Using “Atomic Habits” to Turn Planning and Journaling into Daily Habits
So, with the beginning of the year focusing on goals and resolutions, we may wonder, just how does one go about maintaining the momentum that we start with when we make those goals and resolutions? One reason we may allows these good intentions to fall to the wayside is because we haven’t incorporated them into our lives.
Two habits that have become my lifelines during peaceful and crazy times has been planning and journaling. For me, the two go hand in hand.
Journaling allows me to explore my thoughts and feelings in such a way that my true desires begin to emerge. Once I see the things I want to bring into my life, I set about making daily plans to make them happen.
The planning can involve anything from writing out my desires in my daily goals list, following a habit tracker to take small steps toward that goal, or making incremental progress at certain times of the month or year. But, before I could set up this system, I had to start by making journaling and planning habits on their own.
Over the past year, I’ve been learning more about habits. Whether it was during the #Next90Challenge this spring that I wrote about for a few weeks mid-2020 or reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg (below #Ad), all of it has helped me to see why certain steps I’ve taken to set up habits have been effective.
The latest book I’ve read was suggested on the PowerSheets FaceBook Group, and it helped to flesh out a lot of what I have studied up to this point. “Atomic Habits” by James Clear (below #Ad), is a fascinating book that lays out the ways to establish “good habits” (or ones that produce positive outcomes in our lives) and replace or break “bad habits” (ones that produce negative outcomes).
I read it in December in preparation for doing the work in my PowerSheets Goal-Setting Planner. It was a great decision as the book helped me hone in on some of the good habits I would like to incorporate into my routine this year and it gave me my word of the year: Becoming.
In “Atomic Habits,” Clear explains that one of the best ways to motivate ourselves into adopting certain habits is to frame our desire as what we wish to become. And, the more broadly we phrase what we wish to become, the more likely we are to remain flexible with that concept.
The book is titled, “Atomic Habits,” not because they’re explosive massive changes we are making. Rather, like the atoms that make up everything in our world, “atomic habits” are small changes in behavior that, when added up over time, lead to big changes.
This really resonated with me. I know that trying to do a lot all at once- such as setting too many goals, usually leads me to fizzle out on all the goals I had set. Rather, doing a little bit at a time makes it more likely that I will stick with a habit.
Moreover, when I do something consistently over a long period of time, I find that I have made strides without even feeling the true effort of it. For example, the last time I moved, I set a goal of packing 5 boxes a day before our house was on the market. It seemed like a drop in the bucket of all the stuff we had, but in 2 weeks, the house was packed, and we were ready to list it.
The same goes for saving money, losing weight, or creating a presentation. I’ve done all of these things by remaining consistent with my daily or weekly habits. When I let them go to the wayside, I find that I lose the progress I have made.
So, as I look at who I want to be and the life I wish to lead, I see that becoming that person is based on taking small steps consistently over time. And, this is how I have ended up with much better mental health and lower stress levels- thanks to daily planning and journaling.
Table of Contents
Why Build Planning and Journaling Habits Into Your Life?
While I don’t believe in over-planning your life (where you are so rigid about what you “plan” to do on a day or during a week that you become overextended and miserable), I do find that planning helps to take some of the pressure off of us.
For example, when I haven’t written things down in my planner and I miss a meeting or deadline, it leaves me feeling ill. I also feel more stressed when I try to rely on my own memory, since I know that I’m human and cannot expect myself to remember everything.
Journaling is equally as important. I tend to feel like I’m too busy to process my circumstances and emotions. When I don’t take the time to reflect on how I’m feeling, I can end up unhappy and stressed. Journaling provides an outlet for my feelings that I simply don’t get when I work out or do artwork.
Habits are helpful because they are effectively behaviors that we do without needing to give them much thought. The less time and effort we have to spend thinking about what we need to do, the more that frees our minds up to be creative and do other things.
So, for example, we would be pretty stressed out and overwhelmed if we had to remind ourselves to get up, make the bed, brush our teeth, etc. When we have habits, some of those small tasks can be delegated to our mind’s autopilot, which allows us to flow through these activities without much active thought.
When we take a helpful activity such as planning or journaling and make it a habit, we have now placed something that is a healthy behavior on autopilot. We still get the benefits, but it doesn’t feel as effortful. And, that means that we are more likely to keep it up.
Using “Atomic Habits” Methods to Establish Planning and Journaling Habits
Whether you are new to planning and want to set a planning habit or have been using planners for a while but want to incorporate another into your routine (like I mention in my post on Using Multiple Planners), these tips should be handy.
They also work for incorporating journaling into your daily routine, including Using Multiple Journals such as for gratitude, wellness, goal-setting, mental health, or creative journaling.
In a nutshell, Clear mentions 4 Laws he has discovered to help build new habits:
- Make it obvious
- Make it attractive
- Make it easy, and
- Make it satisfying.
After reading this book, I realized that so many of the daily planning and journaling habits I have were facilitated by following these four laws. I just didn’t know at the time that was what I was doing.
Applying the First Law: Make it Obvious
Clear relies on the same theory of habits that Duhigg does in the Power of Habit. They both refer to the “habit loop,” which researchers discovered is the pattern the brain uses when engaged in a habit.
Basically, the habit loop is made up a of cue (or trigger), a routine (or repeated activity), and a reward (or what we get out of the habit that keeps us coming back for more). Whether the habit is beneficial, like brushing our teeth, or harmful, like doing drugs, it is follows this same pattern.
Clear explains that habits we want to establish are easier to form when we give some context that makes the cue obvious to our brains. He notes that we should set out the behavior we want to adopt into a habit and connect it to a particular time and location.
This works really well for making planning and journaling a habit. For example, I plan in my daily planner first thing in the morning as I review my weekly planner and brainstorm my day in my morning journal. I have a routine- after checking email, I sit in front of my computer and begin to brainstorm what needs to get done in my morning planner while writing down my appointments and obligations in the time slots of my planner.
Journaling works the same way. In the evening, I get ready for bed and take my journals off of my bedside table. I built these habits over time. It started first by writing down 5 things I’m grateful for before I picked up the book I read before bed. I then added journaling about my day and my goals after that.
The way that I’ve added layers of journaling and planning is a method that Clear describes as “habit stacking.” So, once you establish one habit, it can become a cue for the next one. For me, the morning journal became a cue for filling out the daily planner. Or, in the evening, the gratitude list became a cue for the general journaling I do, which became a cue for journaling about my goals and desires.
The author also notes that your environment has a lot to do with forming a habit, so make sure to have a space that is devoted to your planning and journaling. My morning journaling and planning is usually done in front of my work computer, which send me the signal that we’re about to get down to business for the day. My evening journaling is done in a comfy chair in my bedroom. It’s a more reflective time of the day, but I want to be alert and comfortable (which would not happen if I tried to do this in bed.
Applying the Second Law: Make it Attractive
This second law of creating a habit has do to with creating a desire to do the activity we would like to make into a habit. We all have habits that we feel are not helpful to us. Whether it’s scrolling on social media when bored or eating something sweet after a meal, the reason we keep engaging in these activities and why these habits are so hard to replace, is because we get a reward from them that is attractive to us.
In order to create a new habit, and one that may not have an instant gratification reward (like the distraction provided by social media or the sugar rush by dessert), Clear provides some tips to make a new habit more attractive. And, they translate pretty well to new planning and journaling habits.
One suggestion is to pair a behavior you need to do with one that you want to do. So, an easy example from my life is exercise. I love watching planner and creative journaling videos on YouTube (like the planner nerd I am). So, to entice myself to work out, I have set a rule that I don’t watch those videos unless I’m on the stationary bike.
I’ve used the same idea when I decided to add a planning component to my morning. I typically like to check email first thing in the morning. When I decided to use morning journaling and a daily planner, I made a rule that I could not open my email unless I first had my morning journal and planners available. This way, I got the satisfaction of reading email after I had first looked at my schedule and started planning my day.
Another suggestion is to have an accountability partner. I think we all hear about this in the workout context, but it works for planning and journaling as well. With all of the social media groups and boards available in the planning and journaling world, there are plenty of opportunities to connect with others who are looking to start habits as well. The PowerSheets FaceBook Group often has messages by members looking for someone to hold them accountable in their goal planning. Just being part of such a group creates a support system that can encourage the creation of planning and journaling habits.
Finally, to make planning or journaling more attractive, create rituals that encourage you to plan or journal regularly. Anything that makes you feel good while engaging in these activities will do the trick. So, if pouring a cup of coffee and sitting at a cleared-off space in your office feels like it will inspire you to write, then create that sort of environment each time you want to journal. Or, perhaps being surrounded by colorful pens, washi tapes, and stickers will prompt you to work in your planner each day. If that’s the case, set up your supplies where you would like to do your planning and you’ll find yourself looking forward to digging in your planner each day. The important thing to do is to figure out what makes planning or journaling a positive and inviting experience for you.
Applying the Third Law: Make it Easy
This one is a no brainer for me. I know myself pretty well and the path of least resistance is always going to be my preferred route. When a task is too complicated or feels like it’s a burden, I’m less likely to stick with it. However, if the activity feels effortless, I’m more likely to keep it up.
Here are some tips to help keep your planning and journaling habits simple:
Start with just one planner or journal before trying to add more. I covered this in the two articles I wrote about Using Multiple Planners and Using Multiple Journals. If you try to overwhelm yourself by jumping into using a weekly planner, daily planner, weekend planner, and others all at the same time, you will not be able to keep it up. The same goes with trying to have a separate journal for gratitude, goal setting, faith, and as a creative outlet. Eventually, they’ll all get set aside. Instead, start with just one and see how you do with it for a few months.
Keep your planning and journaling space organized. If you are constantly leaving your books in different places or don’t have the right supplies where you keep your journal or planner, you’ll be less likely to work in those books. Have your space set up for planning or journaling and with anything you’ll need to make the activity a fun and satisfying experience.
Keep your planning and journaling supplies simple. At least at first, it’s easier to stick with a planning or journaling system that has only a few supplies rather than overwhelming yourself with a ton of decorative elements. So, if you really want a planner that looks pretty, perhaps buy one that comes pre-decorated. The same goes for journals- there are plenty that have illustrations on each page like the ones I like from Papaya Arts (see below #Ad). Once you get in the habit of writing in them, you can see if adding a few stickers, washi tape, or artwork is something you are motivated to do regularly.
Keep your planners and journals where you’ll use them. I find that when things are out of sight, they’re out of mind. As such, I have places for my various planners and journals that work for how I use them. My morning planner lives with my work and office items. When I go into the office, they travel in my briefcase. At home, I don’t remove them since I only use them when my work computer is out. My weekend planner, however, lives on my bedside table. I work in it on Saturday mornings, sometimes while I’m still in bed and thinking about my two free days. My journals pretty much live on the bedside table so I can grab them while I’m sitting in my chair at night. Keeping them accessible helps to remind me to use them.
Applying the Fourth Law: Make it Satisfying
When James Clear says you need to make the activity satisfying, what he means is that you are more likely to make something a habit when you get some satisfaction out of having done it.
For planning and journaling, aesthetics is key. Figure out what motivates you to work in a planner or journal. Are you a minimalist? If so, then having clean layouts and pages that you fill with a favorite pen might be the most satisfying to you. Clear mentions using rewards, so perhaps purchasing certain supplies to reward you for using your planners and journals will keep you working in them. Keep up a new vertical planner for a few weeks? Maybe reward yourself with decorative stickers. Journal each day for a set period of time and you can justify buying a fancy fountain pen. Rewards work.
Clear also recommends habit trackers as a useful tool in starting a new habit. I have used this when incorporating new planners or journaling in my daily routine. As I’ve noted in past articles (like this one here), I recommend the PowerSheets Goals planning system, which has an entire page of habit trackers for each month. Each day you write in your planner or journal, give yourself a checkmark. This can be used along with the rewards system noted above.
Finally, don’t beat yourself up when you miss a day. As the author suggests, even if we break a daily streak of a habit we’re trying to establish, we’re more likely to succeed in creating a habit if we jump right back in. So, make the first goal consistency and the second goal persistence. No perfection required. That will give you the confidence to get back into doing the activity daily rather than giving up because you missed that one time.
“Atomic Habits” is one of the best books I have read about creating new habits. I highly recommend giving it a read, as it also addresses how to break bad habits.
Have you read this book? What were your takeaways? Are there other books on habits you would recommend? Leave a comment below!
* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click a link and make any purchase on Amazon, I may receive a small commission at no charge to you which will help me maintain this website. 😊
** Images of habit tracker, journals, coffee with planner, and woman writing in journal were found on Unsplash.
© Plan On The Sunrise, Vidalia Patterson, 2020. No part (including, but not limited to articles, photographs, and graphics) of this site, PlanOnTheSunrise.com, may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the express permission of the copyright owner.
