Coloring habit tracker cards

But … Recent research has debunked the notion of forming habits in just 21 days. According to the findings by Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at the University College London, it typically takes a bit longer – around a little over 2 months, precisely 66 days – and in some cases, a maximum of 254 days to fully cement that new habit.

But don’t worry about the time! Stay committed to the habits you’ve selected, and you’re on a fantastic journey toward becoming an even better version of yourself by this time next year. Remember, whatever you’ve chosen is an excellent step forward!

A few quick notes on coloring habit tracking cards

Advice on picking new habits and challenges to track …

There are 17+ categories, so you can easily find the right ones to fit your goals, dreams, and aspirations. Think about where you want to be in a year. Oh, and don’t forget about selecting your favorite colors for painting. We picked some colors for you for which you’ll need a standard 12 or 24 coloring pencil set.

Pick a habit

Check them below. Some are small, while others are a little more difficult. Pick one and track it for a month. Of course, you can do more than one in a month, but we advise you to select them with care. Too many might cause you to be overwhelmed, which may result in quitting. And we are not quitting here, are we?

Rules

There’s a rule of thumb that you have to do about 80 out of 100 percent to see results in life. That is about 25 days in our case. Show up for at least 25 days or repeat the challenge to make it stick.

After the month is done …

What comes next? After the month is over, the habit you were tracking will probably become second nature to you. Keep it if it feels good, continue. If not – no questions asked, drop it.

Self-care

1. Take 30 minutes for yourself; do whatever you want.
2. Enjoy a 30-minute relaxing bath.
3. Aim for 8 hours of sleep.
4. Create a sleep schedule (e.g., go to bed at 22:00, wake up at 6:00).
5. Meditate for 5 minutes or more per day.
6. Practice breathing exercises before bedtime.
7. Practice breathing exercises three times per day.
8. Practice gratitude: Write down one thing you love in your life each day.
9. Practice reflection: Write about your day.
10. Practice reflection: Write down what burdened you and reflect on how it could be prevented.
11. Practice reflection: Write down what was good about your day.
12. Treat yourself to something sweet and comforting, something you don’t usually allow yourself.
13. Avoid negative self-talk; replace it with positive affirmations.
14. Take a power nap.
15. Enjoy a glass of wine (or juice).
16. Engage in 10 minutes of self-reflection.

Finances and budgeting

1. 30-day savings challenge: set aside a specific amount per day.
2. Coco Chanel savings challenge: Put back the last item you placed in your shopping cart.
3. Change jar savings: place all your daily change into a piggy bank.
4. Emergency fund building: save $10 per day.
5. Buy a cheaper lunch.
6. No eating out.
7. Use cash only, no credit cards.
8. 10 minutes of reading for financial education or budgeting per day.
9. 15 minutes per day to explore how can you earn extra money.
10. 15 minutes a day to explore how to get a raise.

Crate a list

Write down one list item per day.

1. My favorite music
2. My favorite movies
3. My favorite foods
4. My favorite restaurants
5. My favorite books
6. My favorite articles
7. My favorite drinks
8. My favorite places
9. My favorite arts and paintings

Calming down

1. Deliberately take an hour a day for yourself.
2. Observe yourself and take at least a 10-minute break when getting tired.
3. Observe yourself when you are irritated and write down why.
4. Avoid things that bother you.
5. Spend 10 minutes every evening reflecting on your emotions for the day. Write down what caused them.
6. Distance yourself from toxic people; make up an excuse to avoid them if necessary.
7. Spend 10 minutes a day journaling about what calms you down.
8. When people are unkind to you, respond with kindness.
9. Avoid watching the news for a month.
10. Take a break from social media for a month.
11. Social media feed review: spend 5 minutes a day reviewing your social media feed and unfollow accounts that make you feel bad. Find new ones that might make you feel great.
12. Listen to calming music before going to sleep.
13. Set an alarm to take four deliberate 15-minute rest periods throughout the day.
14. Take a break (as long and as often as smokers do) and use it to practice breathing exercises.

Self development

1. Read for at least 10 minutes a day.
2. Practice emotional intelligence skills.
3. Spend at least 10 minutes journaling about something in your day. Reflect on what you did, what you could do, what you should do, and how you realistically did that day.
4. Write a note or advice per day to your 20-year-old self.
5. Write a note or advice per day to your self 10 years older.
6. If you have the urge to gossip, say only nice things.
7. Read a short story every day.
8. No TV, Netflix, and watching movies and series.
9. Track your mood.
10. Track your emotions.
11. Watch one TED Talk per day.

Have some fun

1. Call a friend.
2. Read a joke.
3. Write down one fun thing you’d love to do.
4. Write down a funny memory.
5. Find a photo you love and add it to an album.
6. Have a movie night every day.
7. Write an anecdote from school.
8. Dance like no one is watching.
9. Place a funny sticker in an unexpected or inappropriate location.
10. Listen to some ridiculous music.

Become bolder.

1. Say no; don’t let them twist your arm into saying yes.
2. Do something that you’d normally want to avoid.
3. Ask for ridiculous things to get used to rejection.
4. Figure out what scares you – write down one thing per day.
5. Go solo for date night and movies.
6. Practice difficult conversations with a friend.

Travel and vacationing.

1. Write down one place you’d love to visit each day.
2. Spend 10 minutes planning your next trip or vacation.
3. Spin a globe and write down every place it lands on.
4. Ask one person for a travel recommendation every day.
5. Explore the internet for the best vacation stories.

Productivity

1. Start your day an hour earlier than usual.
2. Get up within 5 seconds of waking up.
3. No procrastination.
4. Do your least favourite chores or work first thing in the morning.
5. Focus on one task at a time; no multitasking.
6. Use multitasking to save time – combine tasks for efficiency.
7. Work in short bursts of fully focused work followed by a 10-minute rest.

Make (more) time

1. Get up from bed within 5 minutes of waking up.
2. Set a timer for only 20 minutes per day on social media.
3. Limit TV, Netflix, etc., to a maximum of 30 minutes per day (or less).
4. For tasks taking less than 10 minutes, you are now allowed to procrastinate.
5. Plan your day the night before.
6. No phone in bed; go directly to sleep.
7. Cook only meals that require a maximum of 30 minutes from when you start preparing them to when they’re on the table.

Goal getting

1. Work on your vision board for at least 10 minutes a day.
2. Spend 15 minutes a day figuring out what you need to do to achieve your goal (focus on steps, not the goal itself).
3. Spend 10 minutes a day figuring out what you want in the next year and how to get it.
4. Spend 10 minutes a day figuring out where you want to be in the next 5 years and how to get there.
5. Spend 10 minutes figuring out how you can live without your dream (this will help motivate you to pursue them).
6. Find one person or social media account per day of someone who has achieved what you want and learn how they did it.

Kindness

1. Say something nice to yourself three times a day.
2. Do something kind for someone without telling them.
3. Make a positive comment about something.
4. Avoid using your phone while in conversation with someone.
5. Don’t raise your voice.
6. When talking to people, truly listen.

Bad mood fixing.

1. Avoid dwelling on negative events.
2. Refrain from feeling sorry for yourself.
3. No jealousy; be happy for others or avoid triggers.
4. Stay away from toxic people.
5. No worrying; if you must worry, schedule exclusive time for it.
6. Engage in problem-solving journaling: Write down your problems and their solutions.
7. No negative thoughts about daily must-do tasks.
8. No gossiping.

Bucket lists

Write down one list item per day.

1. Travel bucket list.
2. Restaurants I will visit in the next year.
3. Before I die.
4. Before I turn 20 / 30 / 40 … 100.
5. Cars I want to drive before I die.
6. Things to explore this summer.
7. Things to experience with a friend or family.
8. Career goals bucket list.
9. Concerts to see.
10. Fears to overcome.
11. Drinks to try.
12. Foods to try.
13. Sports to try.
14. Books to read.

Exercise and working out

1. Walk for 10,000 steps daily.
2. Dedicate a minimum of 15/30/45 minutes to running each day.
3. Walk everywhere you can.
4. Try a new workout from YouTube every day, such as HIIT, Yoga, weight lifting, fitness, walking, running, power walking, dancing, etc. This will help you discover what works best for you.
5. Do a workout every day.
6. Alternate workout and rest days, exercising every other day.
7. Do a 5/10/15 minute HIIT exercise daily.
8. Hold a 2-minute plank every day.
9. Practice stomach sucking exercises.
10. Engage in 5-10 minutes of ab exercises every day.
11. Set aside 20 minutes for yoga each day.
12. Do solely a warm-up routine every day.
13. Dedicate 10 minutes to a mobility workout every day.
14. When thirsty, go and get every glass of water separately.

Diet and healthy food

1. Try a new dish every day.
2. Add a serving of vegetables to your lunch.
3. Eat a fruit each day.
4. Have a fruit with (or maybe before) every meal.
5. Reduce fat intake by half (focus on removing “bad fats” and keeping the “good ones”).
6. No alcohol.
7. No refined sugar.
8. Consume only whole grain foods.
9. Choose lean or reduced-fat protein sources (such as lean meats, reduced-fat dairy, tofu, etc.).
10. Start your day with a healthy breakfast.
11. Include a source of protein in your lunch.
12. Drink at least 2 liters of water.
13. When craving sweets, eat a piece of fruit first.
14. Enjoy a frozen fruit ice-cream every day (100% fruit ice cream).
15. Indulge in one sweet treat each day, but no more than that.
16. No snacking.
17. Swap out coffee for green tea or juice.
18. Drink only water, no sweet drinks.

Fixing bad habits

1. No alcohol.
2. No smoking, or reduce it to one or two per day.
3. No time-consuming, purposeless scrolling on social media.
4. No staying up late because of irrelevant reasons.
5. No picking fights when you are annoyed.
6. Refrain from judging other people.
7. Refrain from gossiping.
8. Refrain from speaking ill of others behind their backs.
9. Don’t be lazy without a good reason.
10. Don’t ignore texts and calls.
11. No excuses.
12. No unhealthy snacks.
13. No fast food.