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

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


From one note
this specifically linked to @FocusGuy - because literally the writing he did , with an activity about habits - when I tried doing it , in the 2 mins on a sheet i immediately felt - like "I'm not sure its helping"

-Because - I've done very similar in the past (as cited here - you understand?)

"Or focus guy also - not sure
What you shared ' write out habits'
Made me think of thread made with livtally


  • Where I created a type of "routine " document 'of things not to put on Calander which I didn't think was best
WE?
@Mrs-Polifax
@FocusGuy
@Wilson Ng comes to mind
 
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

This was it- the original I tried to print off "

I can make new version of this with the entry being - first entry
 
This was it- the original I tried to print off "

I can make new version of this with the entry being - first entry

'maybe livitally isn't active

I had idea print new second version of this sheet

with shaving

and applying coconut oil to my dry skin chronic problem

* as if to express some representation EIGHT

like - I think I have an mp4 version of a kugnsiht (name of youtube channel spelt improperly) (where shares - "in a nutshell - where was something video on YT solitary confinement like a 7 or 8 things tips/points video (to do with what helps

1 was raptness
1 was routine - where specifically mentioned it helps inmates to "abide by same routine, stick by it - helps mental health

thought could write - I could try to share this? *1

*and I thought that - specfically relates to myself with short term memory problem (where with my symptom of schizophrenia or autism - naturally all my life I've been type of person not motivated to care about my personal appearance or hygiene - I should do something to change

"and words in head were background - doing this would give me some type of high or dopamine rush - you understand?

*1 link is

1737065701279.png
I did quick net search - then found the video/s (there a 2 10 minute ones) , the channel is "infographic show)

the one I am hoovering over on my screen - is mentions albert wood fox - its referencing the Angla (typo) prison in America

"I read the book, - LItearlly - in the past I got a mp3 version of the audio book "solitary" by albert wood fox - which is a type of book about civil rights - It links to martin Luther King , civil rights in history , the ku klux klan , or racism black lives matter

"it was one of my favourite books?

What am I trying to express here?

Art "? or Pleasure ?

the concept of dissatisfaction or not feeling fulfilled in life

For example in real life - watching that video - it had type cartoon computer type image which releases dopamine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmvQ6QPtjzQ @ 1:49

7 Rs
reschedule
removal
reduction
reorientation
resistance
raptness
reinterpration

@gtdstudente - test


could be worht I shared this with other memeber

TSW with typos
 
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.


(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

-I must have not implemented all the ideas here when I saw this?

"don't you think checking off on piece of paper can actually start to become counter productive ( with amount of times it takes though ? '
 
@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. . . .

'I think from my knowledge
this was - the main thread I created on this fourm about the topic of habit tracking?
or using a type habit tracker checklist

where see on first page studente here
and @Livtally
' erm

S?

I just searched into the net

and herd
' I could give example of myself Tim - struggle with mental health, low mood depression

one of my ideas or repeating ideas - was it could help me "get myself together" or be more productive (the key word or holy grail to "happiness?"

if obviously did something - implemented and started new habits i've had about since X time - what since last 2 months say?



or 2 -

not slutz youtuber
 
@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. . . .

'I think from my knowledge
this was - the main thread I created on this fourm about the topic of habit tracking?
or using a type habit tracker checklist

where see on first page studente here
and @Livtally
' erm

I just searched into the net

and herd
' I could give example of myself Tim - struggle with mental health, low mood depression

one of my ideas or repeating ideas - was it could help me "get myself together" or be more productive (the key word or holy grail to "happiness?"

if obviously did something - implemented and started new habits i've had about since X time - what since last 2 months say?



or 2 -

not slutz youtuber

' other persons who could maybe help
@cfoley
or @Gtds no @FocusGuy
 
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