How Printables Can Help You Reach Your Goals

I don’t know about you, but I adore all things paper and office supplies. It reminds me of my old school days of buying school supplies before the start of a new school year.

As a child I dreamed of being a teacher someday. I am also a life-long learner and student so I love worksheets, workbooks…basically anything that will help me reach my goals. And if it’s pretty to boot? That’s just the cherry on top!

Printables can help you achieve your goals by keeping your goal at the forefront of your mind, help you track your progress, and recognize when you’ve reached a plateau and need to pivot your actions to continue moving forwards.

Key steps to creating new habits with printables:

• Choose your habit: Select a specific, achievable habit you want to build, like drinking more water, meditating daily, exercising for 30 minutes, or reading for 15 minutes before bed.

• Choose your printable tracker:

  • Clear layout: Choose a habit tracker printable with a simple grid or calendar format with dates on one axis and the habit on the other.

  • Checkboxes: Checkboxes for each day to mark when you complete the habit.

  • Optional features: Space to note any challenges or rewards, or a progress bar to visualize your progress.

• Set a schedule: Decide on a specific time and place to perform your habit each day, making it part of your routine. Pair the new habit with another habit you already do daily. This is called habit stacking.

• Print and use the tracker:

  • Place it visibly: Keep your printed tracker somewhere you'll see it daily, like on your fridge, in your planner, or bathroom mirror.

  • Check off daily progress: After completing your habit, check the corresponding box on the tracker.

• Celebrate milestones:

  • Reward yourself: Set up small rewards for reaching weekly or monthly goals on your habit tracker.

  • Reflect on progress: Regularly review your tracker to see how far you've come and adjust your habit as needed.

The most important part of creating new habits is being consistent. I try never to let more than one day pass withpout performing the new habit. So if I forget today, I absolutely MUST perform the new habit tomorrow. No skipping and no procrastinating!