Welcome to my honest habit tracking journey: what works, what doesn't, and habit ideas to enter 2026 with a Bang!
It's time, right now, for the “End-of-Year Reset”, finishing 2025 strong and preparing for a fresh start in 2026.
I know, you had dreams and hopes for 2025, some worked out, and some were a complete disappointment.
But the game is not over, my friend. We have the powerful window ahead of us—the last three months of 2025.
You have the last chance to change in this window before the new year begins. You have the opportunity to say “no more”, and to say “even if” instead of “what if”.
You have a chance to show everyone who you really are and, more importantly, show yourself who you can become.
I'm not saying you're not good enough; I'm certain you're much better than you see in the mirror.
But don't you want to see the version of yourself you're meant to be in this life?
Don't you want to be proud of yourself and show yourself what you can achieve?
And the best part is, you don’t need Fiona’s godmother to make it all happen for you.
Because your godmatter is YOU.
The golden plate you’re waiting for is YOU. The charming prince or savior you’re waiting for is YOU. The main character, the hero of your story, is no one except YOU.
Don’t you think it's time to take responsibility?
Yep, I knew you were going to say this. So, in this very blog post, I will show you a paved path that I walked, failed, and found better.
So, you can follow, get inspired, and change your entire life starting today with small but effective routines.
At the end of this post, you’ll have the motivation to take the first step, the structure for your ultimate habit tracker, the proven ideas, and real-life experiences for starting your journey successfully.
Continue to read, if only you’re truly determined to become more, because everything I’ll talk about requires discipline, consistency, grit, and vision of your future self.
As you can imagine, it won’t be easy.
If you’re still here, let’s start to change your life!
What Is Habit Tracking, Why It Works & Benefits
In simple words, habit tracking is visually recording whether you did something daily.
Every time you check the little boxes, it gives you dopamine, which, as a result, you feel instant satisfaction.
Day by day, visually seeing and tracking your progress keeps you accountable for the actions you promise to do.
You may see patterns you would normally miss at the end of the week and month.
Habit tracking is like a mirror for your daily life, and with first-hand experience, you think, “Wow, this actually shows my priorities, and my life within all its reality.”
And the benefits, God, where should I start?
In time, while your tiny wins transform into a giant snowball, you’ll recognize that you gain a major characteristic quality: consistency—the most important quality for success in any area of your life.
Mindfulness also comes from habit tracking, showing where you're succeeding and failing at adjusting your routine.
Mental clarity is another gain of habit tracking, and it reduces decision fatigue because you can finally stop thinking “Should I…?”
And without you even realizing, you become more disciplined without pressuring yourself. Because you see that you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to keep going.
As a result of non-pressure discipline, guess what, you finally achieve healthy confidence as you prove to yourself that you’re capable.
Finally, I understand from my own experience that at the end of the day, even if it's a hard, bad, dark day, even if I think I'm useless, even if I feel like a loser, even if I can't see any progress in my life, when I look at my little boxes filled in, I can't help but feel a little accomplishment.
And you know what? I think THAT keeps me going, keeps me going one more step, and keeps me from giving up, at least for today.
Like singer-songwriter Mon Rovîa said, “Through the gray, I’ll find another day. Another day to quit. Not today, not tomorrow. I’ll find another day.”
P.S. I highly recommend you listen to this episode of the Mel Robbins Podcast featuring guest Mon Rovîa: This Life-Changing Conversation Will Help You Make Peace With Who You Are.
How to Start Habit Tracking (Step-by-Step)
In this chapter, I’ll give 6 steps that you can follow to start your habit tracking journey today.
Step 1 is choosing at least 3 to 5 small, realistic habits you want to incorporate into your life according to your goals.
As you know, the success of the whole process depends on your consistency. And for this, I used a trick that made my habit tracking journey easier.
The trick is to add new habits to your first habit tracker, as well as habits that you do regularly, that are already a part of your life, and that you aim to continue.
Why? Because this way, even if you have difficulty adjusting to your new habits, even if you are 1-2 days late in checking those boxes, you will still have filled boxes representing your old, good habits that you have succeeded in.
And, my friend, it will give you the willpower to keep going, motivation to try harder, and not give up on accomplishing more habits you promised yourself to do.
Step 2 is deciding on your tracking system.
It can be an app, a printable, a bullet journal, or a spreadsheet.
Personally, I prefer the old-fashioned way: pen and paper. I bought a cute squared notebook so I could easily create a table and connect the dots and lines. (I will dive more into my habit tracker in the next chapters.)
Step 3 is making habits specific.
What do I mean by that?
Let’s say one of your goals is to lose the extra 6 pounds in the last three months of 2025. And for this, you aim to exercise consistently.
So, instead of writing “Exercise” into your tracker, you should write “10K Steps” or “30-45 min Full-Body Pilates”. Or if you’re a writer and finish your book by the end of the year, specify your habit like “Write 500 words daily”, instead of “Write More”.
This gives you a solid purpose to follow; there is no room for misunderstanding. If you did it, perfect, then check the box. And if you don’t, it will be empty for today, and tomorrow you’ll try again.
Step 4 is setting a routine time for checking your tracker.
It can be the end of the day, before bed, or, like me, the next morning as a part of your morning routine.
But the key is, whatever works for you, keep it that way, stick with it, and make it your routine.
Step 5 is reviewing weekly.
Reflecting on your progress, wins, and losses is as important as tracking.
Because this is the only way to see what works, what doesn’t, and most importantly, what must change.
This is one of my favorite steps because in the reflection process, I allow myself to be proud of myself fully, say to myself, “Good job, Seyda, keep going, girl.”, or “Okay, I see what doesn’t work, so what can I do to fix that?”.
I encourage you to do the same thing: talk to yourself most honestly. Act like you are your mentor and give advice to yourself—in the end, you know what you need more than anyone else.
Step 6 is adjusting according to your reviews.
The last step is dropping habits that don’t work, and adding new ones only if you’re ready.
In here, you should be very careful! While I say dropping habits, I’m not talking about quitting or giving up, because it's too hard.
I’m talking about dropping habits that you thought would fit your lifestyle, goals, and vision, but in progress, you notice that you add these habits because everyone is doing it, or praising it.
In fact, you don't even enjoy it; you were only influenced by someone, and it doesn't even help you become the best version of yourself.
Those habits have no place in your life. So you need to replace them with what really works for you.
And believe me, if you do step 5 (reviewing, reflecting step), you will know exactly what must go, what can have a place in your life, and is worth trying, even if it's a compelling habit.
Habits You Can Track (Inspiration List)
Ok, now it’s time to talk about habit ideas to crush your 2026 resolutions.
In my habit tracker, I list my habits in the order I do them throughout the day.
For example, the first few lines are my morning routine habits, the last rows are my bedtime routine habits, and the remaining lines are my goals for the day.
So, morning routine habits can consist of:
- Journaling:
I often use prompts in my Pinterest Journaling Board to get inspired, solve problems that keep occupying my brain, and release the tension in my body.
I also set intentions for the day by listing must-do tasks with importance order, progress that I would aim to make, little daily chores, or an appointment/meeting I’ll attend.
With this, I know what to do, I have a plan even before the day properly starts—even if I don’t feel like it.
This morning, journaling sessions are the best way to reinvent yourself and rewrite your future.
- EFT Tapping:
EFT tapping is one of the new habits I've incorporated into my life through my habit tracker.
I’m planning to write a blog post just for this, but shortly, EFT tapping is the fastest and greatest way to reprogram your subconscious mind and remove limiting beliefs.
I recently started a free 10-Day EFT program with certified EFT coach Demi Millbank, designed to regulate the nervous system and transform you into something unrecognizable in 10 days.
I also love Kelsey White’s EFT tapping videos from TikTok for creating, especially helping high achievers to rewire their subconscious mind and build a dream life.
On this account, you can find amazing video guides about love, relationships, money, your dream job, and even lucky girl syndrome.
- Meditation
Regarding meditation, I highly recommend Joe Dispenza’s guided meditations, or at least try his “no one, nowhere, no time” method to go beyond the senses, attract, and become anything and everything you want.
A small but effective trick I recently learned to bring manifestations into your reality during meditation is to use all your senses.
What do I mean by that? Let’s say in your wildest dreams, you’re a photographer who captures the magic of Earth.
You go to places you’ve always dreamed of, an isolated beach on the other side of the World, and you’re taking a shot of a beautiful sunset.
In that exact moment, what do you feel? Do you feel the sand under your feet? The smell of the ocean? Are you a little cold with the wind blowing your hair? Are you excited or maybe a little emotional since you made your dream come true?
Whatever it is, feel it, embrace it, and hold on to it. Don't let it go after meditation; carry those feelings with you throughout the day as much as you can.
This, my friend, is the true secret that makes your manifestations finally manifest in your life.
Ok, let’s move on to health habits:
- Exercises
- Walking
- Stretching
- Protein Goal
- 3L Water Intake
- Supplements
- Green Tea
Exercise of your choice can be yoga, pilates, power walk, cardio, HIIT workout, or my favorite, strength/weight training.
Regardless, continue to do this regularly, 5 times a week, and reserve 2 days as rest days.
Take your daily supplements (vitamin D, Omega-3s, Magnesium), drink enough water for your overall health, and eat a healthy diet rich in protein to gain muscle mass—aka health currency.
There are also brain fitness foods and gut health tips that you should add to your diet for sharpening focus, reducing stress, and healing from the inside out.
Limit your coffee intake, and try herbal tea like green tea for metabolic health, or chamomile tea for better sleep.
If you're not sure which habit will make you healthier, stronger, happier, and younger, let these be your starting point. Believe me, you’ll feel the difference in a week.
There are also glow-up habits that you definitely add to your habit tracker:
- Skincare
- Gua Sha
- Hair Oiling
- Scalp Massaging
- Nail/Hand Care
Make sure you do your skincare properly everyday to get glowing, healthy skin. You may love my previous post about the 5-minute Skinimalism routine for busy women to get a natural glow with easy steps.
To sculpt your skin and get a natural Botox effect, add a 5-10 minute gua sha routine into your life. In this article, I explained everything about lymphatic drainage and a step-by-step, beginner-level gua sha routine.
And also, as a woman, you know how important our hair and nails are, and how much they affect our mood, so we cannot ignore them.
That’s why, for your hair glow-up, you should definitely add a weekly hair oiling routine and 5 5-minute scalp massages in your habit tracker, and for your nail glow-up, using cuticle oil and hand cream daily is essential.
The other important category is personal growth, productivity, and lifestyle habits:
- Writing
- Reading
- Listening Podcast
- Study Time
- Content Creation
- Screen-Time Limit
- New Language Practices
- Learning Skills
- Creative Hobbies
- Cooking at Home
- Budgeting
- Tidying Routines
- Calling loved ones
These are the habits that help you to reach your goals while adding joy to your day.
For example, my goals include writing for my blog, publishing pins in my Pinterest account, reading one of my fantasy-romance books🖤, listening to podcasts while doing daily chores, doing photography practices for my portfolio, editing them afterwards, and so on.
I also added some religious practices that I want to be consistent with as a Muslim and that I want to do better.
And you can do that too, if you are a Christian, you can add things like studying the Bible, going to church, or anything that suits your life.
And lastly, you can track your sleep, mood, and medications (if you’re dealing with some health problem), so you can see up and down through the weeks and months.
As a result, you can recognize the hidden patterns, and if you do the reflecting/reviewing step properly, you can fix problems that keep holding you back and affect your life badly.
Digital vs Paper Habit Tracking
This chapter is for those stuck at Step 2 of the starting habit tracking journey.
So, I'm here to help you decide which one would be best for you: a digital or paper habit tracker.
If I were to compare digital vs. paper habit trackers in a few words, I would say:
Many of the benefits of digital trackers include reminders, analytics, and portability. And the disadvantages are the risk of distraction and less “tangible”.
Paper trackers, on the other hand, are tactile and allow you to be creative and intentional. And I think the biggest thing that differentiates it from digital is: Less screen time.
But, of course, you can go for a hybrid and use a digital version for productivity, and a paper one for wellness.
The best habit tracking apps that I can recommend to you are:
- Habitica – Gamified habit tracker where you turn habits into an RPG game.
- Streaks – iOS app that tracks streaks and motivates through minimal design.
- Loop Habit Tracker – Free, open-source app for Android.
- Done – Colorful habit tracker with daily, weekly, and monthly goals.
- Notion – All-in-one digital workspace, perfect for customizable habit tracking templates.
- Productive – Focuses on building positive daily routines.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this is the perfect time (October-December) for you to start a habit tracking journey to enter 2026 with momentum.
All you have to do is choose the key habits for the rest of 2025, test-drive your system, track your progress, and evaluate in January.
Remember, we are playing for long-term results, so how consistent you are is the main determinant in creating the habits for becoming the best version of yourself.
And in time, you’ll see a habit that once you had a hard time completing, even for one day, no longer needs to be tracked because it’s now automatic.
Choose progress over perfection; missing a day isn’t failure, but missing two days means starting new habits—always be aware of that!
Finally, let this post be a sign to start today, not in January. I'd love to hear about your journey, habits, and tips and tricks. Leave a comment so we can be friends.
I hope you love this post, see you in the next one—With love, take care:)
P.S. For more habit tracker inspirations, visit my Pinterest Habit Tracker Board and find colorful, smart ways to create your own personal tracker from scratch.
