Habits
Build and track consistent daily practices that support your goals
Overview
Habits are the daily practices that compound over time to create lasting change. Exponential's habit tracking helps you build consistency, maintain streaks, and connect habits to your larger goals.
Key Capabilities
- Flexible frequencies: Daily, weekly, or custom schedules
- Streak tracking: Current and longest streaks
- Goal linking: Connect habits to strategic goals
- Visual calendar: 90-day activity view
- Completion details: Optional notes, duration, and ratings
Creating Habits
Basic Setup
- Navigate to Habits from the sidebar
- Click New Habit
- Enter habit details:
- Title: Clear, action-oriented name
- Description: Context and motivation
- Frequency: How often to complete
- Goal: Linked strategic goal (optional)
- Click Create
Habit Fields
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Title | Action-oriented habit name |
| Description | Context and motivation |
| Frequency | Completion schedule |
| Time of Day | When to perform (optional) |
| Goal | Strategic goal this supports |
Frequency Options
Set how often you want to complete each habit:
| Frequency | Schedule |
|---|---|
| Daily | Every day |
| 3x Week | Three times per week |
| Weekly | Once per week |
| Bi-Weekly | Every two weeks |
| Monthly | Once per month |
| Custom | Specific days of week |
Custom Days
For custom frequency, select specific days:
- 0 = Sunday
- 1 = Monday
- 2 = Tuesday
- 3 = Wednesday
- 4 = Thursday
- 5 = Friday
- 6 = Saturday
Example: Mon/Wed/Fri workout = Days 1, 3, 5
Tracking Habits
Today's Habits
View habits due today:
- Go to Habits page
- View "Today's Habits" section
- Habits due based on frequency and day
- Check off as completed
Completing a Habit
Click the checkbox to mark complete. Optionally add:
- Notes: What you did, how it went
- Duration: Minutes spent
- Rating: 1-5 quality/satisfaction score
Habit Card
Each habit displays:
- Title and description
- Frequency badge
- Current streak count
- Longest streak achieved
- Linked goal (if any)
- 90-day activity calendar
Streak Tracking
Current Streak
Consecutive completions counting back from today:
- Daily habits: Consecutive days
- Other frequencies: Recent completions in last 7 days
Longest Streak
Your all-time best streak for this habit:
- Historical record
- Goal to beat
- Motivation metric
Streak Breaks
What breaks a streak:
- Missing a required completion day
- For daily: Missing any day
- For 3x week: Fewer than 3 in a week
Visual Calendar
The streak calendar shows 90 days of activity:
Calendar View
- Color-coded completion status
- Month/week organization
- Quick visual of consistency
- Pattern recognition
Reading the Calendar
| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Filled | Completed |
| Empty | Not completed |
| Today | Current day highlighted |
Filtering Habits
Status Filter
- Active: Currently tracking
- Inactive: Paused habits
- All: Everything
Goal Filter
Filter habits by linked goal:
- View goal-specific habits
- Track goal-supporting consistency
- Focus on specific areas
Completion Filter
- Due Today: Needs completion today
- Completed Today: Already done
- All: Full list
Habit Statistics
Dashboard Stats
View aggregate statistics:
- Active Habits: Count of tracking habits
- Completions (90 days): Total completions
- Best Streak: Highest current streak
Per-Habit Stats
Each habit shows:
- Current streak
- Longest streak ever
- 90-day completion count
- Completion percentage
Goal Integration
Linking to Goals
Connect habits to Goals:
- Create or edit a habit
- Select Goal from dropdown
- Choose supporting goal
- Save habit
Benefits
- Track goal-supporting consistency
- View habits by goal
- Understand goal progress
- Connect daily actions to vision
Viewing by Goal
Filter habits by goal to see all practices supporting that goal.
Completion Details
Adding Notes
Document each completion:
- What you did
- How it went
- Observations
- Adjustments needed
Duration Tracking
Record time spent:
- Minutes per completion
- Track time investment
- Identify efficiency gains
Quality Rating
Rate completion quality (1-5):
- 1: Poor
- 2: Below average
- 3: Average
- 4: Good
- 5: Excellent
Use to track not just completion but quality.
Managing Habits
Editing Habits
- Click on habit card
- Select Edit
- Modify fields
- Save changes
Deactivating Habits
Pause without deleting:
- Edit habit
- Set to inactive
- Habit hidden from daily view
- History preserved
Deleting Habits
Remove completely:
- Click on habit card
- Select Delete
- Confirm deletion
- All history removed
Integration with Other Features
Goals & Outcomes
- Link habits to goals
- Habits support goal achievement
- Track consistency toward outcomes
Routines
- Include habit check-in in routines
- Morning: Plan which habits today
- Evening: Review habit completion
Weekly Review
During Weekly Review:
- Review week's habit consistency
- Celebrate streak achievements
- Adjust habits as needed
- Plan next week's focus
Wheel of Life
Habits support life domains:
- Build habits for priority domains
- Track consistency across life areas
- Use assessment to identify needed habits
Best Practices
Starting New Habits
- Start small (2 minutes)
- Stack on existing habits
- Make it obvious
- Remove friction
Maintaining Habits
- Never miss twice in a row
- Track visually (calendar)
- Celebrate small wins
- Review weekly
Choosing Habits
- Align with goals
- Start with 1-3 habits
- Build momentum before adding
- Focus on keystone habits
Frequency Selection
- Daily for critical habits
- 3x week for demanding habits
- Custom for specific schedules
- Don't overcommit
Goal Connection
- Link every habit to a goal
- Understand the "why"
- Review alignment regularly
- Adjust as goals change
Recovery from Breaks
- Don't abandon after a miss
- Resume immediately
- Analyze what caused the break
- Adjust if needed
- Rebuild streak