Sunday 25th July 2021
Sometimes to build it right, you first have to build it wrong.
I’ve spent the day – between other tasks – looking at habit trackers and seeing if I can build one to fit in with my system.
I have two options here.
The first is to use a dedicated app and keep it away from Notion. I already use a separate app for tasks. Whilst I’ve built the same functionality into Notion, I don’t use it simply because ToDoist is faster and easier to use.
If the aim is to actually start some positive habits, then delaying things so I can build the perfect system seems counter-productive. Better I get on with trying to build the habits and then build any system as I go along.
There’s a couple of problems I need to overcome first, chiefly… defining what is a habit and what is a recurring task. It might sound silly but unless I’m careful I’m going to end up with 20 habits and then die under the weight of them. Ideally I want just a handful. That way they will stay manageable.
The other option is that I build the system into Notion. I already have a daily tracker, so logic seems to dictate any habit tracker should be something I just bolt onto that.
There’s a complication though. Say I have a habit of going back to the gym once things have calmed down. I might only want to go 3 days a week. Therefore, if I go Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I don’t want to see a reminder to go on a Tuesday. Likewise, if I implement any sort of streaks, I don’t want Tuesday’s rest day to count against me.
And if I implement habits, I probably need to also implement recurring tasks, which also means using the task management system I built in Notion.
So how do I start?
I start by doing it wrong. I found a tutorial for a weekly tracker in Notion and followed it to build something. Whilst I learnt a bit more about using formulas in Notion, really, this system needs a lot of set up each week. I like how my daily tracker is one click, assign a day and week and then I’m off. This tracker needed templates, and buttons and manual changes. And whilst it was helpful, it was helpful in establishing what I DIDN’T want.
Still, by eliminating things, I have inched a bit closer to understanding what I want… and therefore, how to build it.
My main concern now is understanding the relationship between tasks and habits, and as I’ve said what constitutes a recurring task and what is a habit.
Off the top of my head, a recurring task is something that needs to be done regularly but if you missed, for example, a week, there’s no harm. For example, The Climb is a good example of a recurring task. As long as I have something written (or noted down to write later), posting The Climb is a recurring task as it can be done any when… it’s just better if it’s done on the day after.
Meanwhile, something like going to the gym needs to be a habit, because if I don’t go for several months my progress will backtrack.
Where does that leave writing though? Under this definition, it’s a recurring task. Yes, I might not make any progress is I don’t write for a week, but it’s not as if my total word count goes down. Logic tells me that writing should be a habit. My definition tells me otherwise.
Perhaps the answer then is the fact that my daily word count goes down if I take a break. The total words might not change but the words per hour will decrease.
I’ve ended the day more confused than when I started, but whilst it’s not going to be a big priority for next week, it’s something I’m going to chip away at in the background. I might just try a few apps in the meantime to try and start building some habits, even if it’s tracked outside of Notion.
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