Free Daily Habit Tracker Spreadsheet for 2025
I’ll be tracking a set of daily habits each day and simply checking if I did each one. I’ve divided the spreadsheet into 12 tabs by month. Each tab has the days down the side with corresponding day of the week. The habits are across the top.
Download the .xlsx template and customize it with your own daily habits. All the days of the week are set for the year running along the left side.
Check-lists and Dopamine
Did you know that our brains love check-lists? Checking things off the list releases dopamine in our brain, giving us a rush and helping us focus and get the next item done. Read this blog, The Secret Psychology on Why We Love Completing To-do Lists.
“When we aren't feeling motivated, we often aren't accomplishing our goals. Motivation is crucial to getting things done. When we complete individual tasks, our brains release dopamine which causes positive feelings such as happiness, pleasure, and motivation.
When we are positively motivated to do something, we not only take pleasure in completing the task at hand, we also attribute positive feelings towards repeating the process. This process is called "self-directed learning." This is why achieving small wins along your projects keeps you motivated to continue working on the projects. Checklists work like this. By completing the action items on your checklist you'll be motivated to keep knocking off those tasks.”
The habits I’ve chosen so far:
Meditate
Journal
Visualize Positive Outcomes
Run or Hike
Gym or Yoga
Time Outside / Nature / Walk
7,500 Steps
Write
Eat a salad / fresh veggies
Drink water
Review Bank Transactions
Text or Talk to a Friend
Make Hourly Schedule for Following Day
Make a TikTok Video or IG Post
Read or Listen to a Book or Podcast
Practice Gratitude - Journal a List or Tell Someone I’m Grateful for Them
Book Recommendation
One book that you may remember was popular about 15 years ago that helped shaped the way I think about habits is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. She tweaked daily habits to see if she felt happier. One I remember from the book (I think—it was a long time ago) was tidying up the house for 15 minutes before bed. Since then I’ve always cleaned my kitchen before going to bed. That way I wake up with a clean kitchen. I’ve stuck with that habit all these years as a result of reading this book. I’m constantly thinking about little micro-habits I can change so I feel better—and then doing them. Tracking them daily is key! This year the big one for me is reviewing my bank transactions. I had gotten into the habit many years ago but then fell out. Time to get back to that one.
