Habit Tracker Template: A Filled 30-Day Grid (and What to Do After a Miss)

Disclosure: we make GoalTracker, a free browser-based goal tracker. The template below works on paper too, and we link to the printable version.

Short answer: a 30-day habit tracker is one row per habit and one box per day. Tick a box when you did the habit. Track three habits at most, write each as a small daily minimum, and decide now what you will do on the day after a miss.

What a filled-in 30-day grid looks like

Here is the first 14 days of one person's grid. The habit is "walk for 10 minutes". An X is done, a dash is missed.

Two things to notice. Neither row is perfect, and both carry on after a gap. The point of the grid is to show you the pattern at a glance: here the walk row is 12 of 14, and the reading row is 11 of 14.

At the bottom of the sheet, write one line: "Done: __ of 30". That count matters more than a chain of unbroken days.

The rule of three habits at most

A 30-day grid has room for many rows, but more rows means more daily effort, and that is usually what ends the month. Use this rule:

1. One to three habits. Start with one if the last attempt fizzled.
2. Each habit has a minimum. "Walk 10 minutes" beats "exercise". "Read one page" beats "read more". A minimum is something you can do on your worst day.
3. Attach it to something you already do. After coffee, after brushing teeth, when you sit at your desk.

Need ideas? See 60 habit tracker ideas, each with a small daily minimum.

What to do after a missed day

Decide this before you miss, not after, because the day after a miss is when most people quit.

• Mark the dash and move on. Do not fill the box in later.
• Do the minimum the next day. Not double. The minimum.
• Write the reason once. A small note such as "travel" or "late night" shows whether the same cause keeps repeating.
• Do not restart the month. A missed box is information, not a reset. If you want a hard rule, use "never miss twice".

For what studies found about skipping a day, see does missing a day break a habit. For how long habits take to form, see how long does it take to form a habit.

Get the template

• Online: open the habit tracker template, name your habit, pick a start date and tick days as you go. You can export the result as a file.
• Printed: the one-page 30-day habit tracker PDF for A4 or US Letter.
• As a goal: type the habit as a goal in GoalTracker, add a subgoal per week and review it in the weekly review. GoalTracker stores your goals in your browser, not on our servers, so nothing needs an account.

If you cannot decide between paper and screen, see habit tracker without an account.

Questions

How many habits should I track at once?

One to three. More than three rows usually means the daily effort is too high to keep up for 30 days.

Is 30 days enough to build a habit?

It is a good length for a trial, not a guarantee. Habit formation times vary a lot between people and habits, so treat day 30 as a review point and then decide whether to continue.

What if I miss a day?

Mark it, do the minimum the next day, and carry on. One missed box does not end the month.