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

davidcoforum said:
This thread got off track with a discussion of religion, so we've deleted the last couple of posts.
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Sorry about that

there were just three maximum or two posts about topic of J from stundente @gtdstudente starting writing

But I see more posts were deleted , that (didn't have any writing about topic of religion)

I shouldn't discuss religion on this fourm in the future then SV
 
@44

I "

in this thread there were users @Livtally and @gtdstudente - who now maybe I see haven't visited for an amount of time where we were writing about the topics of routines or week review

Something on the weekly review checklist is "get clear" then 3 steps

2 is "get in to zero"
3 (very similar to ) "empty your head" put into writing and clarify any uncaptured new projects/ideas etc - (which i find is help ful to do after you have done step 1 (capture loose papers/materials ) - because at the end of the week I may have left things physical out at my house/room (represent an idea)

1724763064651.png

*this image with( two circle highlights on ) shows what I tried for first time from my own idea of adding and entry (to my Asana) titled WR
(where in the description - I then wrote 4 points (which represented objects out of place

and I was having words in head - that it makes sense for myself to continue like this? in this format shown helpful - because using digital like this prevents clutter, uses less money etc "

also M @Wilson Ng interested "
~5 - 10 mins
 
Livtally said:
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:

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.
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A

Have in your knowledge

Persons replied
Type solution

Shared before about myself “having to skip/miss a weekly review

And could give an example of circumstance again to prove a point

“In theory according a system of GTD - its better for person to do a weekly review earlier/more frequently than put it off

*point came to mind - that when I wrote earlier in this post/thread I saw - she replied back example what to do when get shift change (as if she was writing about person who works a a job five or four days a week - unlike myself who is just part time on three day contract.


  • I start have words in head - that I am better off following a different system an stop being a “goody toe shoes” - for example I don’t seem to feel emotionally better doing a weekly review , WE?
 
TimBourne said:
A

Have in your knowledge

Persons replied
Type solution

Shared before about myself “having to skip/miss a weekly review

And could give an example of circumstance again to prove a point

“In theory according a system of GTD - its better for person to do a weekly review earlier/more frequently than put it off

*point came to mind - that when I wrote earlier in this post/thread I saw - she replied back example what to do when get shift change (as if she was writing about person who works a a job five or four days a week - unlike myself who is just part time on three day contract.


  • I start have words in head - that I am better off following a different system an stop being a “goody toe shoes” - for example I don’t seem to feel emotionally better doing a weekly review , WE?
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@TimBourne

Celebrate with something healthy after doing after doing the Weekly Review to 'feel emotionally better' after doing the Weekly Review ?
 
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