Habits and Habit Tracker


Habit Formation Overview

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Why is habit formation important?

Confucius said “Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that carry them far apart”

Through history people have focused on forming good habits, setting positive virtues from Pythagoras to Benjamin Franklin.

Habits make our character and form the outlook on life.
Regular revision of your current habits will set you up for success.

What are the habit formation steps?
  1. Examine your current behaviors and decide what habits to form
  2. Understand why you want to form a specific habit
  3. Do not begin with more than 1-2 new habits at a time
  4. Work on moderate changes, not too easy not too hard
  5. Be consistent and plan for breaks and rest days
  6. Ensure that you give yourself ample amount of time to form a habit
  7. Celebrate your accomplishments
How to use a habit tracker?

Habit trackers are an easy way to track the consistency of your habit formation.
They visually display any trends that you may have in forming specific habits.

Steps to Use the Habit Tracker

Enter the name of the habit you want to track
Enter the dates for tracking
Every day check off the habit to be formed.


Insights from Historical Figures

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Pythagoras

14 habits to focus on based on the teachings of Pythagoras

  1. Focus on spiritual growth and development
  2. Maintain healthy family relationships
  3. Have a strong network of friends
  4. Develop emotional intelligence and self-respect
  5. Be purpose-driven and set goals
  6. ‘Memento Mori’ remember your mortality
  7. Embrace uncertainty
  8. Respect the opinions of others but think for yourself
  9. Take deliberate actions
  10. Be a continuous learner
  11. Take care of your physical health
  12. Avoid excessive spending
  13. Practice generous giving
  14. Practice regular retrospection
Confucius

Steps to achieving the habits from the great master himself.

Understand why you want to form a specific habit.

  • Habits make us who we are.
  • A conscious decision on what habits you want to form is the first step to becoming the person you want to be.

Work on habit formation through obstacles and be persistent.

  • Obstacles will inevitably stand in a way of any habit formation or goal achievement.
  • The key is to continue working through the obstacles.

Go slow if needed but do not stop.

  • The key point here is, do not give up if you believe you are not progressing fast enough.
  • Remember that you are progressing.
Francis Bacon

Secrets to habit creation from Francis Bacon

  1. Examine your current behaviors and decide what habits to form.
  2. Do not begin with more than 1 or 2 new habits at a time.
  3. Work on moderate changes, which should challenge you but not cause you to fail.
  4. Stay consistent in practicing the new habit.
  5. Plan for breaks and rest days to regain strength.
  6. Give yourself time
  7. Celebrate your accomplishments!
Benjamin Franklin

13 Virtues (Habits) that Benjamin Franklin worked on

  1. Temperance
  2. Silence
  3. Order
  4. Resolution
  5. Frugality
  6. Industry
  7. Sincerity
  8. Justice
  9. Moderation
  10. Cleanliness
  11. Tranquility
  12. Chastity
  13. Humility

Habit Formation Blog Posts

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Habit Formation Quotes

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Make no Expence but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.

Benjamin Franklin

Contrary Habits must be broken and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any Dependance on a steady uniform Rectitude of Conduct

Benjamin Franklin

Eat not to Dulness

Drink not to Elevation

Benjamin Franklin

Speak not but what may benefit others or yourlself.

Avoid trifling Conversation.

Benjamin Franklin

Let all your Things have their Places.
Let each Part of your Business have its Time.

Benjamin Franklin

Resolve to perform what you ought.
Perform without fail what you resolve.

Benjamin Franklin

Though in making a mound I should stop when but one more basketful of earth would complete it, the fact remains that I have stopped.
On the other hand, if in leveling it to the ground I advance my work by but one basketful at a time, the fact remains that I am advancing.

Confucius

Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that carry them far apart

Confucius

Hee that seeketh victory over his nature, let him not set himselfe too great nor too small tasks; for the first will make him dejected by often faylings; and the second will make him a small proceeder, though by often prevailing.

Francis Bacon

Abeunt studia in mores

(Studies change into habits)

Francis Bacon

Let not a man force a habit upon himselfe with a perpetual continuance, but with some intermission. For both the pause reinforceth the new onset; and if a man that is not perfect be ever in practise, he shall as well practise his errours as his abilities; and induce one habit of both: and there is no meanes to helpe this but by seasonable intermissions

Francis Bacon

But let not a man trust his victorie over his nature too farre; for nature will lay buried a great time, and yet revive upon the occasion or temptation….
Therefore let a man either avoid the occasion altogether; or put himselfe often to it, the hee may be little moved with it.

Francis Bacon

Examine thy customes of diet, sleepe, exercise, apparell, and the like; and trie, in any thing thou shalt judge hurtfull, to discontinue it by little and little

Francis Bacon

Habitual thoughts also will be the character of the mind; because the soul is dyed by the thoughts. Dye it then with a continuous series of such thoughts as these: for instance, that where a man can live, there he can also live well.

Marcus Aurelius

09. Know that all these things are as I have told thee; and accustom thyself to overcome and vanquish these passions:

–Pythagoras

10. First gluttony, sloth, sensuality, and anger.

Pythagoras

11. Do nothing evil, neither in the presence of others, nor privately;

Pythagoras

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