Topic one: Implementing habit tracking with GTD, giving example of Loop Habits App and Topic Two: Question of what is best to do when you don't

[TimBourne]

Implementing habit tracking with GTD, giving example of Loop Habits App

Topic one

Dear GTD, one of the things I feel like personally I haven't seen very much of on this fourm is about the topic of habits? Haven't seen anything on forum like "habit tracker" writing about it. - A persons from a type of organisation spiritual - made an idea suggestion for self improvement it could help to use a type habit tracker app - gave type example "Loop habits" as shown in this picture:




... Myself Tim - when initially hearing/listening to that advice -was type of persons probably thought - well really am not sure if that is worth while? with someone like myself (who already does a certain amount of things according to habit " - then like maybe four to seven days ago - I had the idea well why not actually try something using a type of phone application "loop habits " - I could try do something like link it to GTD practices as well . "

It occurred to myself overall -* a person struggling with GTD*
A point is - is I feel like there are a whole certain amount of habits I haven’t been able successfully implement, could list them from knowledge now:

1st example could be something Rene @René Lie shared before - that I should try to put All “task” titles in list managers (or tasks in life in general) as concede(concise) as possible (and make sure that they include a verb (doing of what the action is)

Felt 2) haven’t done daily reviews best (with the three things of calendar checking, next actions of list manager and inboxes) best - so I put on the loop tracker habit do this at leas once day literally to start

3) - Not being aware - or loosing focus/attention - to see recognize when the <2mins would be done rule applies to real life organizing/tidying micro management etc

Other things come to mind are : habits for properly titling/naming digital documents - sometimes actually still don't do



Cos voice in head said - with my condition/circumstance my calendar management seems * * [hands in the air emoji] or

Then - the other things in picture: show in red type things labelled key things to do with fitness or skill applies to anyone

And in blue - is type mental or spiritual practices

And had idea - add green section- for types of things which actually noticed are habits -but a very small amount of times will actually forget to do them

" I could upload the official loop habit tracker website link , edit this post if I see gets feed back @cfoley or @DKPhoto or @Mrs-Polifax or @gtdstudente or @Bra

P. S.

"
Idea occurred - could put background habitual list of things which I feel - are in background ( e.g. I feel with my list manager - the example Asana - the inputs within the projects are generally to detailed/wordy and cluttered ? Were they the right words?

What else? Not computer tabs or history"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Topic Two Question of what is best to do when you don't have a day off to do weekly review at weekend?

I could give an example where basically I got put a shift in on Sunday, schedule changed(to day normally do weekly review on) - so I decided to not do it that day, am doing it this day on Monday - I was thinking in hindsight if this situation happens again, then it makes more sense to try to do the weekly review the day before? or ASAP when get back from shift?

If - I am telling myself that I want to try implement the GTD system best as possible as much as possible etc ... "

 

[Livtally]

Some older posts on this forum about habits and routines might be helpful to you. I'd recommend trying a search for those topics and checking "search titles only" to get the most relevant results. Here is an example of a search for habits:


Here are a few other general suggestions on habits and routines in response to your questions.

(1) Habit trackers
There are many ways to track habits, including standalone digital tools/apps like Loop to low-tech options like checking off on a piece of paper whether you did/didn't do the habit that day (and, if desired, recording any relevant associated data like number of pages read, number of miles run, number of minutes spent tidying, etc.). The best option for you is one that is easy and enjoyable for you to use (such that you will actually use it)! It may take some experimenting to find a solution you like that works for you.

(2) Wanting to implement lots of habits
In your post above, you've already made a start toward a "list of habits I'd like to implement successfully." If you don't have an actual list like that except in your head, you might want to make one. You could then review this list at a frequency that feels right to you (for example: during your weekly review, once a month, once a quarter, or whenever you have the bandwidth to start working on a new habit). Seeing all the habits together in one place might also help you make decisions about which ones are the highest priority for you to work on and/or which ones would make the greatest impact on your day-to-day life right now. You might also recognize some items have made the habits list just because they are things you feel like you "should" do but which actually aren't very necessary, exciting, or useful to you; you might want to save yourself time, energy, and frustration by choosing NOT to focus on implementing such habits that don't even deeply matter to YOU!

And when you are working on implementing new habits, you'll increase your chances of success if you focus on just one or two new habits at a time rather than everything you might ever want to do habitually. Build one habit until it is an actual habit, then start building another!

(3) Habits/Routines as GTD Projects
Depending on how elaborate the habit or routine is, "Implement Habit X" or "Establish Routine Y" could definitely qualify as a GTD project since there is typically some project planning and multiple steps involved (e.g. "brainstorm steps for my new routine" or "download Loop habit tracker" or "purchase new running shoes" or "review posts on GTD forum about strategies for naming my digital files") to get to the successful project outcome of "new habit/routine successfully implemented!" After you've done the planning and preparing, "track habit X daily for 30 days" could become the project's next action at some point.

(3) Not being aware when the <2mins rule applies
As humans, we are often not the best at estimating how long tasks will take. You could try using a timer to see how long it actually takes you to do certain common tasks like sorting today's mail or renaming a digital document or wiping your kitchen table. Then you will have a better sense of which tasks you can generally do in two minutes or less - and could maybe even make a reference list for yourself of "tasks that take two minutes or less." You might also start to notice that some tasks you think are quite quick usually take you much longer. (For some things, being predictable rather than fast will promote your planning and doing the most!)

For things like keeping up with household chores, you might want to just make a habit or routine of, e.g., "tidy for 5 minutes after breakfast." If you always tidy up for five minutes after breakfast, then it removes one decision from you day. You don't need to think anymore, "Hmmm . . . I've just finished breakfast, I wonder if I should tidy up next or do something else now?" You just do the cleanup (because it's now a habit/expectation you have of yourself) and your home is a little cleaner as a result!

(4) Routines & GTD
For another resource on routines and GTD, you might want to check out April Perry's system which implements a Routines List as part of her GTD setup. (She focuses on implementing GTD in family settings, and her insights have been featured before on this site: https://gettingthingsdone.com/?s=april+perry.)

Here's the basic idea: "A Routines List is a list reviewed at your Weekly Review with your ideal Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Routines. Knowing what you’ve committed to do over and over helps you to acknowledge how much you have on your plate that represents recurring commitments rather than one-off events. (Of course, you can put some routine items on your calendar too, like the Library Board’s meeting at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month). But having a Routines List is better than having such items just on your calendar (where many will create clutter because they are not time-specific or even day-specific for many things you want to do weekly, like wash your towels, or less often, like change the furnace filter) or just in your head (where your poor brain will have to keep track of them and worry about forgetting something)."

For more details, check out these resources from her website:

• A Fun, Logical Way to Set Up Your Routines List!
• Set Up Projects, Routines and Next Actions…Digitally! (She uses Asana as a digital tool.)

Another way having a Routines List like this might help you is for the kinds of things where you mentioned that you've already noticed are habits
"but a very small amount of times will actually forget to do them." For most habits that are already part of your daily routine, skipping them occasionally is not a big deal. If you didn't wash the dishes today, you will wash them tomorrow (or will be reminded to wash them eventually when you run out of clean dishes)! You could add these kinds of things to a habit tracker if missing occasionally really bothers you. But it might be a better use of your time and energy to focus your habit-tracking efforts on newer habits that you're not yet doing very consistently.

For the other habits, a weekly review of your Routines List will remind you of what you're already doing and flag any potential problems you might want to address more deliberately--like the issue you raised where you didn't do your weekly review one Sunday because your work schedule changed. If this is a one-time or occasional situation, figuring out a solution on a case-by-case basis will work to shift your Weekly Review that week to another time. There is no automatic "right" or "best" answer - just do whatever works best for you that week. But if you notice over time that, say, you've been scheduled to work 4 out of the last 6 Sundays and you never have enough mental energy to tackle the Weekly Review after your shift and regularly need to reschedule your Sunday review to a different day, then you might want to pick a different day of the week for your Weekly Review going forward and change your Routines List to reflect that.

 

[TimBourne]

Some older posts on this forum about habits and routines might be helpful to you. I'd recommend trying a search for those topics and checking "search titles only" to get the most relevant results. Here is an example of a search for habits:

Okay *

View attachment 1947

Here are a few other general suggestions on habits and routines in response to your questions.

(1) Habit trackers
There are many ways to track habits, including standalone digital tools/apps like Loop to low-tech options like checking off on a piece of paper whether you did/didn't do the habit that day (and, if desired, recording any relevant associated data like number of pages read, number of miles run, number of minutes spent tidying, etc.). The best option for you is one that is easy and enjoyable for you to use (such that you will actually use it)! It may take some experimenting to find a solution you like that works for you.

Okay I am not sure un digital methods are best
At same time digital apps can - feel * * tedious ?

(2) Wanting to implement lots of habits
In your post above, you've already made a start toward a "list of habits I'd like to implement successfully." If you don't have an actual list like that except in your head, you might want to make one.

Thats right , I don't have a list like that **

You could then review this list at a frequency that feels right to you (for example: during your weekly review, once a month, once a quarter, or whenever you have the bandwidth to start working on a new habit).

Probably once a quarter

Seeing all the habits together in one place might also help you make decisions about which ones are the highest priority for you to work on and/or which ones would make the greatest impact on your day-to-day life right now. You might also recognize some items have made the habits list just because they are things you feel like you "should" do but which actually aren't very necessary, exciting, or useful to you; you might want to save yourself time, energy, and frustration by choosing NOT to focus on implementing such habits that don't even deeply matter to YOU!

OK

And when you are working on implementing new habits, you'll increase your chances of success if you focus on just one or two new habits at a time rather than everything you might ever want to do habitually. Build one habit until it is an actual habit, then start building another!

Yeah

(3) Habits/Routines as GTD Projects
Depending on how elaborate the habit or routine is, "Implement Habit X" or "Establish Routine Y" could definitely qualify as a GTD project since there is typically some project planning and multiple steps involved (e.g. "brainstorm steps for my new routine" or "download Loop habit tracker" or "purchase new running shoes" or "review posts on GTD forum about strategies for naming my digital files") to get to the successful project outcome of "new habit/routine successfully implemented!" After you've done the planning and preparing, "track habit X daily for 30 days" could become the project's next action at some point.

Your saying I could put a habit as an actual project list "

(3) Not being aware when the <2mins rule applies
As humans, we are often not the best at estimating how long tasks will take. You could try using a timer to see how long it actually takes you to do certain common tasks like sorting today's mail or renaming a digital document or wiping your kitchen table.

I have a hand watch after I use to use digital watch #1 - not completely sure why write something this low level ?

Then you will have a better sense of which tasks you can generally do in two minutes or less - and could maybe even make a reference list for yourself of "tasks that take two minutes or less." You might also start to notice that some tasks you think are quite quick usually take you much longer. (For some things, being predictable rather than fast will promote your planning and doing the most!)

For things like keeping up with household chores, you might want to just make a habit or routine of, e.g., "tidy for 5 minutes after breakfast." If you always tidy up for five minutes after breakfast, then it removes one decision from you day. You don't need to think anymore, "Hmmm . . . I've just finished breakfast, I wonder if I should tidy up next or do something else now?" You just do the cleanup (because it's now a habit/expectation you have of yourself) and your home is a little cleaner as a result!

Are you writing orginally here?

(4) Routines & GTD
For another resource on routines and GTD, you might want to check out April Perry's system which implements a Routines List as part of her GTD setup. (She focuses on implementing GTD in family settings, and her insights have been featured before on this site: https://gettingthingsdone.com/?s=april+perry.)

Iver never herd ***3

Here's the basic idea: "A Routines List is a list reviewed at your Weekly Review with your ideal Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Routines. Knowing what you’ve committed to do over and over helps you to acknowledge how much you have on your plate that represents recurring commitments rather than one-off events. (Of course, you can put some routine items on your calendar too

This what I started doing before and rene suggested not to - but actually helps me cos I have impared short term memory after v@ccine

, like the Library Board’s meeting at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month). But having a Routines List is better than having such items just on your calendar (where many will create clutter because they are not time-specific or even day-specific for many things you want to do weekly, like wash your towels, or less often, like change the furnace filter) or just in your head (where your poor brain will have to keep track of them and worry about forgetting something)."

A routines list - I tried creating something similar in past when Rene mentioned it - but at same time , the one which using maybe 1-2 months since last opened up, looks bad in text editor

For more details, check out these resources from her website:

• A Fun, Logical Way to Set Up Your Routines List!
• Set Up Projects, Routines and Next Actions…Digitally! (She uses Asana as a digital tool.)

OK ****

Another way having a Routines List like this might help you is for the kinds of things where you mentioned that you've already noticed are habits
"but a very small amount of times will actually forget to do them."

ok thats key true for me "

For most habits that are already part of your daily routine, skipping them occasionally is not a big deal.

I agree

If you didn't wash the dishes today, you will wash them tomorrow (or will be reminded to wash them eventually when you run out of clean dishes)! You could add these kinds of things to a habit tracker if missing occasionally really bothers you. But it might be a better use of your time and energy to focus your habit-tracking efforts on newer habits that you're not yet doing very consistently.

use the word " might" , okay

For the other habits, a weekly review of your Routines List will remind you of what you're already doing and flag any potential problems you might want to address more deliberately--like the issue you raised where you didn't do your weekly review one Sunday because your work schedule changed. If this is a one-time or occasional situation, figuring out a solution on a case-by-case basis will work to shift your Weekly Review that week to another time. There is no automatic "right" or "best" answer - just do whatever works best for you that week.

okay

But if you notice over time that, say, you've been scheduled to work 4 out of the last 6 Sundays and you never have enough mental energy to tackle the Weekly Review after your shift and regularly need to reschedule your Sunday review to a different day, then you might want to pick a different day of the week for your Weekly Review going forward and change your Routines List to reflect that.

This was my writing response - at a normal type reading speed , while not able to 100% comprehend all the text

You wrote a lot here, in-depth , not common another user gives me so much material to look at

 

[TimBourne]

Some older posts on this forum about habits and routines might be helpful to you. I'd recommend trying a search for those topics and checking "search titles only" to get the most relevant results. Here is an example of a search for habits:
View attachment 1947

Here are a few other general suggestions on habits and routines in response to your questions.

(1) Habit trackers
There are many ways to track habits, including standalone digital tools/apps like Loop to low-tech options like checking off on a piece of paper whether you did/didn't do the habit that day (and, if desired, recording any relevant associated data like number of pages read, number of miles run, number of minutes spent tidying, etc.). The best option for you is one that is easy and enjoyable for you to use (such that you will actually use it)! It may take some experimenting to find a solution you like that works for you.

(2) Wanting to implement lots of habits
In your post above, you've already made a start toward a "list of habits I'd like to implement successfully." If you don't have an actual list like that except in your head, you might want to make one. You could then review this list at a frequency that feels right to you (for example: during your weekly review, once a month, once a quarter, or whenever you have the bandwidth to start working on a new habit). Seeing all the habits together in one place might also help you make decisions about which ones are the highest priority for you to work on and/or which ones would make the greatest impact on your day-to-day life right now. You might also recognize some items have made the habits list just because they are things you feel like you "should" do but which actually aren't very necessary, exciting, or useful to you; you might want to save yourself time, energy, and frustration by choosing NOT to focus on implementing such habits that don't even deeply matter to YOU!

And when you are working on implementing new habits, you'll increase your chances of success if you focus on just one or two new habits at a time rather than everything you might ever want to do habitually. Build one habit until it is an actual habit, then start building another!

(3) Habits/Routines as GTD Projects
Depending on how elaborate the habit or routine is, "Implement Habit X" or "Establish Routine Y" could definitely qualify as a GTD project since there is typically some project planning and multiple steps involved (e.g. "brainstorm steps for my new routine" or "download Loop habit tracker" or "purchase new running shoes" or "review posts on GTD forum about strategies for naming my digital files") to get to the successful project outcome of "new habit/routine successfully implemented!" After you've done the planning and preparing, "track habit X daily for 30 days" could become the project's next action at some point.

(3) Not being aware when the <2mins rule applies
As humans, we are often not the best at estimating how long tasks will take. You could try using a timer to see how long it actually takes you to do certain common tasks like sorting today's mail or renaming a digital document or wiping your kitchen table. Then you will have a better sense of which tasks you can generally do in two minutes or less - and could maybe even make a reference list for yourself of "tasks that take two minutes or less." You might also start to notice that some tasks you think are quite quick usually take you much longer. (For some things, being predictable rather than fast will promote your planning and doing the most!)

For things like keeping up with household chores, you might want to just make a habit or routine of, e.g., "tidy for 5 minutes after breakfast." If you always tidy up for five minutes after breakfast, then it removes one decision from you day. You don't need to think anymore, "Hmmm . . . I've just finished breakfast, I wonder if I should tidy up next or do something else now?" You just do the cleanup (because it's now a habit/expectation you have of yourself) and your home is a little cleaner as a result!

(4) Routines & GTD
For another resource on routines and GTD, you might want to check out April Perry's system which implements a Routines List as part of her GTD setup. (She focuses on implementing GTD in family settings, and her insights have been featured before on this site: https://gettingthingsdone.com/?s=april+perry.)

Here's the basic idea: "A Routines List is a list reviewed at your Weekly Review with your ideal Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Routines. Knowing what you’ve committed to do over and over helps you to acknowledge how much you have on your plate that represents recurring commitments rather than one-off events. (Of course, you can put some routine items on your calendar too, like the Library Board’s meeting at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month). But having a Routines List is better than having such items just on your calendar (where many will create clutter because they are not time-specific or even day-specific for many things you want to do weekly, like wash your towels, or less often, like change the furnace filter) or just in your head (where your poor brain will have to keep track of them and worry about forgetting something)."

For more details, check out these resources from her website:

• A Fun, Logical Way to Set Up Your Routines List!
• Set Up Projects, Routines and Next Actions…Digitally! (She uses Asana as a digital tool.)

Another way having a Routines List like this might help you is for the kinds of things where you mentioned that you've already noticed are habits
"but a very small amount of times will actually forget to do them." For most habits that are already part of your daily routine, skipping them occasionally is not a big deal. If you didn't wash the dishes today, you will wash them tomorrow (or will be reminded to wash them eventually when you run out of clean dishes)! You could add these kinds of things to a habit tracker if missing occasionally really bothers you. But it might be a better use of your time and energy to focus your habit-tracking efforts on newer habits that you're not yet doing very consistently.

For the other habits, a weekly review of your Routines List will remind you of what you're already doing and flag any potential problems you might want to address more deliberately--like the issue you raised where you didn't do your weekly review one Sunday because your work schedule changed. If this is a one-time or occasional situation, figuring out a solution on a case-by-case basis will work to shift your Weekly Review that week to another time. There is no automatic "right" or "best" answer - just do whatever works best for you that week. But if you notice over time that, say, you've been scheduled to work 4 out of the last 6 Sundays and you never have enough mental energy to tackle the Weekly Review after your shift and regularly need to reschedule your Sunday review to a different day, then you might want to pick a different day of the week for your Weekly Review going forward and change your Routines List to reflect that.

*1
"[https://forum.gettingthingsdone.com/search/25391/?q=Habits&c[title_only]=1&o=date]
search

leads to 2 pages, first page 20 - 30 results maybe from 2024 to 2010 dated "

 

[TimBourne]

Some older posts on this forum about habits and routines might be helpful to you. I'd recommend trying a search for those topics and checking "search titles only" to get the most relevant results. Here is an example of a search for habits:
View attachment 1947

Here are a few other general suggestions on habits and routines in response to your questions.

(1) Habit trackers
There are many ways to track habits, including standalone digital tools/apps like Loop to low-tech options like checking off on a piece of paper whether you did/didn't do the habit that day (and, if desired, recording any relevant associated data like number of pages read, number of miles run, number of minutes spent tidying, etc.). The best option for you is one that is easy and enjoyable for you to use (such that you will actually use it)! It may take some experimenting to find a solution you like that works for you.

(2) Wanting to implement lots of habits
In your post above, you've already made a start toward a "list of habits I'd like to implement successfully." If you don't have an actual list like that except in your head, you might want to make one. You could then review this list at a frequency that feels right to you (for example: during your weekly review, once a month, once a quarter, or whenever you have the bandwidth to start working on a new habit). Seeing all the habits together in one place might also help you make decisions about which ones are the highest priority for you to work on and/or which ones would make the greatest impact on your day-to-day life right now. You might also recognize some items have made the habits list just because they are things you feel like you "should" do but which actually aren't very necessary, exciting, or useful to you; you might want to save yourself time, energy, and frustration by choosing NOT to focus on implementing such habits that don't even deeply matter to YOU!

And when you are working on implementing new habits, you'll increase your chances of success if you focus on just one or two new habits at a time rather than everything you might ever want to do habitually. Build one habit until it is an actual habit, then start building another!

(3) Habits/Routines as GTD Projects
Depending on how elaborate the habit or routine is, "Implement Habit X" or "Establish Routine Y" could definitely qualify as a GTD project since there is typically some project planning and multiple steps involved (e.g. "brainstorm steps for my new routine" or "download Loop habit tracker" or "purchase new running shoes" or "review posts on GTD forum about strategies for naming my digital files") to get to the successful project outcome of "new habit/routine successfully implemented!" After you've done the planning and preparing, "track habit X daily for 30 days" could become the project's next action at some point.

(3) Not being aware when the <2mins rule applies
As humans, we are often not the best at estimating how long tasks will take. You could try using a timer to see how long it actually takes you to do certain common tasks like sorting today's mail or renaming a digital document or wiping your kitchen table. Then you will have a better sense of which tasks you can generally do in two minutes or less - and could maybe even make a reference list for yourself of "tasks that take two minutes or less." You might also start to notice that some tasks you think are quite quick usually take you much longer. (For some things, being predictable rather than fast will promote your planning and doing the most!)

For things like keeping up with household chores, you might want to just make a habit or routine of, e.g., "tidy for 5 minutes after breakfast." If you always tidy up for five minutes after breakfast, then it removes one decision from you day. You don't need to think anymore, "Hmmm . . . I've just finished breakfast, I wonder if I should tidy up next or do something else now?" You just do the cleanup (because it's now a habit/expectation you have of yourself) and your home is a little cleaner as a result!

(4) Routines & GTD
For another resource on routines and GTD, you might want to check out April Perry's system which implements a Routines List as part of her GTD setup. (She focuses on implementing GTD in family settings, and her insights have been featured before on this site: https://gettingthingsdone.com/?s=april+perry.)

Here's the basic idea: "A Routines List is a list reviewed at your Weekly Review with your ideal Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Routines. Knowing what you’ve committed to do over and over helps you to acknowledge how much you have on your plate that represents recurring commitments rather than one-off events. (Of course, you can put some routine items on your calendar too, like the Library Board’s meeting at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month). But having a Routines List is better than having such items just on your calendar (where many will create clutter because they are not time-specific or even day-specific for many things you want to do weekly, like wash your towels, or less often, like change the furnace filter) or just in your head (where your poor brain will have to keep track of them and worry about forgetting something)."

For more details, check out these resources from her website:

• A Fun, Logical Way to Set Up Your Routines List!
• Set Up Projects, Routines and Next Actions…Digitally! (She uses Asana as a digital tool.)

Another way having a Routines List like this might help you is for the kinds of things where you mentioned that you've already noticed are habits
"but a very small amount of times will actually forget to do them." For most habits that are already part of your daily routine, skipping them occasionally is not a big deal. If you didn't wash the dishes today, you will wash them tomorrow (or will be reminded to wash them eventually when you run out of clean dishes)! You could add these kinds of things to a habit tracker if missing occasionally really bothers you. But it might be a better use of your time and energy to focus your habit-tracking efforts on newer habits that you're not yet doing very consistently.

For the other habits, a weekly review of your Routines List will remind you of what you're already doing and flag any potential problems you might want to address more deliberately--like the issue you raised where you didn't do your weekly review one Sunday because your work schedule changed. If this is a one-time or occasional situation, figuring out a solution on a case-by-case basis will work to shift your Weekly Review that week to another time. There is no automatic "right" or "best" answer - just do whatever works best for you that week. But if you notice over time that, say, you've been scheduled to work 4 out of the last 6 Sundays and you never have enough mental energy to tackle the Weekly Review after your shift and regularly need to reschedule your Sunday review to a different day, then you might want to pick a different day of the week for your Weekly Review going forward and change your Routines List to reflect that.

[https://forum.gettingthingsdone.com/threads/gtd-x-covey-7-habits.18363/]

example - tried scanning over the 3/4 replies in that thread .

It was basically persons sharing a little bit about book Habits by covey, which I also read once a long time ago.

giving a little comparison ,details etc

I felt like I couldn't get much out of that thread ? "

 

[Livtally]

*1
"[https://forum.gettingthingsdone.com/search/25391/?q=Habits&c[title_only]=1&o=date]
search

leads to 2 pages, first page 20 - 30 results maybe from 2024 to 2010 dated "

Thanks for posting a direct link to the search results for threads related to habits on this forum for yourself and any others who might be helped by having quick and easy access to this information.

Here is a link for the equivalent list of search results for "routines": https://forum.gettingthingsdone.com/search/25393/?q=routines&c[title_only]=1&o=date.

I didn't have anything specific in mind from those older threads. Furthermore, I haven't reviewed their content recently. I've just been following this forum for a few years and knew those topics (i.e., habits and routines in relation to the GTD methodology) have come up before in previous discussions. There are likely some nuggets of wisdom buried in them that might be relevant to your situation. Digging into those older posts further, however, would be a someday/maybe action in my current life. But it could be worthwhile as a next action for you if you decide sorting out strategies for your habits is a priority. The process you have adopted so far seems like a good one: (1) scan the posts and replies, (2) skip over whatever doesn't connect with you, and (3) focus on what does resonate that seems practical and applicable when and where you find it! Good luck, and happy hunting!

P.S. And if you do find something from an older thread that you'd like to know more about, it might be easiest to add a reply there, to that other thread, so as to preserve the larger context of that unfolding discussion and make it easier for other forum members to weigh in with their helpful insights too.

 

[TimBourne]

Thanks for posting a direct link to the search results for threads related to habits on this forum for yourself and any others who might be helped by having quick and easy access to this information.

Here is a link for the equivalent list of search results for "routines": https://forum.gettingthingsdone.com/search/25393/?q=routines&c[title_only]=1&o=date.

I didn't have anything specific in mind from those older threads. Furthermore, I haven't reviewed their content recently. I've just been following this forum for a few years and knew those topics (i.e., habits and routines in relation to the GTD methodology) have come up before in previous discussions. There are likely some nuggets of wisdom buried in them that might be relevant to your situation. Digging into those older posts further, however, would be a someday/maybe action in my current life. But it could be worthwhile as a next action for you if you decide sorting out strategies for your habits is a priority. The process you have adopted so far seems like a good one: (1) scan the posts and replies, (2) skip over whatever doesn't connect with you, and (3) focus on what does resonate that seems practical and applicable when and where you find it! Good luck, and happy hunting!

P.S. And if you do find something from an older thread that you'd like to know more about, it might be easiest to add a reply there, to that other thread, so as to preserve the larger context of that unfolding discussion and make it easier for other forum members to weigh in with their helpful insights too.

I scanned over this

"I feel I have a lack of motivation/drive

one of things said by persons - maybe Allen

mind sweep think upgrades tech - Why shouldn't I upgrade my phone right now ? It could holistically help

Broadcast this infinity x to everyone ? STN

 

[TimBourne]

Thanks for posting a direct link to the search results for threads related to habits on this forum for yourself and any others who might be helped by having quick and easy access to this information.

I thought - are you being serious/litearl or actually unliteral sarcastic ?

Here is a link for the equivalent list of search results for "routines": https://forum.gettingthingsdone.com/search/25393/?q=routines&c[title_only]=1&o=date.

Maybe that's something I could benefit from with my ASD symptoms"

I didn't have anything specific in mind from those older threads. Furthermore, I haven't reviewed their content recently. I've just been following this forum for a few years and knew those topics (i.e., habits and routines in relation to the GTD methodology) have come up before in previous discussions.

Oh right , I didn't know

There are likely some nuggets of wisdom buried in them that might be relevant to your situation. Digging into those older posts further, however, would be a someday/maybe action in my current life.

Right.

But it could be worthwhile as a next action for you if you decide sorting out strategies for your habits is a priority.

Yes

The process you have adopted so far seems like a good one: (1) scan the posts and replies, (2) skip over whatever doesn't connect with you, and (3) focus on what does resonate that seems practical and applicable when and where you find it! Good luck, and happy hunting!

P.S. And if you do find something from an older thread that you'd like to know more about, it might be easiest to add a reply there, to that other thread, so as to preserve the larger context of that unfolding discussion and make it easier for other forum members to weigh in with their helpful insights too.

Okay thanks

 

[Livtally]

I thought - are you being serious/literal or actually unliteral sarcastic ?

I was serious! I suggested a search strategy, and you followed up--and made it easier for others who might find this thread in the future to follow up with one click by posting a link to the relevant search results.

I am not sure un digital methods are best
At same time digital apps can - feel * * tedious ?

Based on what you've written elsewhere about it being difficult for you sometimes to read what you've previously written and to keep track of information that may become scattered in various places (like a lot of separate sheets of paper), it sounds like a digital habit tracker might be a better choice for you if you'd like to use a habit tracking system.

Remember that recording data in your habit tracker is also a new habit you're developing. It will take effort and intentionality at first--and likely feel tedious. Nonetheless, if I were trying to track 12 habits daily as shown in the screenshot in post #1 of this thread, I expect I would feel extremely overwhelmed--especially if most of the things I was tracking there were habits I was still trying to establish! Just as it might work best to focus on building 1 or 2 new habits at a time, it might be best to start with just tracking 1 or 2 habits at a time to start your habit-tracking journey. Once those habits are established in your life, you might decide to either: (1) continue tracking your progress on those established habits and start also tracking your progress on a new habit in addition to those or (2) stop tracking any well-established habits in your habit tracker while you focus on building and tracking a new habit.

I've used Loop myself for one habit that I've been tracking consistently since May 18, 2019; it is fun to see the data and trends from the past five years. I have also used Loop on and off to track other habits. It has served my needs well. I know there are fancier habit-tracking apps out there and some that might work better for specialized use cases, but I have been happy with Loop.

I've also tried some other digital habit trackers but stopped using them for one or more of the following reasons: (1) I didn't want to pay the subscription fee after the free trial period ended, (2) I didn't enjoy their looks or functionality, or (3) I let the habit I was tracking with them slide and thus had no habit progress to track anymore.

Finally, be patient with yourself as you work to implement new habits and routines. It is a process that takes time. Furthermore, many of the things we call "habits" in casual conversations are actually routines. Technically, a habit is a behavior (or more complex series of behaviors) we have learned to run through with minimal conscious thought or none at all. In contrast, a routine is a series of actions we do regularly that still requires some conscious thought from us even after we have been doing the routine for a long time. For more on this distinction between habits and routines, see https://www.nirandfar.com/habits/. Some routines can become habits once we get proficient at all the component steps whereas other routines will remain routines.

The GTD Weekly Review is a good example of a routine. We should not be disappointed, therefore, if we never find ourselves suddenly having completed a Weekly Review with no memory of how we did any of it!

 

[Livtally]

Continuing to work through some loose ends generated by the discussion above . . .

List of Habits/Routines to Implement = a Someday/Maybe List
You can subdivide your Someday/Maybe "list" into multiple shorter lists to create distinctions based on desired review frequency (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually) or some other category designation - like Habits/Routines to Implement. This will keep all potential habits together in one place. Reviewing your habits list quarterly, as you suggested above, sounds like it would work for you. Meanwhile, If you ever develop the urge to work on a new habit in between those quarterly review cycles, you'll know exactly where to find that list of habits you've already captured and considered for future implementation!

Routines List = a GTD Checklist
The last step of the "Get Current" stage of the GTD Weekly Review is Review Any Relevant Checklists. If it helps you to have a Routines List, then it is a relevant checklist for you and you are free to make one! List whatever habits/routines you're already doing or are actively working to implement on your Routines List (whether or not you are also tracking some of them elsewhere, like in a habit tracker).

If you review your Routines List at your Weekly Review and everything is going well (aside, perhaps, from some minor struggles that are to be expected with habits you know you're actively working on right now), great! Your Routines List has reminded you of what you're already doing routinely, and there is nothing else to note for now in your GTD system. Keep doing what you've been doing since it seems to be working well enough.

If, however, upon scanning your Daily Routines List at your Weekly Review, it occurs to you that you haven't, for example, made your bed or exercised at all in the past week, you might want to explore a next action to address those situations if doing these habits daily remains important to you. For example, you might schedule exercise sessions in your calendar for the next couple of weeks (if this is something you haven't been doing already). Maybe making your bed was a habit you established long ago but you've fallen out of the habit because you were sick or went on vacation for a while. You might add that habit to your habit tracker (presuming you're already using one regularly to track progress on other habits) and re-evaluate your progress at bed-making in your next several weekly review cycles. If tracking helps reinvigorate the habit, great. Otherwise, you can try a different next action instead of or in addition to tracking the habit more intentionally.

A routines list - I tried creating something similar in past . . . but at same time , the one which using maybe 1-2 months since last opened up, looks bad in text editor

A Routines List could be done quite simply in a text editor - maybe some basic formatting might help it look more pleasing. See the example below. Alternatively, you could search online for a routines template for whichever text editor you use to find a more elaborate version.

Example Routines List:

DAILY ROUTINES

Morning

• 
  
• 
  

Afternoon

• 
  

Evening

• 
  
• 
  

{add other sections or a separate page for work routines if desired}
-----page break-------

WEEKLY ROUTINES

Any Day

• 
  
• 
  

Sunday

• 
  
• 
  

Monday

• 
  
• 
  

Tuesday

• 
  
• 
  

Etc. . . .

-----page break-------


MONTHLY ROUTINES

• 1st - pay rent
• 15th - pay electric bill
• Add examples relevant to your life situation . . .

-----page break-------


YEARLY ROUTINES

January

• 
  
• 
  

February

• 
  
• 
  

March

• 
  
• 
  

Etc.

• 
  
• 
  

~~~
Note: Add another reminder somewhere else in your system, like your Calendar or your Tickler, if there will be serious consequences for not completing one instance of a routine (like living with stinky garbage in your kitchen for a week if you forget to put it outside for collection on Tuesday or paying a late fee if you don't pay your electric bill by the due date).

 

[TimBourne]

I was serious! I suggested a search strategy, and you followed up--and made it easier for others who might find this thread in the future to follow up with one click by posting a link to the relevant search results.

"Okay, I'm not sure how many read my stuff in this fourm tho

Based on what you've written elsewhere about it being difficult for you sometimes to read what you've previously written and to keep track of information that may become scattered in various places (like a lot of separate sheets of paper), it sounds like a digital habit tracker might be a better choice for you if you'd like to use a habit tracking system.

yeah okay - could antidote my symptom of ASD

Remember that recording data in your habit tracker is also a new habit you're developing. It will take effort and intentionality at first--and likely feel tedious. Nonetheless, if I were trying to track 12 habits daily as shown in the screenshot in post #1 of this thread, I expect I would feel extremely overwhelmed--especially if most of the things I was tracking there were habits I was still trying to establish! Just as it might work best to focus on building 1 or 2 new habits at a time, it might be best to start with just tracking 1 or 2 habits at a time to start your habit-tracking journey. Once those habits are established in your life, you might decide to either: (1) continue tracking your progress on those established habits and start also tracking your progress on a new habit in addition to those or (2) stop tracking any well-established habits in your habit tracker while you focus on building and tracking a new habit.

I haven't been tracking the 12 habits shown in screen shot. Okay *1

I've used Loop myself for one habit that I've been tracking consistently since May 18, 2019; it is fun to see the data and trends from the past five years. I have also used Loop on and off to track other habits. It has served my needs well. I know there are fancier habit-tracking apps out there and some that might work better for specialized use cases, but I have been happy with Loop.

Oh right, that's surprising
I'm not sure what are your habits trying to implement?

I've also tried some other digital habit trackers but stopped using them for one or more of the following reasons: (1) I didn't want to pay the subscription fee after the free trial period ended, (2) I didn't enjoy their looks or functionality, or (3) I let the habit I was tracking with them slide and thus had no habit progress to track anymore.

I understand those three points

Finally, be patient with yourself as you work to implement new habits and routines. It is a process that takes time. Furthermore, many of the things we call "habits" in casual conversations are actually routines. Technically, a habit is a behavior (or more complex series of behaviors) we have learned to run through with minimal conscious thought or none at all. In contrast, a routine is a series of actions we do regularly that still requires some conscious thought from us even after we have been doing the routine for a long time. For more on this distinction between habits and routines, see https://www.nirandfar.com/habits/. Some routines can become habits once we get proficient at all the component steps whereas other routines will remain routines.

*
I scanned over that link just scrolled to bottom - not reading, I have looked at similar stuff to that in past self help stuff "
A routine - is something which you put on your schedule like an even
whereas a habit is something could be called a skill done instinctively "

The GTD Weekly Review is a good example of a routine.

We should not be disappointed, therefore, if we never find ourselves suddenly having completed a Weekly Review with no memory of how we did any of it! What

What do you mean no memory of what we just did? " ...

 

[TimBourne]

Continuing to work through some loose ends generated by the discussion above . . .

List of Habits/Routines to Implement = a Someday/Maybe List
You can subdivide your Someday/Maybe "list" into multiple shorter lists to create distinctions based on desired review frequency (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually) or some other category designation - like Habits/Routines to Implement.

Okay my someday/maybe list is disorganised right now in asana literally
ARTPCAI (which writing about in other thread with @cfoley )

This will keep all potential habits together in one place. Reviewing your habits list quarterly, as you suggested above, sounds like it would work for you. Meanwhile, If you ever develop the urge to work on a new habit in between those quarterly review cycles, you'll know exactly where to find that list of habits you've already captured and considered for future implementation!

okay

Routines List = a GTD Checklist
The last step of the "Get Current" stage of the GTD Weekly Review is Review Any Relevant Checklists. If it helps you to have a Routines List, then it is a relevant checklist for you and you are free to make one!

List whatever habits/routines you're already doing or are actively working to implement on your Routines List (whether or not you are also tracking some of them elsewhere, like in a habit tracker).

*

If you review your Routines List at your Weekly Review and everything is going well (aside, perhaps, from some minor struggles that are to be expected with habits you know you're actively working on right now), great! Your Routines List has reminded you of what you're already doing routinely, and there is nothing else to note for now in your GTD system. Keep doing what you've been doing since it seems to be working well enough.

okay

If, however, upon scanning your Daily Routines List at your Weekly Review, it occurs to you that you haven't, for example, made your bed or exercised at all in the past week, you might want to explore a next action to address those situations if doing these habits daily remains important to you. For example, you might schedule exercise sessions in your calendar for the next couple of weeks (if this is something you haven't been doing already). Maybe making your bed was a habit you established long ago but you've fallen out of the habit because you were sick or went on vacation for a while. You might add that habit to your habit tracker (presuming you're already using one regularly to track progress on other habits) and re-evaluate your progress at bed-making in your next several weekly review cycles. If tracking helps reinvigorate the habit, great. Otherwise, you can try a different next action instead of or in addition to tracking the habit more intentionally.

okay

A Routines List could be done quite simply in a text editor - maybe some basic formatting might help it look more pleasing. See the example below. Alternatively, you could search online for a routines template for whichever text editor you use to find a more elaborate version.

Example Routines List:

DAILY ROUTINES

Morning

• 
  
• 
  

Afternoon

• 
  

Evening

• 
  
• 
  

{add other sections or a separate page for work routines if desired}
-----page break-------

WEEKLY ROUTINES

Any Day

• 
  
• 
  

Sunday

• 
  
• 
  

Monday

• 
  
• 
  

Tuesday

• 
  
• 
  

Etc. . . .

-----page break-------


MONTHLY ROUTINES

• 1st - pay rent
• 15th - pay electric bill
• Add examples relevant to your life situation . . .

-----page break-------


YEARLY ROUTINES

January

• 
  
• 
  

February

• 
  
• 
  

March

• 
  
• 
  

Etc.

• 
  
• 
  

~~~
Note: Add another reminder somewhere else in your system, like your Calendar or your Tickler, if there will be serious consequences for not completing one instance of a routine (like living with stinky garbage in your kitchen for a week if you forget to put it outside for collection on Tuesday or paying a late fee if you don't pay your electric bill by the due date).

over your last three paraphrahs paragraph's here - that format looks good "

@11mins one of the habits I developed was literally : writing okay (while not feeling like I comprehended all the writing I am reading


This is example of the first 2 pages of the document I mentioned before (which I haven't looked at in about 2 months) - which was what I was writing was my previous schedule list (of stuff shouldn't put on calendar) which actually looks messy, un formatted properly (not like your version above) I could make a new version of this for you Livtally - if you continue "

post reading 2nd time:
in my imagination I have it still user persons called @Mrs-Polifax hasn't been active on this fourm to give feed back to a previous idea I post (of something which could help my neurological disorder " s

 

[gtdstudente]

Some older posts on this forum about habits and routines might be helpful to you. I'd recommend trying a search for those topics and checking "search titles only" to get the most relevant results. Here is an example of a search for habits:
View attachment 1947

Here are a few other general suggestions on habits and routines in response to your questions.

(1) Habit trackers
There are many ways to track habits, including standalone digital tools/apps like Loop to low-tech options like checking off on a piece of paper whether you did/didn't do the habit that day (and, if desired, recording any relevant associated data like number of pages read, number of miles run, number of minutes spent tidying, etc.). The best option for you is one that is easy and enjoyable for you to use (such that you will actually use it)! It may take some experimenting to find a solution you like that works for you.

(2) Wanting to implement lots of habits
In your post above, you've already made a start toward a "list of habits I'd like to implement successfully." If you don't have an actual list like that except in your head, you might want to make one. You could then review this list at a frequency that feels right to you (for example: during your weekly review, once a month, once a quarter, or whenever you have the bandwidth to start working on a new habit). Seeing all the habits together in one place might also help you make decisions about which ones are the highest priority for you to work on and/or which ones would make the greatest impact on your day-to-day life right now. You might also recognize some items have made the habits list just because they are things you feel like you "should" do but which actually aren't very necessary, exciting, or useful to you; you might want to save yourself time, energy, and frustration by choosing NOT to focus on implementing such habits that don't even deeply matter to YOU!

And when you are working on implementing new habits, you'll increase your chances of success if you focus on just one or two new habits at a time rather than everything you might ever want to do habitually. Build one habit until it is an actual habit, then start building another!

(3) Habits/Routines as GTD Projects
Depending on how elaborate the habit or routine is, "Implement Habit X" or "Establish Routine Y" could definitely qualify as a GTD project since there is typically some project planning and multiple steps involved (e.g. "brainstorm steps for my new routine" or "download Loop habit tracker" or "purchase new running shoes" or "review posts on GTD forum about strategies for naming my digital files") to get to the successful project outcome of "new habit/routine successfully implemented!" After you've done the planning and preparing, "track habit X daily for 30 days" could become the project's next action at some point.

(3) Not being aware when the <2mins rule applies
As humans, we are often not the best at estimating how long tasks will take. You could try using a timer to see how long it actually takes you to do certain common tasks like sorting today's mail or renaming a digital document or wiping your kitchen table. Then you will have a better sense of which tasks you can generally do in two minutes or less - and could maybe even make a reference list for yourself of "tasks that take two minutes or less." You might also start to notice that some tasks you think are quite quick usually take you much longer. (For some things, being predictable rather than fast will promote your planning and doing the most!)

For things like keeping up with household chores, you might want to just make a habit or routine of, e.g., "tidy for 5 minutes after breakfast." If you always tidy up for five minutes after breakfast, then it removes one decision from you day. You don't need to think anymore, "Hmmm . . . I've just finished breakfast, I wonder if I should tidy up next or do something else now?" You just do the cleanup (because it's now a habit/expectation you have of yourself) and your home is a little cleaner as a result!

(4) Routines & GTD
For another resource on routines and GTD, you might want to check out April Perry's system which implements a Routines List as part of her GTD setup. (She focuses on implementing GTD in family settings, and her insights have been featured before on this site: https://gettingthingsdone.com/?s=april+perry.)

Here's the basic idea: "A Routines List is a list reviewed at your Weekly Review with your ideal Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Routines. Knowing what you’ve committed to do over and over helps you to acknowledge how much you have on your plate that represents recurring commitments rather than one-off events. (Of course, you can put some routine items on your calendar too, like the Library Board’s meeting at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month). But having a Routines List is better than having such items just on your calendar (where many will create clutter because they are not time-specific or even day-specific for many things you want to do weekly, like wash your towels, or less often, like change the furnace filter) or just in your head (where your poor brain will have to keep track of them and worry about forgetting something)."

For more details, check out these resources from her website:

• A Fun, Logical Way to Set Up Your Routines List!
• Set Up Projects, Routines and Next Actions…Digitally! (She uses Asana as a digital tool.)

Another way having a Routines List like this might help you is for the kinds of things where you mentioned that you've already noticed are habits
"but a very small amount of times will actually forget to do them." For most habits that are already part of your daily routine, skipping them occasionally is not a big deal. If you didn't wash the dishes today, you will wash them tomorrow (or will be reminded to wash them eventually when you run out of clean dishes)! You could add these kinds of things to a habit tracker if missing occasionally really bothers you. But it might be a better use of your time and energy to focus your habit-tracking efforts on newer habits that you're not yet doing very consistently.

For the other habits, a weekly review of your Routines List will remind you of what you're already doing and flag any potential problems you might want to address more deliberately--like the issue you raised where you didn't do your weekly review one Sunday because your work schedule changed. If this is a one-time or occasional situation, figuring out a solution on a case-by-case basis will work to shift your Weekly Review that week to another time. There is no automatic "right" or "best" answer - just do whatever works best for you that week. But if you notice over time that, say, you've been scheduled to work 4 out of the last 6 Sundays and you never have enough mental energy to tackle the Weekly Review after your shift and regularly need to reschedule your Sunday review to a different day, then you might want to pick a different day of the week for your Weekly Review going forward and change your Routines List to reflect that.

@Livtally

Habit Tracking for introspective "Activity Allocation Analysis"?

 

[Livtally]

View attachment 1949
This is example of the first 2 pages of the document I mentioned before (which I haven't looked at in about 2 months) - which was what I was writing was my previous schedule list (of stuff shouldn't put on calendar) which actually looks messy, un formatted properly (not like your version above)

It seems like this list you shared records some preliminary thinking about what you would like to remember to do routinely plus the start of a Routines List in the items marked 1), 2), 3), 4), and 5) in the screenshot. Doing whatever you need to get the thinking about your routines done is fine. But you're right that a simpler and more streamlined version of the above document that reflects the conclusions from all your thinking would serve you better as a list of routines you find easy to review and use regularly.

Rearranging those numbered items according to when/how often you would like to do them might give you something like:

DAILY ROUTINES

Morning

• Shower (at least every 2 days)
• Shave & Dress

---

WEEKLY ROUTINES

Saturday

• Check job rota
• Wash water bottle (after work shift)
• GTD Weekly Review

 

[Livtally]

@Livtally

Habit Tracking for "Activity Allocation Analysis" Introspection ?

I could see it being used that way . . . and I love the alliteration (and the potential challenge of saying "activity allocation analysis" five times fast)!

If concerned about the allocation of my activities overall, I might first try something more akin to an "activities audit"--not tracking habits per se but looking at how I spend my time across various categories of activities that fall under my areas of responsibility, and what activities within those areas are getting the most and least time. I might be surprised to discover that I'm spending disproportionate amounts of time on certain activities, perhaps without realizing it (like getting sucked into social media--or GTD forums!--for 45 minutes when I intended to use it as a five-minute break). Or I might collect data revealing that my time is scattered across so many disparate activities over a day or a week that no wonder I'm left with the feeling of "not getting anything done" lately.

Perhaps this activities audit might also surface some "bad habits" I'd like to track more intentionally (to reduce their overall frequency and/or duration) and identify some "good habits" I'd like to track to nurture and expand them. In that case, habit tracking might follow introspection rather than precede it.

On the other hand, if I want to get more insight into one habit in particular, habit tracking could be one way to prompt some needed introspection about whether a certain habit occupies the role in my life that I want it to have. Then habit tracking --> activity allocation analysis introspection would seem to be a viable strategy.

 

[Livtally]

You're saying I could put a habit as an actual project list

Maybe, if significant planning or multiple steps are involved before you can begin practicing your habit/routine. A little thinking at the outset should help you distinguish between habits that might be better managed as projects and habits that simply involve getting on with practicing the habit-related behavior(s).

Example 1: New Habit/Routine as Next Action Only
For example, let's imagine you want to make a habit of making your bed every morning. And let's assume you already have a bed plus a sufficient supply of clean sheets, blankets, and pillows. You are proficient at a bed-making technique you find satisfactory. In that case, making the bed could be a two-minute action you could do right now. Do it and then you're all done for today! That could leave you with one more next action of setting some trigger in your life that will remind you to repeat the action daily, like...

• setting a reminder alarm on your phone or
• creating an entry for bed-making in a habit-tracking app or
• adding "make bed" to a Daily Routines List that you commit to reviewing daily as long as it contains habits that aren't yet happening consistently.

Example 2: New Habit/Routine as Project
In contrast, let's imagine that you want to implement a full-fledged morning routine consisting of multiple mini-routines linked together like making your bed, eating a healthy breakfast, reading for personal growth, exercising, and planning your day--and that you're not doing any of those component steps consistently yet. Getting to the stage of "New Morning Routine Running Reliably" is a project-level outcome and will involve some project planning and a series of actions, possibly including some of the following:

• Research morning routines to get ideas about what to include (Context: @Computer or @Online)
• Purchase healthy breakfast foods (Context: @Errands)
• Discuss idea of exercising with friend three mornings per week (Context: @Calls or @Friend [in Agendas])

If a new potential habit or routine involves any substantial planning (about what to do, how to do it, when to do it, in what order to do it, etc.) or getting physical supplies or other resources (like knowledge and insight) together so you are actually able to do it, you've now got a GTD project.

This morning routine project may also generate further actions before you regularly can get through the whole morning routine in a way that pleases you--like eliminating, rearranging, or abbreviating steps so your routine fits better with the realities of your life. Once you're happy with how your morning routine is going, you can check the morning routine project off as done! The routine is now established! If you use a Routines List, morning routine could stay on the Daily Routines list as something you now just do every day. But you would not have formal projects or actions related to it in your GTD system anymore unless or until circumstances change such that you're no longer satisfied with how your routine is going. (If that happens, follow the GTD strategy of turning a problem into a project!)

 

[gtdstudente]

I could see it being used that way . . . and I love the alliteration (and the potential challenge of saying "activity allocation analysis" five times fast)!

If concerned about the allocation of my activities overall, I might first try something more akin to an "activities audit"--not tracking habits per se but looking at how I spend my time across various categories of activities that fall under my areas of responsibility, and what activities within those areas are getting the most and least time. I might be surprised to discover that I'm spending disproportionate amounts of time on certain activities, perhaps without realizing it (like getting sucked into social media--or GTD forums!--for 45 minutes when I intended to use it as a five-minute break). Or I might collect data revealing that my time is scattered across so many disparate activities over a day or a week that no wonder I'm left with the feeling of "not getting anything done" lately.

Perhaps this activities audit might also surface some "bad habits" I'd like to track more intentionally (to reduce their overall frequency and/or duration) and identify some "good habits" I'd like to track to nurture and expand them. In that case, habit tracking might follow introspection rather than precede it.

On the other hand, if I want to get more insight into one habit in particular, habit tracking could be one way to prompt some needed introspection about whether a certain habit occupies the role in my life that I want it to have. Then habit tracking --> activity allocation analysis introspection would seem to be a viable strategy.

@Livtally

Very nice

Succinctly . . . appreciatively cognizant expansion:

Laws of diminishing returns

While it would seemingly require the most of any GTDer in regards to organize, it might realistically be possible to reduce
all Area-of-Focus(es) into two focus concerns for reduced deliberation and easier decision making?

1. First Focus Purpose could be for compounding/expanding/increasing, etc.

Concern Example I: Good / Positive [Health, Good Habits (Virtues), Intellect, Volition, Space, ect.]


2. Second Focus Purpose could be for contracting/decreasing/eliminating/removing, etc.

Concern Example Il: Bad / Negative [Illness, Bad Habits (Vices), Expense, Clutter, Malice, Toxicity, ect.]


Life is short . . . be more by deliberating less?

As you see GTD fit. . . .

 

[TimBourne]

It seems like this list you shared records some preliminary thinking about what you would like to remember to do routinely plus the start of a Routines List in the items marked 1), 2), 3), 4), and 5) in the screenshot.

don't remember screen shot - so check *1

Doing whatever you need to get the thinking about your routines done is fine.

what do you mean

But you're right that a simpler and more streamlined version of the above document that reflects the conclusions from all your thinking would serve you better

Yes

as a list of routines you find easy to review and use regularly.

how regularly?

Rearranging those numbered items according to when/how often you would like to do them might give you something like:

DAILY ROUTINES

Morning

• Shower (at least every 2 days)
• Shave & Dress

---

WEEKLY ROUTINES

Saturday

• Check job rota
• Wash water bottle (after work shift)
• GTD Weekly Review

Hi

I didn't further reply to your other posts here
after must have looked at this one after got notification

Your saying I should no longer use that old routine document
but this template

What would be best paste this into? google docs

*1 I just checked and yea all those 5 list items are still things I do
but just had voice say - actually not sure I need to wash water bottle, links to something else - a post made in raw FB group that washing up liquid is toxic/harms ful says voice
"
s

 

[TimBourne]

I could see it being used that way . . . and I love the alliteration (and the potential challenge of saying "activity allocation analysis" five times fast)!

If concerned about the allocation of my activities overall, I might first try something more akin to an "activities audit"--not tracking habits per se but looking at how I spend my time across various categories of activities that fall under my areas of responsibility, and what activities within those areas are getting the most and least time. I might be surprised to discover that I'm spending disproportionate amounts of time on certain activities, perhaps without realizing it (like getting sucked into social media--or GTD forums!--for 45 minutes when I intended to use it as a five-minute break). Or I might collect data revealing that my time is scattered across so many disparate activities over a day or a week that no wonder I'm left with the feeling of "not getting anything done" lately.

Perhaps this activities audit might also surface some "bad habits" I'd like to track more intentionally (to reduce their overall frequency and/or duration) and identify some "good habits" I'd like to track to nurture and expand them. In that case, habit tracking might follow introspection rather than precede it.

On the other hand, if I want to get more insight into one habit in particular, habit tracking could be one way to prompt some needed introspection about whether a certain habit occupies the role in my life that I want it to have. Then habit tracking --> activity allocation analysis introspection would seem to be a viable strategy.

I'm not sure why student wrote that one sentence?

it looks like your writing here about more advanced concepts

im not sure I can fully understand these 3 further below posts from your previous on here "

 

[TimBourne]

It seems like this list you shared records some preliminary thinking about what you would like to remember to do routinely plus the start of a Routines List in the items marked 1), 2), 3), 4), and 5) in the screenshot. Doing whatever you need to get the thinking about your routines done is fine. But you're right that a simpler and more streamlined version of the above document that reflects the conclusions from all your thinking would serve you better as a list of routines you find easy to review and use regularly.

Rearranging those numbered items according to when/how often you would like to do them might give you something like:

DAILY ROUTINES

Morning

• Shower (at least every 2 days)
• Shave & Dress

---

WEEKLY ROUTINES

Saturday

• Check job rota
• Wash water bottle (after work shift)
• GTD Weekly Review

Dear L or Gtdstundte @gtdstudente ,

I made a new document , where I pasted @Livtally "DAILY ROUTINES" above and edited it - then printed off a hard copy

One of the things I was having repeating vocalizations of was a habit I got into recently: forgetting , or feeling it is better to not brush my teeth with baking soda before going to my job because of saying "I don't have the time" if I have limited sleep while on days scheduled - or I just think in theory to myself its better to do something on days I go to shift starting at 7 - is also best to start running as quickly as possible from when woke up, to try to increase my physical fitness

so I just a water pick once a day - then - I

I thinking to myself is it okay: skip one day brushing with baking soda only (and then next day just spend more time using baking soda overall - does it actually make a difference overall do you think?

What else: Lots potentially I could further write about this topic *

But - that persons Livtally put water wash above - made myself think or feel - I need to clear up tasks with water persons told me about washing up liquid being toxic using to wash water bottle (on raw vegan facebook fourm) ... ITWIWF about linked things here?

Questions for livtally?

Does it make sense then : I should delete or transfer over to my expansion drive the previous document shared about routines digital version - which ended up getting very messy, put new file name etc '

STN>