_^
Thomas this is just what I needed. You've saved me. Thank you man
I very much appreciate your videos. On this subject (habit tracking), I find it's easier for me to put all my important items first in the day. For instance, my prayers and my exercise time comes first. That way if I get busy later in the day, I know I've already kept my personal commitments. Keep up the GREAT work.
Your video(image) quality has been increasing considerably; and you said that you're learning to. You're incredible.
Martin you're a genius đ and Thomas you totally sold this method to me. I feel like when I had a breakthrough with habitica. I stopped using it affectivelly because my life evolved. This seems to suit me so much better thank you đ
Is the cycle review daily or weekly
I think we take these videos for granted. His videos are made up of genuinely beautiful videography and cinematic shots and there is so much passion put into everything as small as lighting as the symmetry of his setup itâs not by accident itâs a purposeful planned thing. Thank you @thomasfrank
Krysta Eutsler Thatâs such a good point! You can tell he puts a lot of effort into his videos.
This was honestly really helpful for the simple reason that this does NOT require an app. I'm awful at keeping track of things on a computer and I've personally always worked better using the old fashioned pen and paper (and I'm not even old myself!). Love this method and will try it out for the new semester!
I just started a bullet journal. I had been using Habitica for some time but I really missed the self-reflection part and failed to keep going after being sick. I will try this method from now on. It feels nice that I can track if there's things outside of my power that happen, but you won't lose the sense of tracking.
Your handwriting gives me hope I can be organized in life as well
Same đ đ đ đ
First thing I thought
Thank you so much for this idea Thomas and Martin! No habit tracking app hasn't worked for me because I always felt overwhelmed. This sounds like it'll work!
Watching LotR and misread the tittle.
"a better way to track your hobbits"
Gandalf and Aragorn would be happy with this if it were true
haha
Filthy Hobbits
Haha love it! Reading the first book, barely in chapter 4.
Iâm trying this out! Love your content.
I have been using this method for 2 years, and it helped me be productive and track my habits in unstressful way. thank you for sharing it with us
I have been struggling to find a habit tracker that would suit me for ages now, but this seems seriously cool and adaptable to my needs and I will be giving it a whirl. Thank you, Thomas and thanks to your buddy too!
LOVE this!!!!!! Thanks for the video!!
Just started taking the Skillshare course, always on time sir. Thank you Thomas
The Martin System is definitely something I want to try out. Thank you, Thomas and Martin.
Oh. I was creating a bullet journal and wanted to do something along these lines. This format is a drop cloth of great.
Thank you so much! This is a great tool
Thank you Thomas & Martin, I love this. Came back to refresh the system. Simple and motivating. Also the layout of this video here is so good. Rock on :)
Iâve been interested in Skillshare for a while, now that Iâm on summer break and transferring to a university from cc, but watching this video made it really easy and I just signed up. Iâm so excited
Perfect! Just started Bullet Journaling and most of formats people make was too overwhelm(too many artsy things) This is simple and straight to the point! Thanks my man!
I like the bullet journal habit tracking method because it is simple, but I'll use from now on your symbol to show it was impossible to do the habit on that day. This is an important input for future reviewing.
Thx for giving this habit tracker method
Excellent tip like always.
Thanks!
Thank you so much bro! You have changed my whole life
This is amazing!!! đ thank you and your friend so much for this!!!!
one of the best tutorials!
The Martin System is a great idea! And very timely for me! I've been failing over and over again with the usual habit trackers and it's really frustrating. Watching this video and learning something new is motivating! Thanks a lot!
this system makes a lot of sense thanks for posting this
Good pragmatic advice! Thank you!
The quality of this video đThank you.
This video alone has changed my life in a huge way! Watched it maybe one year ago. I've changed the "period" to two full weeks instead of 1-15 /16-etc. And I use the second page for "period goals" instead of notes. But the core of the method is still there, and it is really working. Thank you!
Hey, I'd like to start applying this system too, but what you mentioned it's interesting. Could you please elaborate more on the changes you made to the method?
Thank you Thomas, I really love your videos and I can tell that you've had a great impact on life. Keep going!!
wow, i'm so happy you got as much value from this video as I did :)
This is freaking smart! Thanks!!!
This changes everything!!
Huge Thanks Tomas, I am learning lot of stuffs from you, also your videos help me improve my listening in English!
Brilliant video and great advise, thanks
LOVE that you called it the Martin system hahah! Thanks for making a whole video on it! Loved the idea when Martin talked about it on the podcast, but haven't gotten around to trying it out myself. I will now!
Been tracking since January 8th. Just want to briefly say THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing this extremely effective system! I've learned so much about my own limitations that I've never realized before, especially when it comes to impatiently forming habits lol.
Excellent video Thomas very inciteful
Wow I watched your videos from a few years ago and the quality of your videos has really come a long way
Can we just appreciate the production value of this video for a moment?
Thomas, your video quality is simply astonishing!
Love this system! Definitely going to try this
One thing I've learned, put the days in descending order, our brain accepts better to perform some task when the numbers are falling, it gives us the feeling that there is less to complete the task. Works for days, number of gym cycles etc ...
This is so helpful!!! Thank you so muchđ
I really find this video useful and thanks for sharing your template.
Thank you for the useful idea.. Iâm trying to implement this!!!
Such a great video. Never thought of habit tracking this way. Thanks.
Excellent video with helpful suggestions. Thanks Thomas!
Wow! This system actually seems super effective! I watch a lot of self improvement/productivity videos and, honestly, I rarely implement what was talked about in the video in my own life. But this is one that I am definitely going to try! It is really simple, and it addresses all of the issues with other methods of habit tracking that can make you less successful: the overwhelming feeling when you realize you have to do it forever, the guilt and demotivation of losing a streak and starting back at zero, inflexibility...
My favorite thing is having an option to mark a failure as "out of my control". Sometimes you might be incredibly sick or have a family emergency, or just truly not have enough time. The way I tracked habits in the past was so black and white that I would feel guilty and beat myself up over missing a day, even when I had a legitimate reason that wasn't just laziness or an excuse.
I am getting out my bullet journal and doing this right now!
Thank you for this video, Thomas! And thank you Martin for designing this habit tracking system :)
Nice man! This system works great with my idea of looking at a year as a season and dividing it in to four splits. Each split is three months long and three months are enough to make a good change and form a habit.
I started tracking habits in a weekly basis a couple of Month ago and it works very will for me
Thanks for the great videos. Keeping track of your habits is itself a habit, and for some people they need to start there.
This is amazing! super helpful. thank you!
will try it this week
Great system, thank you!
Hey Thomas - just wanted you to know that I have been using this system ever since I watched your video about a year ago and have found it super easy and useful in a way that goal-setting systems in the past haven't worked for me. I keep my journal on my bedside table so I remember to fill in the boxes every night (takes about 30 seconds) and fill out a new two-week set of goals every other Sunday. Reflecting + writing in a new two-week set of goals takes about 1/2 hour depending on how much time I want to take to reflect. But really I find myself reflecting and seeing the patterns throughout the two weeks so reflecting and setting new goals can take as little as 10 minutes. Bottom line: this has been a game changer for me.
Thankful for seeing your comment. I am actually on my way to try this method. I have looked at many habit tracking apps but this pen and paper method looks less time consuming and more simple, also I can do it after I reflect on my past week (also the time for my weekly schedule) so it is even better. I will be doing something like you.
Can you share how this method is going so far?
Thank you in advance.
I love this method is analog. Really motivated to do that now!
Thank you for beautiful information and I have already started applying it
Really good one, thanks
great video, thank you so much.
I really NEEDED this video now
I've reached a good point in maintaining my habits throughout the past few weeks
But I was unable to track them in a great way and I was trying different ways to track my habits but this one is exactly what I need in my life right now
Thank you for this quality content. Keep it up!
Going to try this!
i loved this method! i made a version of it on notion.
Very helpful! Thank you for this! Definitely want to implement this!!!
100% implementing this into my next month bullet journal set up
This is amazing!
The end is BEST!
Thank you, Thomas. I'll use this system to keep track of my new habits :)
very interesting and clever! thank you thomas and Martin â€â€
I think this could actually work đ€ Definitely giving it a try! Thx for sharing!
Martin innovating as always
well said, Martin innovation is the best!!!
My new thing! Thank you đ€
Perfect timing with this video. I was just noticing that I've been really bad at tracking progress. I think The Martin System will work great for me. Thanks to you both :)
you should totally turn this into an app. Genius.
Will try this out
this is exactly what i wanted. thank you! i love flexible systems like this that incorporate a reflection and allows ongoing tweaking
(y)
i love reading comments like this "this is exactly what i wanted"
Massive respect