How to Use Stickers to Track and Celebrate Small (and Big!) Wins

Are you looking for more inspiration on how to use stickers? One of my favourite ways to use them is to track and celebrate wins—big and small. It helps encourage me and keeps me motivated. It is such a simple way to promote good mental health that I just have to share all the different ways you can start using your printable stickers to track and celebrate your wins. Let's dive in!

Using Stickers to Mark Your Progress and Celebrate Your Accomplishments

Stickers are a great tool for making a visual record of your accomplishments—something you can look back on when you need a reminder of how much you've already achieved. I typically like to stick mine into my planner, but you might prefer using your journal, your mirror—anywhere you like!

Taking the time to stop and choose your sticker makes you slow down and think about your win. Instead of jumping straight to the next task, you get to savour your accomplishment. Writing it down or checking off your task gives you a chance to see what you've done.

When your wins are recorded on your stickers in your planner or journal, it becomes so much easier to go back and reflect on your progress. That alone can be incredibly encouraging—especially if you're feeling stuck or like you aren't making progress.

Types of Planner Stickers to Use for Marking Your Progress

There are several different stickers you can use to track your progress toward your goals and habits.

1. Checklists: Checklist stickers are perfect for writing down your list of to-dos for the day, the week, the month or even the year. They are perfect for celebrating small wins because as you finish each task you can check them off or cross them off or even use a checkmark sticker to show you've completed the task.

2. Habit Trackers: Habit tracker stickers are very similar to checklists, but they work best for tracking one specific task or goal or habit. You can track how much water you drink, exercise, reading, you name it, you can track it. Again as you maintain your habit you get the satisfaction of checking off the task for the day.

3. Box Stickers (Full, Half, and Quarter!): These are great stickers for writing down your main goal or task for the day. Because the task is on a sticker by itself it’s a good visual reminder of what your key focus is for the day instead of getting bogged down in your overall to-do list.

4. Icon Stickers: There are all sorts of different icon stickers you can use to monitor your progress. A classic example of this is giving yourself a star sticker every time you accomplish a task.

As you can see, there are so many different sticker styles you can try out to write down you wins. Play around with the different types to determine what feels most motivating to you!

Creative Ways to Celebrate and Reward Yourself with Stickers

There are a few creative ways I like to use printable stickers to celebrate and reward myself for wins.

1. Recording my wins in my planner on a pretty box sticker. I love to use these for recording wins I'm especially proud of. For example, I like to write down my business milestones, like when I was accepted as a contributor to my first freebie bundle. It depends how much I want to write which size box sticker I'll use. Other types of wins you might want to record are the first time you try something new, buy your first house, plant a garden, the possibilities are endless!

2. Using an extra beautiful sticker from my stash to decorate my planner. While I don't recommend hoarding your sticker stash (that's the beauty of printable stickers, you can always print your favorites off again!), I know I'm still guilty of doing it sometimes. If you struggle with hoarding your stickers, try using those beautiful ones when you have a win you're especially proud of. Trust me. It's easier to use those special stickers to record those special wins. And it feels extra rewarding to use that special sticker.

3. Printing out a fresh planner sticker kit. This might be a me thing, but I get so much joy out of seeing new printable stickers fresh out of my printer. So because it feels so special to me, it's a great way to reward myself when I've had a win. Try it yourself! If you want to give yourself an extra dopamine hit, reward yourself by buying a new printable sticker kit! Then print that one off!
   
   

Adding a Sticker Ritual to Your Routine

Okay, we’ve covered how to track your tasks, goals, and habits and how to use stickers as rewards when you finish those tasks. But now you actually have to implement a plan to use your stickers for this purpose. Here are a few ideas for sticker rituals to add into your routine so you actually track and celebrate your wins.

1. Real Time Tracking and Celebrating: for this ritual all you do is immediately tick off, write down, or reward yourself with a sticker as soon as you complete a task. Personally I find this strategy a bit distracting, but it is great for keeping yourself encouraged as you work!

2. Daily, Weekly, or Monthly Reviews: If you’re tracking and rewarding yourself daily I recommend setting a time when you sit down and do this. Maybe at the end of your work day or before you go to bed. For weekly check-ins, pick a day of the week to reflect and reward yourself. For monthly wins pick a consistent date, like the last of every month or every second Tuesday of the month. How often you choose to make time for your sticker ritual will depend on your personal preference and the type of goal or habit you’re working towards.

Final Thoughts

Stickers may seem simple, but they’re a fun, effective tool to help you recognize your progress and feel proud of it. So go ahead—pick your sticker, celebrate your moment, and keep going.

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