‍

This is a habit tracker. 

It’s incredible how much more likely we are to keep promises with ourselves when the consequence is a green tick or red cross. 

The positive effect of implementing such a system into my life has surpassed any other attempted tool or technique to date.

It only takes two weeks to begin reconstructing a positive reputation with yourself, drastically improving your life. 

From snoozing and losing to establishing routines, rituals, and rules that help you win the majority of days.

Be not mistaken, the habit tracker is no magic pill. You must want to score high in order to experience the magnificent effects. 

You must treat your life as a series of personal projects, each being the solving of obstacles on the path to your goal.

Failure is an essential component to building an effective self accountability system. Let your failures be used for feedback and adaptation and not equated with low self worth. 

Be honest about your wins and losses, give yourself a red cross when it is called for, reflect, decide how you will improve and try again. 

Here’s the stage-by-stage process I went through that took me from:

• Uncontrollable snoozing every day
• Waking up with guilt, shame and regret
• Getting nothing important done
• Feeling stuck and confused
• Living without purpose

to: 

• Rising at 6am every day
• Praying five times a day
• Exercising every morning
• Raising my energy levels
• Dominating my most important tasks by 1pm
• Reading
• Stretching
• Reviewing my day, every day
• Reducing social media time
• Bettering my diet and meal quality
• Socialising with friends
• Getting to bed on time
• Feeling fulfilled at the end of the day

Let’s go through this one step at a time. 

The Morning Routine 

If you currently work or study full time and have other goals you want to work towards, what do you need to be getting done before the day begins? 

In my case: 

• Writing (this Mastery Letter & other projects)
• Content creation (For Instagram & The Self Mastery E-Learning Platform)

Mastery Tip: Answer these questions for yourself, right now.

What is it you will need most in order to get up on time and show up at your best for this work?

• Energy
• Concentration
• Creative Insight
• Clarity

Mastery Tip: Again, answer these for yourself.

What will you need to do in order to maximise on these each morning?

In my case: 

• Prayer
• High intensity exercise 
• Yoga
• Meditation

Mastery Tip: Answer this for yourself and get clear on 2-4 actions that will compose a non-negotiable morning routine. These will prime you for your goal-oriented action.

How much time will each of these require in order for completion?

In my case: 

• Prayer: 10 minutes
• High Intensity Exercise: 10 minutes
• Yoga: 10 minutes 
• Meditation: 15 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Mastery Tip: Get clear on how long each of your morning habits will require. It’s ok to start small and gradually build up as you wake up earlier. 

Subtract the total time from the time your work/study day begins, this will be your initial waking time. 

In my case: 7:45am

Mastery Tip: This is your minimum viable wake up time. Start by waking up at this time if you’re not already.

Ideally, at what time would you like to wake up for the rest of your life?

In my case: 6am

Mastery Tip: You’re going to gradually wake up earlier by five minutes each morning until your ideal waking time is reached. Trust me, small daily deductions was a game changer and will be for you also.

Get used to asking questions like these, they inspire consistency and not the usual unrealistic standards that do not last.

By subtracting five minutes each day you’ll gradually have more time available of a morning, which will allow you to then get clear on what your priorities are for that time. 

Waking earlier by five minutes each morning gradually opens up more time for your morning habits.

This works perfectly, allowing more time for each of your morning habits as the morning window before work/study expands.

Remember, scarcity creates value. So if you only have thirty minutes available before your other duties call, you will be pushed to maximise on that time with priority actions only.

For me, the priorities upon waking earlier were prayer and high intensity exercise. Just taking action on these gave what I needed in order to show up and write for an hour before my other job began. 

Waking up tired was a big problem, I needed to find a way to boost my energy upon rising. 

High intensity exercise was the solution, pumping the heart and breaking a good sweat. 

Mastery Tip: Through trial and error, get clear on which of your morning habits are more important than the rest. Prioritise these and get them done first. 

Now, my morning routine primes me for deep, focused writing. Whatever the priority task is that will move you towards your goals, be sure to get 60-90 minutes done before you work. 

Over time this will compound and you’ll be grateful for how far you have come. 

Mastery Tip: Deep, focused work is a skill that requires training for lasting concentration. I began with just fifteen minutes of writing, which gradually increased to ninety minutes. Take a similar approach. 

Feel free to use my morning routine as inspiration, however you might find more success in designing your own. 

Shut Down

Every evening begins with a shut-down. 

A shut down is a combination of reviewing the day, planning tomorrow and declaring the end of work.

I take time to reflect on the day, make notes related to my current project (this mastery letter), write down the wins and losses for the day and make a clear plan for tomorrow.

Notes ensure nothing useful is forgotten, wins show where my current approach is working, while losses shine light on weaknesses that need reinforcing.

Every loss leads to the question of ‘why did I lose here?’ Which then leads to some new insight, actionable step or preventative measure that can be taken going forward. 

The plan for tomorrow includes as many small pre-made decisions as possible. 

Decisions like: 

• Waking time
• Training plan
• What to work on
• Arrangements to meet

Pre-deciding saves willpower and holds us better to account, that is what I have found. 

Finally, I write “shut down complete” at the bottom of the page, saying those words out loud, letting myself know that work is done for the day. 

After shut down, no work related activity is allowed. Thoughts about work are kept to a minimum. It’s now time to decompress and enjoy time with friends.

Waking up without a plan is the surest way to procrastinate and get nothing useful done.

I used to be that guy… randomly going about my day with no clear intention. 

Pre-planning the day has made a tremendous impact on my life. May it do the same for you. 

Here’s an example of my daily shut down. 

‍

‍

What time do you need to cut off from work so you can preserve mental health and restore brain capacity? 

In my case: 6:30pm 

Mastery Tip: Get clear on your cut-off time for work. This is when shut down ‘must’ be completed by. 

Evening Habits

A productive morning begins with a skilful evening.

Subtract seven to eight hours from your current waking time, this will give you your current bed-time.

In my case: 

Current waking time: 6am

Current bed time: 10pm

Mastery Tip: Calculate your current bed time, this will get earlier by five minutes each night as you wake five minutes earlier. 

In order to get the best sleep you can this is going to require staying away from certain things like screens, food, sugar, alcohol and artificial light, and prioritising things like winding down, taking a bath, meditating, stretching and reading. 

Sleep quantity is nowhere near as valuable as sleep quality. 

Therefore evening habits are all about ensuring your sleep is as regenerative as possible and that you have a plan in place for tomorrow’s execution. 

Once again, do what is best for you. I will share my evening habits for inspiration.

What are 2-3 activities you can do to ensure your sleep is of the highest quality?

In my case: 

• Prayer/ Meditation
• Reading
• Yoga

Mastery Tip: Write a list of evening habits that will boost settle you down and boost sleep quality. 

What is your current bed time again? 

In my case: 10pm 

Mastery tip: We want to have our evening habits done well before this time, so in my case 9pm would be an optimal end to the day. 

Since cultivating a lot more discipline and living in routine, social time has kept me sane. 

I suggest you take time before, after or even during your evening habits to spend time with others. 

There’s nothing like human interaction and connection. 

In fact, I’m discovering it to be an essential component in becoming my best. 

Mastery Tip: Perhaps find more social ways for completing your evening habits. Attend a yoga class, pray in the mosque/church, or meet friends for tea and read a book while you’re there. 

Your evening habits should now be clear, let your self accountability system take its natural course of evolution.

Avoid cramming too much into your evenings. 

This should be a time for regeneration and decompression, not being overly-rigid. Therefore two evening habits should be enough. Do as you wish, however this is what I’ve found to work best 

In my case: 

• Shut down by 6:30pm
• Evening habit 1
• Evening habit 2
• Bed on time (10pm)

Mastery Tip: Write out your evening habits and put them on your habit tracker. Remember, your bed time should get earlier by five minutes as your morning does, until the ideal is reached. 

The rest of your day will most often be occupied with work or study, however your habit tracker will provide structure even for days off. 

Once your morning and evening are taken care of, it’s time to start fleshing out the rest of the day, especially if you’re not working or a full-time student.

I call these…

Midday Moves

Perhaps this period of the day is occupied with work or study, or maybe it is open and free, waiting to be allocated to important, fulfilling tasks. 

I call these Midday Moves.

Over time, your entire day will be scheduled and structured allowing for maximum self-discipline and a sense of fulfilment at the end of the day.

After your morning routine and first period of deep, focused work, what else can you do to ensure constant, significant progress towards your goals?

Midday moves take place before shut down, therefore they can include additional work and study sessions. 

In my case: 

• More deep work (writing)
• Content creation (for social media) 
• Sending important emails
• Taking a nap
• Physical exercise
• Getting outside 
• Studying
• Prayer

Mastery Tip: Write a simple list of priority actions that you can fill the middle of your day with. Align these best with what is most important to you. 

Some of these can take up to a few hours at once, therefore you may not need to have so many, which I why I recommend only requiring yourself to do two per day. 

If you’re doing the things you want to do, yet have not completed the tasks you know are most important, you’re in avoidance. 

If you’re spending hours on leisure activities but have not yet taken care of your priorities, you’re most likely in avoidance.

However if you have already completed your priority tasks and done what is most important, do whatever you wish. 

Do what needs to be done, make meaningful progress towards your goals first, then do as you wish. 

The factor that makes all the difference here is whether or not you have fulfilled your duties, those being to work, your business, your side project, studies or creative works and whatever it is you’re optimising time for. 

Time Sensitivity

After using the habit tracker for a few months I noticed that I stopped taking it as serious as I did in the beginning. 

Thankfully I was able to account for this right away before losing any momentum.

The addition of specific timings is what transforms the habit tracker into a daily schedule.

This requires more self-discipline, for it is more difficult to adhere to. Who likes a game that is too easy? Easiness leads to boredom, challenge is essential.

What is the ideal time to finish your morning routine and begin executing on priority actions?

In my case: My first writing session starts at 7:30am. 

Mastery Tip: Add a specific time to your first self-disciplined work/study session of the day before standard duties begin.

If there is no specified time for me to begin my first period of writing, what is stopping me from waking up late and starting my first writing session at 9am?

A job that requires me to start work at 9am would create time pressure, encouraging me to work on my own goals before somebody else’s. 

If you don’t have a job or lecture to get to, you’re going to need to create time pressure yourself. 

Time sensitivity means that if my first writing blocks are at 7:30am and 9:30am and I wake late, beginning my work at 9:30, I must give the 7:30 block a red cross. 

This gets me up in the morning, I don’t want to lose where I could choose to win instead. 

In other words, it’s the cascading consequences of one failure into the rest that lead to a stronger sense of self accountability. The thought of sleeping in is now far less powerful than it was before Implementing time sensitivity. 

If you notice yourself getting bored of your habit tracker, no longer excited and inspired to score high, set some time constraints on key habits. 

Taking action is one thing, taking action on time is another.

Rules

Discipline means shedding what doesn’t serve your goals and investing in what does.

Your habit tracker will always be challenged by distractions, behaviour patterns and temptations that undermine discipline.

Rules are your defence.

I have a confession to make. 

Some weeks ago I began falling back into the old habit of lustful scrolling on instagram. Looking at girls, their soft-core content and shamefully self-pleasuring. 

This contradicts everything I teach and share.

Lead by example right? 

A made a new rule: no phone in bed. 

Though I broke this rule sometimes, I learned from each stumble. 

These failures lead to a reinforced rule: no phone in any bedroom, no matter what.

What a difference this has made.

Not only did my screen time go down significantly, I can’t remember the last time I laid in bed, scrolling through social media, looking at sinful content.

Other rules include no more than five minutes after waking before getting up, taking Sundays for recharging, ending social time by 9:15pm, having the first meal at 10:30am, and refraining from snacking until 12:30 PM

What behaviours are you partaking in on a daily basis that you know you want to change? 

In my previous case: 

• Watching adult content
• Smoking early in the morning 
• Snacking too much
• Sleeping in

The purpose of a rule is to ensure you do not do the things you know you do not want to do! 

Mastery Tip: Write one rule per behaviour you wish to change and write these on your habit tracker.

Rules are meant to be broken right? 

Exactly. 

If you find yourself breaking your own rules this only means that they are not strong enough. 

Adapt by coming up with ways to reinforce your rules. 

Make them stronger, more serious, and therefore more effective. 

Keep taking failure as feedback and continue adapting until you find something that works.

Progressive Overload

You must remain engaged in your discipline or boredom will set in. 

Challenge yourself with the standards on your habit tracker, but keep it realistic.

As you progress, continue increasing the difficulty. This is how you keep yourself engaged and growing.

Think of it like adding weights at the gym. We get bored when the load is not challenging enough.

Apply the same principle to self-discipline.

When your routine feels stale, raise the bar.

It’s normal for the ego to get a little scared by this. Desire plus fear is the direction to go in. Growth is uncomfortable, there’s no escaping that. 

The joy in self-discipline is greater than any that can be brought through attachment and comfort.

Identify your weaknesses, work on them with aid from your habit tracker, set new rules, try things out and aim for high standards. 

Self-discipline is an ever-evolving project. Avoid falling complacent by continually raising the limits.

Complacency is what kills progress and usually leads to regression. 

We want to continue growing and moving in an upward trajectory. You’ll be surprised with just how capable you really can be.

If you’re new to habit tracking, start with a two-week tracker and aim to score as high as you can. 

If you’re already deep into this process, consider where your habit tracker could be increased in difficulty, bring awareness to what changes you’ve been avoiding until now, and ensure you keep on growing by raising your standards one day or week at a time. 

If you’re experienced, get clear on where your habit tracker is weak and patch up any leakages. Keep raising the standards, but only when you’ve dominated the current limit. 

The Iterative Process

Here’s a personal anecdote: 

My monthly habit tracker is finished and I haven’t yet drawn out a new one. This morning I did not wake on time. 

Why didn’t I get up at 6am as usual? Because I did not have my tracker holding me accountable.

I just returned from climbing Scotland’s highest mountain and have completed my monthly habit tracker. 

I feel deserving of some down-time. 

Yet… sleeping in this morning did not yield any benefit. One undisciplined action really does lead to another. 

I slipped into a spiral of doom-scrolling, looking at girls and doing ungodly things.

Now… Here’s why this was a good thing. 

Feedback… 

I was unsure whether or not waking at 6am every day was a good idea. I felt as though I needed a week off from discipline. 

But this is the result… 

Degenerate behaviour… 

That’s not how I want to live, no matter what time of the year. 

Therefore, today’s shut down will include a loss regarding my waking time, along with the behaviours I engaged in this morning. 

The feedback I will take from this is reinforcement to my why. 

‘’We maintain discipline continually, because one undisciplined act leads easily to another - Usman Ali

‍

Every Sunday I review my week in a similar way to the daily shut down. 

Wins and losses from the week can be clearly seen on my habit tracker. 

Wins show me what I should continue doing, while losses point to necessary adaptations.  

With each of your losses ask “why?” Be honest and clear about the real why and you’ll know exactly what you have to do moving forward. 

Three to five Ideal outcomes are then clarified, these are what I’m aiming for in the week ahead. 

I note down what emotions were especially challenging this week, and what virtues are being called for going ahead. 

‍

‍

‍

This Mastery Letter is the product of my own necessity for self-discipline as a virtue. 

Now, you might think you know everything about discipline already, perhaps what you’ve read so far has been nothing new. 

I want to now address the issue of “knowing yet not doing”. 

So often we know what to do but we just don’t do it. 

Knowledge without action is mere theory.

The key lies in embodying what you know. 

Awareness of your dream and your nightmare is crucial. 

You need to know what it is you really want, and what it is you fear most…

We will dive deeper in next week’s Mastery Letter.

End of Part 1: To Conclude

Discipline is pivotal for achieving dreams and averting nightmares. The Habit Tracker is an effective tool for accountability and optimisation.

Set clear rules to preserve willpower and maintain discipline. Be your own manager, relying less on external authorities.

Challenge yourself constantly; transform weaknesses into strengths one step at a time.

Regular reviews provide valuable feedback, allowing course correction and improvement.

Remember, there is no use in reading and consuming information if you do not apply what you learn.

Here are some tools to help you in taking action.

FREE habit tracker template

FREE 60 Minute Coaching Call with me if you’re looking to develop Discipline, Inner-Peace, Confidence and/or Self Love.

I’ve helped a tonne of people transform their lives from the inside out. What if you could be the next success story?

If this Mastery Letter was useful, share it with somebody else you could benefit.

And… 

Until next time. 

Stay sharp.

‍