Summary

Get your shit together by unloading your brain as well as tracking your time, goals and habits through the use of different tools.

Introduction

I realize this post might repeat what has already been said at times, but considering 2017 is right around the corner, and following recent great posts on personal development / life tracking, I would like to share my own take on this. As a control freak myself, I like to dissect processes into the smallest pieces possible in order to tackle them with as little effort as required. Here's a short guide on how you can do that, too.

Body

Thinking of habit trackers in terms of tiers can help simplify the process. The deeper we go in terms of tiers, the more specific the tracking method gets. Each tier is supposed to cover one area of getting your shit together.

Tier 1

Brain Storage. This is the ground on which everything else is built. Have a place in which you can unload your brain. One can greatly benefit from a brain storage unit for different reasons:

  • It keeps all the unnecessary information out of your brain.
  • It safely stores all your notes, thoughts, projects, etc.
  • It can help you think back, recall and re-use some of the stuff you stored without hustle.

For this purpose, I use Workflowy. I discovered this website/tool a couple months ago and it has been of ridiculous use ever since. I dump everything in there. I have notes on class stuff, goals, books, projects, vocabulary, ideas, new hobbies, new skills, movies to watch, etc. Give it a try, I can make a new post on the tool alone, as it can be daunting to get started with just a blank page. A similar tool for this would be the popular Evernote.

Tier 2

Goals. There are plenty of guides on how to set goals effectively (e.g. SMART Goals), so I won't go much into detail. What I recommend here is to classify goals into different sections. Here are some examples:

  • Life - Lifelong goals, just things you would like to do down the line (e.g. Climb Mount Everest)
  • Training - Have goals related i) Your Physique (e.g. Weight, Measurements, Bodyfat) ii) Strength (e.g. Squat 1RM, Handstand Hold) and iii) Performance (i.e. Flexibility, Mobility).
  • Finance - Goals related to money. You can find some really helpful information on other subreddits.
  • Women - Here is where your goals related to women fall into place. I'm not only talking about n-counts, but also on approaches, on how those approaches were made, on tackling fears, on sexual experiences (e.g. Threesome, Sex in X public places) etc.
  • Knowledge - What are some of the things you want to learn about? Is it philosophy? A new language? Is it Ancient Rome history? Maybe fluid mechanics? Make a list, get specific, then start learning.

In order to track these, I use the my Tier 1 tool.

Tier 3

Time. Tracking time is essential. I use Google Calendar to do so. Takes some getting used to, but it's outstanding once you get the hang of it. Tracking time is the foundation of getting your shit together. You cannot change what you're doing if you don't know what you're doing. You can also use other tools like Excel or printable productivity planners. Another option is to use time trackers for your browser. These run automatically behind the curtain and tell you what you have been wasting / investing your time on (e.g. Toggl).

Tier 4

Habits. I like to use the 7 Weeks App, based on a productivity movement that was born on Reddit called Non-Zero Days (you can look it up). I use this to track all my habits, for instance:

  • Reading - Minimum 10 pages per day
  • Meditating - Minimum 10 minutes per day
  • No Fap - Self-explanatory
  • Hydrating - Minimum 3L of water per day
  • Training - 3 Full Body workouts & 3 Mobility Days per week
  • Diet - Hit daily calories/macros and take supplements

Tier 5

Habit specifics. This is where individual phone apps come into play. So you not only track your general habit chain, but also what goes in within each habit. For instance:

  • Training - I use a training log app, called FitNotes. I think keeping track of your training sessions is an absolute must if you want serious results. For minor workouts (i.e. Short ab workouts) I recommend Jeff Cavaliere's 6 Pack app. Simple, guided, short. Comes with a log, too.
  • Meditation - I like the simple app Meditation Timer. It's just that, a timer, no voice-over, no guides. It keeps track of your sessions (which you can customize). If you're into guided meditations, I thoroughly recommend Headspace or Calm.
  • Hydrating - Though I personally do not use them, some apps to track water intake exist. HydroCoach and Water Drink Reminder are the most popular ones.
  • Diet - For some individuals, keeping track of calories and macronutrients is essential. My recommended apps are MyFitnessPal or Lifesum.
  • Reading - Take notes. Make them concise, but make them count. Don't just plough through 30 books and forget 99% of what you read. Take notes on things that stand out to you, things you want to remember, etc. There are a million ways through which you can do this (e.g. Evernote).

Conclusion

Having a brain storage unit, setting goals and tracking habits will make a significant impact on your life. If you have been waiting for the perfect time to make a significant change, all of these tools can help. Try sitting down for a couple hours to get your life in check. However, try not to implement everything at once, or else you will feel overwhelmed and fall off the track.