52 Week Consistency Calendar

Many years ago, I heard the phrase "it takes 21 days to form a new habit."

You see, I believed it for a while, and tried to stick to 21-day challenges but I kept failing over and over again.

• I want to read for thirty minutes a day.
• I want to commit to building my online business.
• I want to quit smoking and breathe easily again.
• I want to start going to the gym so I can look and feel better.
• I want to meditate every day so I can experience mental peace.
• I want to eat a cleaner diet to stop feeling sluggish and start feeling energized.
• I want to start going on walks instead of spending all day indoors.

Whatever the habit is, all it takes is 21 days to make it stick, right?

That couldn't be farther from the truth...

See, you want the habit to stick for longer than 3 weeks.

You want the changes to last a lifetime. And last time I checked, 3 weeks is way shorter than a lifetime.

Enter the Consistency Calendar.

Exactly the tool you need.

No more 7-day detoxes.

No more 21-day habit building.

No more 30-day exercise challenges.

If you're serious about living a better life, you have to commit a whole year. That's right, three hundred and sixty-five days.

How do I use it?

This calendar takes a broader view of the entire year so you can see your progress compound over 52 weeks.

Step 0) Print and hang the calendar on your bedroom door, living room wall, or somewhere obvious where you'll see it every day.

Step 1) Set a goal that you want to achieve. Write it at the bottom of the calendar.

Step 2) Define the daily action you need to take in order to make progress toward your goal.

Step 3) Do the daily action, every day.

Step 4) Measure the daily action on your calendar with a check if you did it, or a cross if you didn't.

IMPORTANT: Be honest with yourself when tracking your progress and be realistic with your goals. The goal isn't to lie to yourself for 365 days, it's to see how close your expectations match reality.

How I use my calendar.

Goal: Exercise 4.5 days per week.

(Notice how there's ample time to take rest -- because injuries occur or vacations get planned. Life happens.)

Daily action: "Exercise" at an effort equal to walking one lap around the block.

(This keeps the streak going, even on days I feel extremely lazy).

Measure: "On" days I'll check with a blue marker. "Off" days I'll cross an X with a black marker.

(Use color theory to your advantage here: pair a motivating color with an encouraging one. Green/Red, Blue/Red also work).

You can wait until the new year, or you can start today.

You can start making significant progress towards your dream life today, or sit back and wait for tomorrow (spoiler alert: tomorrow will never come).

Make it easy, and you'll go far.