Do you find tracking habits and documenting your time a hassle? Before you give up, I want to tell you why paying attention to tracking habits and documenting your time leads to success. When was the last time you asked yourself, “Where has the day gone, or why does it seem like the year has flown?” Maybe you have big dreams but feel like time slips through your fingers before you can gain consistent momentum to keep pace.
The reality is many of us set goals at the start of the year, only to forget about them until it’s time to set them again at the start of next year. But here’s the truth—if you don’t know where your time is going and how its being used, how can you chart a course toward your purpose?
God calls us to lives of intention, mission, growth, and stewardship. God is a master planner—just look at the totality of the Holy Bible. Just as The Lord God used precision in the world’s creation and His Word, we too are called to be diligent with the time we’ve been given. One powerful way to do this is by tracking your habits and documenting your time. Yes, it seems tedious at first when it’s not a habit, but trust me it gets better because it’s worth it. Why? When you become mindful of what you’re doing daily, you can ensure your habits align with God’s purpose for your life and business.
This article will show why tracking your habits matters, how it will lead to transformation, and why intentional time management is vital for purpose-driven success. Whether you’re just starting, it’s not too late to build better sustainable habits.
The Brain, Habits, and God’s Design
Did you know God created the brain to develop habits to conserve energy? This isn’t just a scientific fact; it’s evidence of His incredible design. Productivity gurus and scientists aren’t the originators of this awesomeness of our God, but most do a good job explaining it in depth. The routines we build—whether good or bad—impact how we use our limited mental resources.
Let me explain: when you group or stack habits, such as all you do in your morning routine, it helps your brand conserve resources and reduce stress because there’s not an automatically programmed agenda and behavior. Mankind thrives off of routine and consistency.
For Example:
- Wake up, thank God/pray
- Brush your teeth/wash your face
- Grab coffee/pre-workout drink
- Put on your workout clothes
- And read/study your Bible for 1 hour
- Workout 1 hour
- Post-workout meal
- Shower and get dressed
You’re stacking good habits for spiritual growth and health.
Reflect on Your Habits and Time Resource
Reflection on your habits and time usage is always a good sign of growth. When we cultivate habits aligned with our spiritual, soul, relational, health, and business success goals, we become more efficient stewards of our energy, freeing up mental space for creativity, decision-making, and worship. On the flip side, poor habits consume our energy, leaving us stagnant, stressed, and exhausted.
Soulful, please take a moment to reflect and examine your current habits and time bank.
Question: What habits are driving your daily behaviors?
Question: Do they reflect faith, discipline, and growth?
Question: Are your habits holding you back from your God-given potential?
Question: Are your habits a good use of your time and energy?
Habits Create Mental Awareness
Sometimes, I just feel flat-out mentally drained, but whenever I take an in-depth look at what I get to do to better my life, it’s like God uses those written commitments to refuel me to move closer to my dreams by faith.
Our habit keeps us going when we get the chronic case of “I don’t feel like its.”
Tracking your habits keeps your time and actions front and center. It’s a way to remain accountable to God for your commitments and pray without ceasing. When you stay on top of your day, it creates intimacy with Christ and a rhythm of habitual accountability, making you aware of God’s presence, what’s working—and what isn’t.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
This passage of Scripture identifies inspiration and healthy habit-building.
Consider this example:
- Without tracking, you might spend excessive time scrolling on your phone, watching reels, reading comments, or watching too much TV without realizing it. Imagine how you can spend those mindless hours deepening your craft, studying, reading, being active, creating, enjoying quality time with family, or sharing the gospel with others. You could be moving the needle to the results you seek, but those goals aren’t a priority because you’re not keeping up with how you’re stewarding your time.
- With habit tracking, you’re more likely to set—and stick to—limits that align with your priorities and values. Logging even just 15 minutes of daily prayer or 30 minutes of reading the Scriptures could transform your faith and spiritual walk!
Poor Habits vs. Good Habits
As a reminder, the habits you cultivate either aid your soul transformation or lead you to stagnation and slothfulness. Poor habits and spiritual disciplines (like procrastination, neglecting daily prayer, or inconsistent routines) often hinder us, draining energy and focus long-term. They keep us running in circles with the start-and-stop-again cycle without real progress.
On the other hand, good habits—consistent prayer, regular Bible study, and effective planning—fuel growth and momentum in life and business.
God is the Master at breaking poor habits, patterns, and strongholds that plague and wear down the soul. Invite God into all I do, including my habits.
I created Dream Big Goals, monthly events, resources, and a planning system for Christian visionaries to keep us on track with all God places in our hearts to carry out His vision and mission. Renewing your habits and thought patterns through discipline and planning allows God’s transformation to enter your life.
The Habit of No Plan is a Plan
You’ve likely heard the saying, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Recall some of your seasons when you drifted around and didn’t know what to do next. I recall when I stopped dreaming because I believed God didn’t want me to have any dreams or goals anymore.
Without a plan, it’s easy to drift aimlessly, binge on television, listen to unfruitful things like gossip and soul-stripping music, and grow overwhelmed by the demands of work and life. But when we take charge of our days, aligning our time management with God’s purpose, we’re empowered to live fully in our calling. We eliminate dark deeds by intentionally planning for sober living and obeying Christ.
Jesus wants us to be alert and busy doing things that matter eternally. The Apostle Paul shares in 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 AMP, “But you, believers, [all you who believe in Christ as Savior and acknowledge Him as God’s Son] are not in spiritual darkness [nor held by its power], that the day [of judgment] would overtake you [by surprise] like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We do not belong to the night nor to darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep [in spiritual indifference] as the rest [of the world does], but let us keep wide awake [alert and cautious] and let us be sober [self-controlled, calm, and wise]. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we [believers] belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope and confident assurance of salvation.”
Planning doesn’t mean overloading your to-do list and becoming overwhelmed; it’s about creating systems and rhythms and prioritizing what matters most. Planning is controlling what you can control while depending on God’s power to get you through. Tracking habits and documenting your time spent on work and play garners self-control.
Proverbs 25:28 NIV says, “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.”
Each day, we choose whether our time serves God’s purpose or gets us lost to distraction.
This is where tools like habit trackers, planners, digital calendars, project planners, and journals become essential for faith-driven visionaries. Tracking your time, prayers, Bible studies, reading hours, and fitness workouts leads to success. Small, intentional actions accumulate, leading to momentous snowball avalanche growth.
The Benefits of a Habit and Time Tracker
Who’s keeping score with habit tracking and documenting time? Using a habit and time tracker helps visually represent your progress. Look at it like an accountant who needs to know the numbers to identify good or bad areas of the business. Here are some key benefits for Christian purpose-driven leaders like you:
- Clarity: Identify habits that support your spiritual and business growth. Hone in on habits that align with your purpose in spiritual growth, relationships, finances, business, hobbies, etc.
- Accountability: Stay on track with daily disciplines like prayer, Bible study, business tasks, house cleaning and organization, or outreach activities.
- Progress Measurement: You’ll feel empowered to keep documenting as you see results. Celebrate small wins daily and reflect on your achievements.
- Motivation: An empty checkbox in front of your face at 5:00 pm motivates follow-through! Remember, it’s not how you start but how you finish.
- Life Balance: Ensure you’re dedicating time to what truly matters—whether it’s nurturing your faith, spending time with loved ones, or building your business.
Documenting your time and habits builds systems like these to help bridge the gap between intention and action. Dreaming big requires faith in God’s promises, but it also demands consistent work.
Leaders are dreamers who take action daily.
Conclusion: Take Action Toward Habits and Time Tracking
Your life and business are too meaningful to leave up to chance. God has placed you here for a reason, starting with aligning your time and actions with His purpose. It’s not too late to start or to start new if you’ve already fallen behind on your goals. Begin today Soulful—track your habits, document your time, and step closer to the calling and dream big goals God has prepared for you.
To help you get started, I highly recommend The Dream Big Goal-Setting Guide & Planner. It’s a two-part system that I mail to your front door and offers a lot of value for long-term growth, purpose, and planning. Right now it’s offered at the monthly events we host. This resource is specifically designed for Christian visionaries like you, helping you focus on foundation building for your purpose for both spiritual growth in life and business success.
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Soul Actions:
Use a habit tracker and a calendar to keep up with your time usage.
Pray and seek God on ways to build better habit stacks to conserve your energy.
Identify your beneficial and bad habits.
