Habits Tracker: A 120-Day Journey
I didn’t think breakfast would change my day, but it did
LIFESTYLE
Sourced by author
Not dramatically. Not overnight. Just enough to notice that 11 a.m. wasn’t foggy anymore. Just enough to feel I had one thing sorted. That’s how it began.
This article isn’t about a magical routine that transformed me. It’s about something much quieter: the realisation that a habit doesn’t need to be perfect — it just needs to be present.
And when you get to a point, a point you feel like is enough, for me, it was just 7 days, when a little smile came on my face for the first time.
What habit building looks like (hint: messy)
So I tried jotting down on paper what I wanted to do, and I tried many apps on my Mac and my phone. But nothing worked for me. I kept trying and kept failing. And I couldn’t wonder what it was.
Then I stumbled upon an MKBHD video and saw an app launcher icon. I saw this app, !Habits
Some of the habits I tracked:
- Eating breakfast before 9:30 a.m.
- Flossing every night (not just when I felt guilty)
- Taking my prescribed medication at the same time daily
- Avoiding doom-scrolling after 11 p.m.
- Writing one sentence a day (even if it was just “I’m tired.”)
Did I hit 120/120? No. Not even close. But here’s the trick: I never aimed for 100%. I just kept showing up — even if that meant ticking off only two things in a day.
Why most systems fail — and how you can make yours yours
You’ve probably seen the productivity pyramid. Or the habit-stacking frameworks. Or the popular 21-day myth. I’ve tried them too. Some work, but most don’t stick.
Because they forget one thing: you’re not a template.
Your schedule, your energy, your mood, your life — they all fluctuate. What worked for that YouTuber might fail you by Day 4. And that’s okay.
Here’s what helped me:
- Visual feedback: My tracker showed gaps, but also streaks. That visual cue created a sense of continuity, even if it wasn’t perfect.
- No punishments, no resets: Missed a day? I didn’t start over. I just continued.
- Micro-wins: Instead of “exercise daily,” I wrote “5 squats after brushing teeth.” Laughable? Maybe. But I did them.
Habit is identity in disguise
After about 30 days, something odd happened. I didn’t need to check my tracker to remember breakfast. It just… happened. Same with flossing. These weren’t tasks anymore — they were part of how I saw myself.
This is an underrated truth: habits shift how you view yourself. Not by declaring it, but by showing it. Quietly. Repeatedly.
I didn’t wake up saying, “I’m a healthy person.” I just noticed that I didn’t skip breakfast anymore. I didn’t skip medication. I flossed, even when sleepy.
That’s identity being rewritten in lowercase.
A few truths I stumbled upon
Let me share what genuinely worked for me, stripped of any self-help fluff:
- Track behaviour, not perfection. You’re not trying to win. You’re just trying to notice.
- Anchor habits to something stable. I linked flossing to brushing. Not innovative — just effective.
- Reflection beats automation. Apps are nice, but a manual check-in (even 10 seconds a day) brings awareness.
- Let the habit grow roots before adding more. Don’t start with ten habits. Start with one. Watch what it does to your self-trust.
In closing
After 120 days, I didn’t become “optimised.” I didn’t wake up at 5 a.m. or write a book. But I gained something I hadn’t felt in a while — a sense of quiet control.
Habits are just reminders of the kind of person you’re trying to be, even if life pulls you in ten directions. And even if you only manage to floss at 1 a.m. some days, it still counts.
So start small. Track it. Observe. Adjust.
And let it grow.
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