Common sense suggests that a person’s future is not determined only by major decisions. It is also shaped by the small actions repeated each day.
Habits influence our health, knowledge, discipline, and emotional well-being. For this reason, it is often possible to predict the future by observing present habits, as daily routines affect growth over time.
Although habits have a powerful influence on the future, changing them is rarely easy. Many books, most notably ‘The Atomic Habits’, have discussed how long it takes to form or replace a habit.
Some claim that a new habit can be formed in twenty-one days, while others suggest that it may take several months. The exact period is probably different for every person and every habit. Drinking more water may be easier than beginning a demanding exercise routine. Nonetheless, lasting change always requires patience, repetition, and a practical system.
This need for consistency is closely connected to a useful principle: “Forget the mood; stick to the plan.”
People often depend on motivation when they decide to improve their lives. Someone may plan to walk or exercise every day, but only follow the plan when feeling energetic. On difficult days, the person may not be in the mood and may avoid exercise completely. Since mood is temporary and unpredictable, it cannot provide a strong foundation for change. A clear structure is more reliable because it provides direction even when motivation is absent.
In my opinion, the beginning of a new academic year can be a suitable time to create such a structure. August is commonly a month of rest for students, academics, and many other people. When September arrives, academic work begins again, and people return to their usual responsibilities. As a result, September often feels like a fresh beginning and offers a valuable opportunity to establish better routines.
With this idea of a fresh start in mind, I recently decided to turn a notebook into a weekly habit-tracking journal. I created my own system and listed the habits I wanted to develop. For each habit, I recorded its frequency and duration. In the case of meditation, for instance, I wrote down how many times I planned to meditate and how long each session should or does last. I also included hydration and set a target for the number of cups of water I wanted to drink each day. I intend to reproduce the tracking page every week so that I can observe my progress over time.
The value of this system became clear almost immediately. As soon as I woke up the next day and looked at the tracker, the habits I had listed came to the forefront of my mind. Instead of waiting to feel motivated, I knew what I was supposed to do. I began my day with prayer and meditation. However, although I had planned to drink water first, I drank tea instead. I recorded this honestly as a missed goal rather than pretending that I had succeeded.
Even so, this small failure was useful because the tracker increased my awareness. The following morning, drinking a glass of water became one of my first thoughts after waking. I then added vitamin C as a part of my morning ritual. Therefore, the purpose of tracking is not to achieve perfection immediately. It is to notice mistakes, learn from them, and continue trying.
Ultimately, habit tracking turns intentions into visible commitments. It keeps important goals present in the mind and reduces our dependence on mood. Our future may not be completely predictable, but our daily habits reveal the direction in which we are moving. By creating structure, recording progress, and remaining consistent, we can gradually build the future we want.
DR NAJMA AL ZIDJALY
The writer is an Associate Professor, Sultan Qaboos University
