Logbook
A few lines a day recording what happened, not what you thought about it
Two or three dated lines a day: who you saw, what you ate, where you went, what the weather did. You do not process it or have feelings about it, which is why keepers describe it as easier to sustain than a diary. The payoff comes years later. A bland entry turns out to be the only surviving record of something. Most people use a dated planner, so the printed page decides the length for them.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Austin KleonDoes it
Writer and artist · Steal Like an Artist
Fifteen years of daily logbooks, on his own count, kept alongside the diary rather than in place of it. He values the mundane detail, and quotes Grant Petersen on how an entry that seems bland when you write it down will seem epic in thirty years.
Source: AustinKleon.com: A good assistant to your future self
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under productivity or focus.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Daily reading
A fixed daily reading block, usually books rather than feeds
On record from 25 of 62 tracked people: 23 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Early rising
A fixed, early wake time, often before anyone else is awake
On record from 11 of 62 tracked people: 10 do it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily writing
Write something every day, published or not
On record from 10 of 62 tracked people: 8 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Phone-free first hour
No email, news or social media until you have done something of your own
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Margin notes
Writing in the margins while reading, especially where you disagree with the author
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Thinking retreats
Blocks of time cleared of the schedule to sit with one hard problem
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 has discussed it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.