Habit tracking and Chapter 16 of Atomic Habits

Today, I'm looking forward to a quiet day. I've had my two cups of coffee, read chapters 16 and 17, and after I finish my blog post, I'm going to go to the gym for my leg and core routine. For the rest of today, I'll be playing Minecraft, piano, eating two nutritious meals, drinking tea, and starting another book. I'll finish Atomic Habits either tomorrow or Sunday, and go through some of the exercises from earlier in the book, like the Habit Scorecard, where I'm sure I missed plenty of habits the first time around.

I lost another half pound, and am down to 122.2, but the difference today is that it seems like my gut has gotten smaller. I'm not sure if it's actual fat loss or what is going on, but I certainly feel like I look better. If it's true, and I manage to continue to have less fat in my midsection by the end of the month, I might have to rethink my post-challenge diet. Previously, I was looking forward to February 1st and going downtown to Videri Chocolate Factory. Maybe I don't want to go back to eating added sugar? Maybe only on the weekends? Or, would I over eat on the weekends and ruin my progress? I'll keep watch and do more experimentation on diet in February.

My neighbor(s) so far is quiet, considering they're moving in. I hear boxes being moved and stacked, but beyond that, they're not ridiculous. I'm sure if I were to put background music on, I'd not be able to hear anything except the loudest thunk. I hope they have the same type of lifestyle that I do - quiet and introverted.

I'll be heading to the gym after lunch instead of my two cups of coffee. I decided last night that due to the insomnia two days ago and and the infection rate of the IT department at work, that I would sleep just as much as I could today, instead of trying to get up at a particular time, since there was no reason for me to be up. I ended up sleeping for 9.5 hours and feel absolutely fine. I'm really happy for that, considering three more people called off this morning. Hopefully everyone takes time to heal this weekend so we don't keep infecting others with colds or flu!

I read chapters 16 about habit tracking.

Chapter 16, How to Stick With Good Habits Every Day, chapter summary:

• One of the most satisfying feelings is the feeling of making progress.
• A habit tracker is a simple way to measure whether you did a habit - like marking an X on a calendar.
• Habit trackers and other visual forms of measurement can make your habits satisfying by providing clear evidence of your progress.
• Don't break the chain. Try to keep your habit streak alive.
• Never miss twice. If you miss one day, try to get back on track as quickly as possible.
• Just because you can measure something doesn't mean it's the most important thing.

Tracking habits is satisfying. I like visiting the gym website to look at my check in history. I like looking at the journal entries in My Fitness Pal, seeing how I've progressed. And I enjoy writing here, though it is a little bit more difficult at a glance to see how I've done with my habits as I'm not giving all the information up front, and lacking to mention some of the challenge daily habits, like describing what I ate for the No Added Sugar challenge - I think that would be boring!

One of my friends is using a calendar as a habit tracker. He's been successful to continue his progress as he has the calendar up on the wall in his kitchen, where he's consistently reminded of his goals every time he fixes himself something to eat or drink. It's smart! He'll get where he wants to go.

And now, it's time to not break the chain, go eat lunch, then go to the gym!