110 Mini Habits to Track in the New Year

I have been scouring the internet for good habits to track (and also bad habits to stop), and I finally came up with a list!

Whether you pick one off this list or it simply inspires you to track another habit, the key is ACTUALLY picking one and beginning to track your habits.

I love tracking habits because these small actions lead to seriously big change over time.

When I’ve tracked habits:

• I’ve increased my passive income 200%
• Met my weight loss goals
• Trained for multiple half-marathons post baby, and
• Decreased my feelings of overwhelm as a stay at home mom (just to name a few).

Let’s chat about a few habit questions and then dive into the ultimate list of habits you can add to your tracker!

There are affiliate links in this post, this means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I might receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

110 Habits to Track (why and how to track effectively!)

What exactly is a “habit”?

Each time you complete a new action, thought, or belief, your brain fires neurons that forge pathways in your brain. 

As you repeat certain actions, it becomes easier for your brain to complete these actions without your conscious thought and effort. These actions then become habits.

A perfect example is driving home from work without “realizing” it because your brain went on autopilot. This is a habit!

In Charles Duhigg’s Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, he discusses that each habit is proceeded by a cue and followed by a reward. I won’t get into the cue/reward part too much here but it is an important concept to think about when looking at your habits.

Also, save this post if you’d like to know the difference between good habits, bad habits, and how to break them!

Why habits and not routines?

Habits are automatic actions you don’t have to think about. This is versus routines that are normally a series of actions that you put together in order to achieve a specific goal. 

I am a stay at home mom with 4 kids managing a business, home life, multiple schedules, and trying to balance all the things: fitness, quality time with my family, my cleaning schedule, meeting up with friends, my personal goals, date nights with my husband, bills, appointments, etc.

If I can habitualize AS MUCH OF MY DAY as possible, I absolutely will. Creating healthy habits helps me limit decision fatigue and also get rid of my feelings of overwhelm.

What’s the best way to track habits?

I personally like using a habit tracker either in a bullet journal, planner, habit tracker journal or printable. But a basic calendar is also a helpful tool!

Why a habit printable or habit calendar? Isn’t there an app for that?

I don’t know about you but when I open my phone, I get EASILY distracted. The buzzing and notifications are endless.

I do NOT need another reason to turn on that bright, addictive screen or download ANOTHER app because that will just distract me from my goals. I recommend going screen-free for this activity.

Here is a free habit tracker and brainstorming worksheet to get you started.

<< Download the free habit tracking PDF here!>>

So….What do I do for my habits?

I track my habits on a pretty printable or habit calendar instead. It brings a little bit of satisfaction to check mark off that habit and say DONE. I personally use my Cultivate What Matters: Power Sheets to track my habits.

According to Psychology Today, that satisfaction then brings a smile to my face (I mean at least a little one!) which increases my endorphins and serotonin and reinforces the benefits of doing that previous activity because my brain is literally having a happy party because of my smile.

How many habits should you track?

This is one of the most important things! You should ONLY track 2 – 6 habits when you’re first starting out. Do not overcommit!

What daily habits should I track?

If you’re only focusing on daily habits I recommend starting with your morning routine habits that you want to change first and go from there throughout the day.

It takes energy to change your habits and to create new ones because they aren’t automatic yet! If you can get consistent with your morning habits then you can stack on other habits later.

Also, research has suggested, self-control is very similar to strength or energy. It can be depleted throughout the day which gets in the way of what we would consider “good decision making.”

Why do we splurge on an item we rationally know we shouldn’t? Why do we binge watch a show when we know we should go to bed? 

A lot of our irrational decision making is tied to a depletion of self-control. Therefore, if you start in the morning with new tasks, your self-control will be at it’s highest peak, and thus you’ll be able to complete tasks you normally wouldn’t have the “energy” for.

Here are some small changes to make for a big difference:

I love to think about the 1% rule as I go about my days. My only goal each day is 1% improvement each day.

I strive for just ONE small change or new habit EACH DAY that aligns with my current goals and priorities. Think about it…

If you improved 1% every WEEK, you would see a 52% change by the end of the year! Now, THAT Is something worth working towards.

“I never stick to my habits, how do I make sure it works this time?”

If you are having trouble sticking to your habits, then try to focus on a habit that is EVEN SMALLER. The smaller the better.

For example, want to work out every day? Instead, focus on putting on your work-out clothes.

Want to stop snacking when bored? Instead, focus on drinking a full glass of water when you feel bored.

While I cannot guarantee this works for EVERYONE, I do know, if it hasn’t been working for you so far, it’s time to change SOMETHING. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is a little bit silly isn’t it?

So, without further ado, check out this list of small changes and habits to make a big difference in your life.

I broke it down by the following categories (which you can totally click on) or you can just scroll away!

Let’s go!

• Personal Goals Habit List
• Health Habit List
• Home management and cleaning habit list
• Relationships and quality time list
• Work Habit List

Personal Goals Habit List

• Don’t hit the snooze button.
• Went to bed by a certain time.
• Read a book for 30 minutes.
• Got target amount of sleep for the night.
• No social media all day.
• No spend day.
• Invested in self-care.
• Turned electronics off 30 minutes before bed.
• Yoga / stretching
• Took a photo of all of your kids.
• Backed up your photos.
• Wrote in your gratitude journal.
• Left work on time.
• Less than 1 hour of social media.
• Honed a new skill.
• Worked toward a specific goal.
• Met 10K+ step goal for the day.
• Closed your rings on your iWatch.
• Edited family photos.
• Create a photo album for the year.
• Spent 1 hour outside.
• Drank a glass of water first thing in the morning.
• Bible / prayer time in the morning.
• Started your diffuser with your favorite essential oil after breakfast.
• Unsubscribed from unnecessary emails for 10 minutes.
• Didn’t watch TV.
• Did not raise my voice at my kids during dinner.
• Journaled for 5 minutes.
• Practiced something trying to learn (i.e. calligraphy, painting, language).
• Set an intention for the day based on your goals.
• Picked 1 item on my to do list and knocked it out first.

Health Habit List

• Ate 5 vegetables.
• Ate 2 fruit.
• Exercised.
• Drank my target water amount.
• No junk food, alcohol, soda, etc.
• Took vitamins/medicine.
• Flossed your teeth.
• No snacking.
• Created a meal plan.
• Made protein balls.
• Researched easy recipes.
• Added recipes to make to Pinterest board.
• Used retainer at night.
• Cleaned with mouth wash.
• No pimples.

Home management & Cleaning Habit List

• Made a weekly master to do list.
• Prioritized to do list for the day.
• Wrote down your expenses for the day.
• Updated your budget.
• Completed top priority on to do list (urgent AND important).
• Tidied the kitchen before bed.
• Started the dishwasher before bed.
• Loaded the washing machine before bed.
• Started the dryer when you woke up.
• Sorted the mail.
• Decluttered a closet for 30 minutes.
• Tossed worn out clothes while folding laundry.
• Prayed for your family while folding laundry.
• Ran the Roomba in one room.
• Vacuumed one room in the house.
• Gave the kids a bath.
• Washed sheets and towels.
• Vacuumed baseboards.
• Watered your plants.
• Paid the bills.
• Transferred money into a savings account.
• Did a 15 min quick tidy before dinner.
• Draino’d the sink.
• Washed sheets.
• Washed towels.
• Wiped down kitchen cupboards.
• Cleaned the oven.
• Tossed expired items from the pantry.
• Dusted ceiling fans.
• Ran a cleaning cycle on dishwasher.
• Ran a cleaning cycle on laundry machine.
• Cleaned the microwave.
• Wiped down stove top.
• Mopped the floors.
• Swept the kitchen.

Read: The Ultimate Home Management Binder for Busy Moms

Relationships & Quality time Habit List

• Researched a future vacation.
• Went for a walk with the family.
• Rode bikes with the family.
• Read a book with the kids before bed.
• Spent 15 min 1:1 time with one family member.
• Favorite highs/lows at dinner with family.
• Family dinner.
• Let the kids pick a favorite meal.
• Texted a friend that you are thinking about them.
• Called your parents.
• Date night with spouse.
• Weekly pow wow with spouse.
• Monthly family meeting with everyone.
• Had a dance party in the kitchen.
• Date with each kid monthly.
• Watched a show with your spouse.
• Planned a date night.
• Added date night to the calendar.
• Walked around the block with your dog.
• Went for a bike ride with the kids.
• Taught your kid how to play a sport.
• Drew chalk designs on your driveway.

Work Habit List

• Worked towards a goal (side hustle, decluttering, redecorating, etc.)
• Brain dumped your to do list daily (there’s a free daily to do list printable here!)
• Wrote a short to do list for the day that is more manageable.
• Scheduled breaks.
• Closed your email while working on a task.
• Tackled the challenging tasks in the morning.
• Did not multi-task.
• Asked someone to be your accountability partner.

List of habits to stop!

This isn’t a comprehensive list but it’s a few that I’ve seen get in the way of what’s actually important to you.

• Checking your phone as soon as you wake up
• Sleeping with your phone next to your bed
• Checking Facebook on the can
• Checking notifications as soon as they go off
• Running shoes put away in the closet
• Planning to go to the gym after work
• Checking email compulsively
• Turning on Instagram without thinking
• Snacking when bored

So what now? Common questions for new habit tracking people.

This list is totally overwhelming, where do I even start?

I recommend starting with 1 goal that you have and asking yourself which habits support that goal or take away from that goal. Start there!

If your goal is to have a cleaner home, I recommend starting with habits around cleaning. 

If your goal is to develop better relationships with your kids, then I encourage you to add and subtract habits that relate to quality time with your kids. 

Pick 2-3 for the month that support that goal. You do NOT and should NOT try to tackle all of these at once. 

How do I use a habit calendar?

I LOVE habit calendars because they are easy to use for one simple habit. Although this list is LENGTHY it is simply meant to inspire, not overwhelm you.

Pick ONE habit off the list and use a simple 30 day calendar to X off each day that you complete the new habit.

I also like to pursue my longest “habit streak” as well. How many days can I go In A ROW? I don’t want to skip today because I’ll break my streak!

What is better to track – daily habits, weekly habits, monthly habits?

Great question! You probably noticed that some of the habits I listed on here are habits you might do weekly not daily.

If that is the case, make a list of the habits you want to track and identify if it is daily, weekly, or monthly. I still recommend only picking 2-3 to start out with!

The last thing you should know about the best habits to track…

Everyone has their own goals they are working towards. Remember, it’s all about progress over perfection. Trust the process and marking off your habits. At the end of the week or month, congratulate yourself for a job well done throughout the month. Give yourself a reward and keep on keeping on! You got this!

Related Posts You Might Like:

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24 Trello Boards to Organize Your Family Life

How to make an effective to do list [ for moms ]

What’s the difference between a good habit and bad habit?