Habits & Habit Lists
Tags: Product, Productivity, Habits
One of the central aspects of HQ is habits. It's a core idea because even a brief study of peak performers reveals how much each of them relies on habits to perform at peak levels.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, puts it best:
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."
By systems, he's talking about habits. It's not the goals that we set up that lead to great outcomes, it's the habits we repeat that help us achieve those goals.
Habits in HQ
HQ has two concepts for habits: Habits, and Habit Lists. Very simply, a habit list is merely a list of habits. This structure allows the user to add multiple habits to one list, and each habit can be added to multiple lists.
Adding a Habit List to your Day
As you assemble various habit lists, the next step is to add them to your day. On each habit list you'll see a button called "Add to day…"
When you click it, a window pops up where you can add this particular habit list to a particular day.
As you add more habit lists to your day, they'll show up on the day in question and you can check each one off as you complete it.
As you go through the day, HQ keeps tabs on how many habits you've completed.
Most todo list software doesn't work for habits
One of my critiques of most todo list software is that it assumes that each day will be the same as the previous day. If you elect to make a list recurring, the app will add that same list automatically! So now you have duplicates. This often makes no sense at all.
HQ is smarter
There is no concept in HQ of recurring lists. Lists are never added to your day unless you specifically add them. By having to add relevant habit lists each day manually, users get to affirmatively plan their day vs having it imposed on them.
Get your habits right. The rest will take care of itself.
Peak performers don't rise to the level of their goals anymore than we do. Just like us, they fall to the level of their systems (habits). The difference is they've spent time refining their systems so they can perform at peak level. Now there is a way for the rest of us to do that too.