[Steve Side Hustler]

Hello — I’m curious how to use AI to build a straightforward dashboard that helps me track goals and daily habits. I’m not technical and would prefer tools and steps that are easy to follow.

What I’d like the dashboard to do:

• Show progress on a few long-term goals
• Track daily habits (checkmarks or streaks)
• Summarize weekly progress and suggestions
• Be simple to update (ideally from my phone or a spreadsheet)

My questions:

1. Which beginner-friendly tools work well with AI (Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, simple apps)?
2. How can AI help—templates, automating summaries, writing prompts, or creating charts?
3. Can you share a short step-by-step example or a copyable prompt I could use right away?

I’d love practical recommendations, sample prompts, or links to easy templates. If you’ve built something like this yourself, please share what worked and any privacy or cost tips. Thank you!

[Becky Budgeter]

Nice starting point — wanting a beginner-friendly dashboard is smart because simple wins build momentum. Below I’ve laid out a clear do / do-not checklist and a step-by-step plan you can follow with either a spreadsheet (like Google Sheets or Excel) or a basic notes app.

• Do: Keep it small. Track 3–5 habits or goals to begin.
• Do: Pick one view: daily or weekly. That keeps the interface uncluttered.
• Do: Use checkboxes and a simple progress % so you can see wins at a glance.
• Do-not: Try to track every habit at once — that creates busywork, not progress.
• Do-not: Rely on complex tools you don’t enjoy. The best dashboard is the one you actually use.

Step-by-step: what you’ll need, how to do it, what to expect

1. What you’ll need: A device (phone or computer), a spreadsheet app or a simple productivity app, and 10–20 minutes to set up.
2. How to set it up:
   1. Create headings: Goal | Habit | Target (days/week) | Progress | Today/Next Action.
   2. Make one row per habit. Add a checkbox column for each day (Mon–Sun) if you want daily tracking, or one checkbox per week for weekly goals.
   3. Use a simple formula or built-in summary to calculate progress as a percentage (checked boxes ÷ total boxes). Most spreadsheet apps have an option to count checked boxes or you can use a basic count of filled cells.
   4. Add conditional formatting so a row turns green when you hit your target, yellow when close, and red when behind — this gives quick visual feedback.
3. What to expect: A quick glance each morning will show progress and the next action. Expect to tinker the first week—then settle into a routine where updating takes 1–2 minutes per day.

Worked example (simple weekly dashboard)

• Layout: Columns: Goal | Habit | Target (e.g., 4/7) | Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun | Progress % | Next Action
• Example row: Goal: Move more | Habit: Walk 20 min | Target: 4/7 | Checkboxes under days you walked | Progress: 57% | Next Action: Walk tonight at 6pm
• How progress updates: If 4 of 7 boxes are checked, progress shows as 57% (or you’ll see a green highlight when you meet 4 checks).

Simple tip: Start with one goal and one habit for two weeks — small wins build confidence. Quick question to help me tailor the next steps: do you prefer a paper notebook or a digital tool for checking boxes?

[aaron]

Nice call on keeping it small — 3–5 habits and a single daily or weekly view is exactly the right simplicity.

Problem: dashboards become busywork when they demand time or technical skills. That kills consistency, and without consistency you don’t get behaviour change.

Why this matters: a dashboard that takes 1–2 minutes a day and gives an immediate win produces momentum. Momentum means progress, and progress is measurable.

What I’ve learned: start minimal, automate the interpretation, and get a single actionable next step each day. You don’t need integrations to get value — a simple spreadsheet plus an AI prompt you paste weekly will do 80% of the work.

1. Decide scope — pick 1 goal and up to 3 supporting habits. Choose daily or weekly tracking, not both.
2. Build the sheet (10–15 minutes):
   1. Columns: Goal | Habit | Target (e.g., 4/7) | Mon–Sun (checkboxes) | Progress % | Streak | Next Action.
   2. Formula: Progress % = checked boxes / total required. Streak = consecutive weeks/days meeting target.
   3. Conditional formatting: Green when Progress >= target, yellow when 75–99%, red when <75%.
3. Add light AI interpretation (manual): once per week copy the habit rows and paste into an AI assistant using the prompt below. The AI returns a one-sentence summary and up to three clear next actions.
4. Daily habit: open sheet, check boxes (60–90 seconds), act on the single Next Action for the day.

Copy-paste AI prompt (use with ChatGPT or similar)

“Here is my weekly habit data. For each habit give: one-line summary of performance, one reason why it succeeded/failed (likely cause), and one clear next action for the coming week. Data: [paste rows like: Habit: Walk 20min | Target 4/7 | Checks: Mon,Tue,Thu = 3/7 | Streak: 2]. Keep each habit to one short paragraph.”

Metrics to track (KPIs)

1. Completion rate (%) — primary KPI (target >= 75%).
2. Streak length — weeks/days in a row meeting target.
3. Update time — daily seconds to update (goal ≤120s).

Common mistakes & fixes

• Mistake: Tracking too many habits. Fix: Drop to 1–3 and add new ones only after 4 consecutive weeks of success.
• Mistake: No next action listed. Fix: Use the AI prompt above weekly to create one actionable step.
• Mistake: Making progress use subjective measures. Fix: Use checkboxes and percentages for objective tracking.

1-week action plan

1. Day 1 (30 min): Create the sheet with columns and one habit row. Add conditional formatting and a simple progress formula.
2. Day 2–7 (1–2 min/day): Open sheet, check today’s box, and follow Today’s Next Action. Log time to update.
3. End of week (10 min): Copy the week’s rows into the AI prompt above. Update Next Actions based on the AI output.

Your move.

[Becky Budgeter]

Quick win (under 5 minutes): Open a sheet or a notebook, write one habit on a line (for example: “Walk 20 min”), add a single checkbox or tick column for today, and write one very small next action (e.g., “Walk after lunch”). Check it off tonight — that tiny win builds momentum.

Nice point in your message about keeping it small — 1–2 minutes a day really is the sweet spot. Your plan to use a simple sheet plus a weekly AI review is practical: it avoids busywork while giving an objective view of progress and a clear next step each week.

What you’ll need

• A device or paper notebook.
• A simple spreadsheet app (Google Sheets or Excel) or a tidy page in a notebook.
• 10–30 minutes to set up the first time, then 1–2 minutes per day and ~10 minutes once a week.

How to set it up (step-by-step)

1. Create columns: Goal | Habit | Target (e.g., 4/7) | Mon–Sun (checkboxes or ticks) | Progress % | Streak | Next Action.
2. Fill one row per habit. Keep to 1–3 habits to start.
3. Make progress easy to read: use a simple count of checked boxes to get a % (many apps can count checked boxes automatically). Add conditional formatting so rows turn green when you meet the target, yellow when close, red when behind.
4. Daily: open the sheet/notebook, tick today’s box and glance at the Next Action — do that action. This should take 60–120 seconds.
5. Weekly (10 minutes): copy or summarize the week’s rows and ask an AI to give for each habit: a one-line summary, the most likely reason it worked/ didn’t, and one clear next action. Paste those outputs into your Next Action cells.

What to expect

• Short daily updates and one clear micro-step to do each day — that’s where change happens.
• Weekly AI feedback that removes thinking effort: one-sentence insight + 1 practical action per habit.
• Tweak for two weeks, then keep what’s working or drop a habit if it’s creating friction.

Simple tip: schedule the daily check-in at a fixed trigger (after breakfast or before bed) so it becomes automatic. Quick question to help me tailor further: would you rather set this up in a spreadsheet or on paper?

[Jeff Bullas]

Let’s pick your path in 10 seconds. If you like quick visuals and simple math, choose a spreadsheet. If you prefer zero tech, choose paper. I’ll give you both, plus a copy‑paste AI prompt that acts like a weekly coach.

Do / Do‑not

• Do: Track 1–3 habits max; one weekly view.
• Do: Make “done” binary (checkbox or an “x”).
• Do: Review once a week with a short AI prompt for next actions.
• Do-not: Build a complex system before you build consistency.
• Do-not: Mix daily and weekly targets at the start.

Spreadsheet path (simple and beginner‑friendly)

1. Set up columns (one row per habit): Goal | Habit | Target Days (number, e.g., 4) | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Progress % | Met? | Next Action. Keep the day columns as checkboxes or use plain “x”.
2. Enter formulas (paste once, then copy down):
   • Progress % (J2 if your days are D2:I2): =COUNTIF(D2:I2, TRUE)/7 — if using “x”, use: =COUNTIF(D2:I2, “x”)/7
   • Met? (K2): =IF(C2 <= COUNTIF(D2:I2, TRUE), “Yes”, “No”) — if using “x”, use: =IF(C2 <= COUNTIF(D2:I2, “x”), “Yes”, “No”)

   Expectation: You’ll see a decimal (e.g., 0.57). Format as percent.

3. Traffic‑light colors (optional but motivating):
   • Green row when Met? = “Yes”
   • Yellow when Progress % is between 50%–99%
   • Red when Progress % < 50%
4. Daily routine (1–2 minutes): open the sheet, tick today’s box, and do the single Next Action listed.
5. Weekly (10 minutes): duplicate last week’s rows below, clear the day boxes, then paste your week into the AI prompt (below). Replace each habit’s Next Action with what the AI suggests.

Paper path (even simpler)

1. On one page, draw 9 columns: Habit | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Target.
2. Write 1–3 habits down the left and your weekly target (e.g., 4). Each day, add a tick for done.
3. At week’s end, count ticks, circle green if you hit the target, and write one Next Action for each habit.
4. Use the AI prompts by typing your counts into your phone (no need to paste a spreadsheet).

Worked example

• Goal: Better energy
• Habit: Walk 20 minutes
• Target Days: 4
• Week: Mon✔ Tue— Wed✔ Thu— Fri✔ Sat— Sun✔ → 4/7
• Progress %: 57% | Met?: Yes | Next Action: Put shoes by the door after dinner.

Insider tricks (premium)

• Momentum bar: Add a tiny visual reward by turning the Progress % cell green at 50%, then brighter at 80%. Your brain likes visible wins.
• Auto‑nudge template: Pre‑fill your Next Action cell with: “If today is a no‑walk day, do 5 minutes of stretching.” This keeps streaks alive with a “minimum viable win.”
• Keep targets elastic: If you miss two weeks in a row, drop the target by 1 day (e.g., from 4 to 3) for the next two weeks, then raise again. Consistency first, intensity later.

Copy‑paste AI prompts

• Weekly coach (paste your rows): “You are my habits coach. For each habit below, give: 1) one‑line summary of the week, 2) the most likely cause of success or struggle, and 3) one ultra‑specific Next Action I can do in under 10 minutes. Keep it brief. Data format: Habit: [name] | Target Days: [number] | Done days: [list like Mon, Wed, Fri].”
• Morning nudge (day-of focus): “Given this habit and my week so far, suggest the single easiest action I can do today in under 10 minutes that moves me forward. Habit: [name]. Done so far: [e.g., Mon, Thu]. Target: [number of days]. Time windows today: [times].”

Common mistakes and fixes

• Mistake: Tracking too many habits. Fix: Start with one; add the second only after two good weeks.
• Mistake: Vague actions (“eat better”). Fix: Make the Next Action concrete (“add 1 cup of veg at lunch”).
• Mistake: Letting a missed day become a missed week. Fix: Use the “minimum viable win” rule: 2 minutes still counts.

7‑day action plan

1. Today (10 minutes): Choose your path (sheet or paper) and add one habit with a 4‑day target.
2. Daily (1–2 minutes): Tick the box and do the one Next Action. Treat it like brushing your teeth.
3. Day 3 (5 minutes): Add a second habit only if the first feels easy.
4. Day 7 (10 minutes): Paste your week into the Weekly coach prompt. Update Next Actions.
5. Week 2: Keep the same habits; adjust the target if you missed two weeks in a row.

What to expect

• Day 1: Set up in under 15 minutes.
• Days 2–7: 60–120 seconds to update; a clear micro‑action you can do today.
• End of Week 1: Simple insights and one practical change per habit from the AI prompt.

Your move: which path are you choosing — spreadsheet or paper? If spreadsheet, I’ll give you an exact header row to paste and the ready‑made formulas aligned to it. If paper, I’ll give you a printable grid layout and a 2‑minute setup checklist.

[Author]

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