I'm anti-data, but I'm pro habit tracker
Cool tools to change your life in 2025
I'm not much for data. I don't count calories or record my sleep patterns. But I do use a habit tracker, and its impact has been profound. I track my fitness and work habits, but my friend tracks her daily locations and daily mood. How cool is that?
Allow me to explain - with data. Let's get into it.
I started tracking all my workouts in summer 2019. The categories I created were:
Lifting weights
Cycling
Running
Home workout with kettlebells
Walking, hiking & sports combined into one
I now have a little more than five years of data. 1,000 workouts, to be exact. I didn't round up here - that's a conveniently perfect number that I happened to hit as I sat down to write this!
On average, I move my body and get my heart pumping 200 days per year, with 165 days per year of rest... or laziness. When I started tracking, I decided not to count short walks or short bike rides, so some of my off days aren't entirely inactive.
Looking at this data year over year, I stayed mostly consistent within each category. I picked up the kettlebells at home in 2020 more than any other year, when gyms were closed for a while. Lifting weights took a little dip in 2023 when I was in Europe for three months. I started running in 2022, and my numbers grew over the next two years.
Why this is helpful
Any habit guru will say that habits form if you do the task every single day. You can skip one day, but you must do it again the following day. Skip two days, and you'll kill the habit.
But some habits can't be done every day. Lift weights every single day, and you won't rest and recover, likely leading to an injury. All weekly lifting programs require at least one or two days of rest.
For someone struggling to establish a gym habit, skip two days in a row and that could quickly turn into two weeks.
This is where tracking comes into play. When I lift weights, I do a full-body lift every time. I have a minimalist routine, live at the squat rack and keep it simple with the major compound movements.
Because these lifts are so stressful for my whole body, I take two or three days off. I check my habit tracker to make sure my breaks won't snowball into four or five days off.
On the days I don't lift, maybe I'll ride my bike or go for a long walk. It's helpful to peek at my physical activity for the week. I don't remember ever going a full week without any workouts. Even when I had covid and my entire body was sore, I'd walk every day and stretch and move.
Tracking work and bad habits
I recently added two more categories for work, writing and editing video.
Before this, I'd write when I was inspired or had an idea that was begging to hit the page. I'd edit when I wanted to or when I felt the heat from procrastination. These tasks were inconsistent, so I forced myself to see the data.
For a few months I had a friend act as an accountability partner, and text me every day, “How's editing?” But I asked him to stop, so I could put that responsibility on myself with the habit tracker.
Another good use is to create a habit of avoidance, like NOT doom scrolling. Every day you mark when you stayed off the apps, or didn't drink or didn't smoke. Tracking bad habits can be helpful too.
Tracking daily mood & location
My friend uses an app called Mentalyze to track her daily overall mood, which gives her an annual tally of her good days & bad days.
“It allows me to see that stressful days in the moment seem monumental, but in the grand scheme of the year they're just small blips,” she said. “What I usually see is so much GOOD! It makes me feel blessed to live the life I do and to take things one day at a time.”
That's a m00d, yall. She also uses Life Cycle to track her daily locations, creating a record and visualization of everywhere she's been.
“Anywhere I go the location is on, and I can attribute a category. Things like social time, me time, exercise, grocery shopping, date nights, travel for business or pleasure,” she said. “It’s always fun to see the seasonal shifts, and also helps me identify when I need to be more intentional about carving out time for the things I care about most and want to invest more time.”
Another benefit of the location tracker is to jog her memory for a recommendation for a friend. Find the month she traveled, pinpoint the day and look up the specific place, like a cocktail bar she loved but couldn't remember its name.
Distraction tally
When I'm working, I sometimes catch myself getting distracted, a sudden urge to check Twitter X or check my texts.
I keep a simple counting app open on my desktop when I'm in deep work. If I notice I have an urge to do something other than the main task, I add a tally. This counts how many times I've caught the urge to jump away from writing or editing. The higher the number, the more productive I am.
Why I'm (mostly) anti-data
I don't obsess over tracking every detail in my life. I know I sleep well, so I don't care about a sleep score. I know what a good bike ride feels like, so I don't care about mileage or speed.
I'd be stronger now if I'd kept a weight lifting log over the years, but I don't care to. I don't count my reps, I know my weight limits, and I consistently add weight to the bar over time.
My approach to data aligns with my goals. If I had goals to reach certain data metrics, I'd count all that stuff.
I do all these workouts for longevity, for long-term health and to feel good, and that's about it. The only goal is making it happen every week, without counting all the little details, and that's enough for me.
Make 2025 the year that you track some important stuff in your life, but don't track everything, only what matters most and what you struggle with.
Also
Want a simple & fun tool to track daily accomplishments? Bookmark this.
I've been busy on YouTube. Check out my latest video where I tell my own story from 2024 - How I restarted my life, and why it's working.
Everything I make is here — loganletsgo.com
Enjoy my work? Buy me a coffee ☕