
StreakForge Complete User Guide
Welcome
Welcome to StreakForge, your comprehensive habit-building companion! StreakForge is designed to help you develop consistent habits through daily tracking, behavioral awareness, and meaningful insights. Whether you're looking to build new positive routines or break negative patterns, StreakForge provides the tools you need for lasting change.
StreakForge App Philosophy
StreakForge is a habit tracking app, but we hope that it will be more than that for you: we hope that it will be an encouraging partner in real habit formation and behavior change!
StreakForge is designed around building and maintaining 'streaks', or consecutive days on which you successfully complete the actions that you are trying to develop into a habit. However, raw streak tracking can be dangerous. While a streak can give you a feeling of accomplishment and help you to maintain consistency, it can also be intensely discouraging when broken. For that reason, our streak tracking system is focused on developing and improving consistency and thoughtfulness in your actions.
If a streak is broken, you'll be shown instead the rate of success that you've built so far with that habit. You can enable Streak Forgiveness, which encourages you to keep going by restoring the streak if you 'get back on the horse'. You can freeze streaks while you're on vacation, ill, or experiencing other circumstances that require your attention to be elsewhere. And we encourage you to log Partial or Alternative Completions if you're unable to fully complete your intended Action - doing part of the goal is still a big step towards habit formation, and much better than skipping!
Additionally, StreakForge is designed around the idea of privacy and data ownership. Please review our Privacy Policy and know that we have done all that we can to ensure that your data remains under your control! In order to allow you to own your own data and do with it whatever you like, we have included a Data Export option in the Settings page, where you can export your StreakForge data to a CSV file, allowing you to do with it whatever you chose.
Quickstart Guide
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Set Up Your First Action:
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Navigate to the "Actions" tab
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Tap the "+" button to add a new daily action
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Enter a title (e.g., "Morning Meditation") and optional description
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Assign a time group if desired (Morning/Mid-Day/Evening/End of Day)
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Tap "Save"
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Track Your Progress:
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Each day, mark actions as Completed, Partially Completed, or Alternative Completed
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Swipe right on an action to mark it complete
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Swipe left for more options (Not Completed, Partially Completed, Alternative Completed)
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Watch your streaks grow as you maintain consistency!
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Monitor Behaviors:
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Use the "Behaviors" tab to track occasional positive or negative behaviors
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Add behaviors by tapping the "+" button
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Log occurrences by tapping the count button beside each behavior
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View Your Progress:
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Check the "Progress" tab to see your StreakForge Score and detailed analytics
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Review your habit consistency and streaks over time
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Celebrate achievements with the Milestones section!
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Use Widgets:
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Add StreakForge widgets to your home screen for quick access
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Check and update your daily actions right from your home screen
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Daily Actions
Understanding Daily Actions
Daily Actions are tasks or habits you aim to perform every day. Think of them as the building blocks of your routines and the foundation of lasting habit change. Examples might include:
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Morning meditation
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Reading for 30 minutes
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Taking vitamins
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Going for a walk
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Practicing gratitude
The power of Daily Actions comes from consistency. By tracking and completing these actions day after day, you build momentum and make these behaviors automatic parts of your life.
Adding a Daily Action
From the Actions tab, tap the "+" button
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Enter a title for your action (required)
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Add an optional description
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Choose a time group if you want to organize actions by time of day
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If you've been tracking this habit elsewhere, you can enable "Continue Existing Streak" and enter the number of days
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Tap "Save" to add your new action
Logging Actions
StreakForge offers several ways to log your actions:
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Complete: Tap the checkmark icon or swipe right on the action to mark it as fully completed
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Partially Complete: Swipe left and select the half-filled circle for days when you partially completed the action
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Alternative Complete: Swipe left and select the checkmark with exclamation for when you did something equivalent but not exactly your defined action
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Not Completed/Remove: Swipe left and select the empty circle to clear a log or mark explicitly as not completed
Every option offers flexibility to match real-life situations, keeping you honest about your progress while allowing for life's unpredictability.
Action Details View
Tap on any action to see its detailed view, which shows:
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Current streak length
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Historical streak data
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Action completion calendar
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Action-specific statistics
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Options to log with detailed notes
This view helps you understand patterns in your habit performance and provides deeper insights into your consistency.
Editing Actions
To edit an existing action:
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Tap on the action to open its detail view
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Tap the pencil icon in the top right
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Update the title, description, or time group
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Tap "Save" to confirm your changes
If you need to delete an action:
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From the Actions tab, swipe left on the action completely
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Tap "Delete" to remove it
Alternatively, you can enter "Edit" mode by tapping "Edit" at the top left of the Actions screen, which allows you to reorder your actions by dragging the handles on the right side.
Logging Past Days
StreakForge allows you to log actions for previous days:
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Tap on the calendar icon in the Actions tab
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Select the date you want to log for
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The interface will update to show that day's actions
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Log your actions normally for the selected day
Alternatively, from an action's detail view:
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Tap the "+" button
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In the logging screen, use the date picker to select the desired date
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Choose the completion status and add any notes
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Tap "Save" to log for that specific date
This flexibility is perfect for when you forgot to log an action or need to correct an entry.
Time Groups
Organize your actions into time groups for better structure:
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Morning Actions: Tasks to complete early in the day
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Mid-Day Actions: Activities for the middle portion of your day
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Evening Actions: Things to do in the later part of your day
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End of Day Actions: Tasks to complete before bedtime
Benefits of time groups:
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Organizes actions by when you typically perform them
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Enables time-specific notifications for each group
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Creates a natural flow to your day
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Makes it easier to build routines around specific times
To assign a time group:
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When creating or editing an action, select the desired time group
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The action will appear under that group in the Actions tab when "Group by Time" is enabled
Streak System
Streaks are the core motivational tool in StreakForge:
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A streak increases by 1 each consecutive day you complete an action
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The app tracks your longest streak for each action
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With Streak Forgiveness enabled, you can miss a day and still recover your streak by completing the action for a set number of consecutive days after
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You can choose whether partial completions count toward maintaining streaks
Streaks provide visual motivation and gamify the habit-building process, making consistency more rewarding and enjoyable.
Behaviors
Understanding Behaviors
While Daily Actions focus on consistent, everyday habits, Behaviors track occasional actions or patterns you want to either encourage (positive) or discourage (negative).
Why Track Behaviors?
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Increased Awareness: Simply tracking behaviors makes you more conscious of them
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Pattern Recognition: See when and how often behaviors occur
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Positive Reinforcement: Celebrate progress in increasing positive behaviors
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Negative Reduction: Monitor and gradually decrease unwanted behaviors
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Balanced Approach: Address both what you want to do more of AND less of
Examples of positive behaviors might include:
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Spending time in nature
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Calling a friend
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Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
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Trying a new recipe
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Acts of kindness
Examples of negative behaviors might include:
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Procrastination
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Excessive social media use
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Emotional eating
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Interrupting others
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Using negative self-talk
By tracking both types, you develop a more comprehensive approach to personal growth and habit formation.
Adding a Behavior
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From the Behaviors tab, tap the "+" button
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Enter a title for your behavior
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Add an optional description to clarify what exactly you're tracking
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Select the type:
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Positive (behaviors to encourage)
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Negative (behaviors to reduce)
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For positive behaviors, you can enable reminders at set intervals
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Tap "Save" to add your new behavior
Logging Behaviors
There are several ways to log behaviors:
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Quick Log: Tap the count button beside a behavior for a simple timestamp
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Detailed Log: Tap on the behavior itself, then tap "+" in the detail view to add notes and context
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Widget Log: Use the Behaviors widget to log without opening the app (if configured)
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Notification Response: Respond to reminder notifications directly (for positive behaviors)
Unlike Daily Actions, Behaviors don't have to be logged every day—only when they occur. This makes them perfect for tracking occasional actions or habits you're still building toward making daily.
Editing Behaviors
To edit an existing behavior:
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Tap on the behavior to open its detail view
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Tap the pencil icon in the top right
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Modify the title, description, type, or reminder settings
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Tap "Save" to confirm changes
To delete a behavior:
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From the Behaviors tab, swipe left completely on the behavior
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Tap "Delete" to remove it
You can also reorder behaviors by tapping "Edit" and using the drag handles.
Behavior Reminders System
The Behavior Reminders system is designed specifically for positive behaviors you want to increase:
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When creating or editing a positive behavior, toggle "Enable Reminders"
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Set the reminder interval in days (how often you want to be reminded)
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The app will track when you last logged this behavior
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When your set interval has passed without logging, you'll receive a notification
The reminder system has three stages:
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Warning: When you're approaching your reminder interval (90% of the way there)
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Due: When you've reached your reminder interval
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Overdue: When you've exceeded your reminder interval
For example, if you set a reminder every 7 days for "Call Mom":
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If you haven't called in 6 days, you might get a warning notification
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At 7 days, you'll get a "due today" notification
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After 7 days, you'll receive "overdue" notifications
This gentle nudging system helps you maintain periodic positive behaviors without the pressure of daily tracking.
Behavior Details View
Tap on any behavior to see its detailed information:
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Logging history with timestamps and notes
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Activity patterns over time
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Frequency charts to visualize behavior patterns
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Reminders and next due date (for positive behaviors)
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Options for adding detailed logs with notes
This view helps you understand your behavior patterns and the context around them, which is crucial for making meaningful changes.
External Interactions
Notifications with Action Buttons
StreakForge features interactive notifications that let you update your habits without opening the app:
Daily Reminders:
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Receive a customizable daily reminder to check in with your habits
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The notification shows your remaining actions for the day
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Tap directly on the notification to mark actions as complete
Time Group Reminders:
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Receive specific reminders for each time group (Morning, Mid-Day, Evening, End of Day)
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These notifications include action buttons for your uncompleted actions
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Tap an action button to mark it complete directly from the notification
Behavior Due Reminders:
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For positive behaviors with reminders enabled
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When a behavior is due, the notification lets you log it directly
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Includes options to snooze or dismiss the reminder
This system allows you to maintain your habits with minimal disruption to your day—no need to open the app every time you complete an action.
Home Screen Widgets
StreakForge offers several widget types for your home screen that enable direct interaction:
Daily Actions Update Widget (Large):
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Shows all your uncompleted actions for the day
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Tap any Action to mark it complete
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Progress bar shows your overall completion for the day
Habit Streaks Widget (Large):
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Shows the current Streak length for your Daily Actions,
Behaviors Update Widget (Large):
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Shows all your Behaviors
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Tap any Behavior to log that behavior
Benefits of Widgets:
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Update habits without opening the app
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Constant visual reminder of your goal and behavior intentions
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One-tap access to logging functionality
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Real-time synchronization with the app
To add a widget:
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Long press on your home screen
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Tap the "+" button
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Search for "StreakForge"
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Choose your desired widget and size
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Position it where you want it on your home screen
Progress Insights
StreakForge Score
Your overall progress is measured by the StreakForge Score (0-100), which combines several factors:
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Consistency: Regular habit tracking and logging
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Streaks: Consecutive days of habit maintenance
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Behaviors: Positive increase, negative decrease
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Progress: Improvement acceleration and growth
The score provides a simple, unified measure of your habit-building effectiveness. It updates as you complete actions and log behaviors, and ris designed to encourage progress and consistency.
Progress Charts
Several types of visualizations help you understand your habits:
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Daily Completion: See completion rates over time with customizable timeframes (week, month, 3 months, year)
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Behavior Frequency: Track both positive and negative behavior frequencies and compare periods
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Habit Streaks: Compare streak lengths across different actions with visual representation
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Consistency Calendar: View a 28-day calendar of your habit consistency with color-coding for completion rates
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Success Rate by Habit: See which habits you're most consistent with, ranked by completion percentage
These visual tools make it easy to spot patterns, identify areas for improvement, and celebrate your progress.
Milestones & Achievements
The milestones section recognizes your achievements, such as:
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Streak Milestones: Achievements for maintaining streaks of various lengths
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Consistency Achievements: Recognition for regular tracking and logging
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Behavior Tracking Accomplishments: Awards for balanced tracking of both positive and negative behaviors
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Special Recognitions: Unique achievements based on the specific habits you're tracking
Milestones provide additional motivation and acknowledgment of your progress, celebrating both small wins and major accomplishments.
Settings & Preferences
Appearance
- Use System Appearance: Automatically match your device's light/dark mode
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Manual Dark Mode: Override system settings for a permanent dark mode
Notifications
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Daily Reminder: General reminder to check in with your habits at your chosen time
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Time Group Reminders: Specific reminders for morning, mid-day, evening, and end-of-day actions
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App Badge: Shows count of uncompleted actions on the app icon
Streak Settings
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Streak Forgiveness: Enable to recover broken streaks after missing days
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Days to Regain Streak: Set how many consecutive days needed to restore a broken streak (1-5)
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Maximum Forgiveness Gap: Set the maximum number of days a streak can be broken before it can't be recovered (1-7)
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Count Partial Completions: Choose whether partially completed actions maintain streaks
Data Management
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Export Data: Create CSV backups of your data for safekeeping or analysis
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Import Data: Restore from previous exports or edited CSV files
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iCloud Sync: Synchronize data across all your devices (toggle on/off)
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Advanced Options: Tools for database management and troubleshooting
Tips & Tricks
For Beginners
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Start Small: Begin with just 1-3 actions to avoid feeling overwhelmed
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Be Specific: Define clear, concrete actions (e.g., "Read for 20 minutes" is better than "Read more")
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Stack Habits: Connect new habits to existing ones (e.g., "Meditate after brushing teeth")
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Use Reminders: Set up time-based notifications to help remember your actions
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Celebrate Small Wins: Pay attention to your streaks, even short ones are worth celebrating!
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Balance Your Tracking: Include both actions and behaviors for a more complete picture
For Consistent Users
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Review Progress Weekly: Check your Progress tab weekly to identify patterns
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Adjust as Needed: Don't hesitate to modify or remove actions that aren't serving you
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Use Partial Completion: On challenging days, partially completing is better than skipping
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Try Alternative Completion: If you can't do your exact action, record an alternative that serves the same purpose
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Group Similar Actions: Organize related actions in the same time group for better focus
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Log Behavior Notes: Add context to behavior logs to identify triggers and patterns
For Advanced Users
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Export Regular Backups: Create monthly backups of your data for safekeeping
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Analyze Long-term Trends: Use the different timeframe options in Progress to spot patterns
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Balance Behavior Tracking: Track both positive and negative behaviors for a complete picture
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Customize Widgets: Arrange widgets strategically on your home screen for maximum visibility
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Use the "Freeze" Option: When on vacation or during exceptional circumstances, freeze actions instead of breaking streaks
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Try Different Streak Settings: Experiment with forgiveness settings to find what motivates you best
Widget Tips
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Daily Actions Widget: Place on your main home screen for quick access to uncompleted actions
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Streaks Widget: Great for motivation - seeing your longest streaks keeps you accountable
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Score Widget: Perfect for tracking your overall progress at a glance
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Quick Actions: Tap directly on action items in widgets to mark them complete
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Widget Combinations: Use multiple widgets in a stack for comprehensive tracking
Troubleshooting
Sync Issues
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Ensure you're signed into iCloud on your device
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Toggle iCloud Sync off and back on in Settings
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Use "Sync Now" button to force a manual sync
Missing Data
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Check if you're viewing the correct date in the Actions tab
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Verify that iCloud Sync is enabled if using multiple devices
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Try importing from a recent backup if available.
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We recommend disabling iCloud Synce before doing so.
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Widget Not Updating
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Try reloading the widget by touching and holding, then selecting "Edit Widget"
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Check that Background App Refresh is enabled for StreakForge
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Force close and reopen the app
General Performance
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Keep your app updated to the latest version
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Periodically export your data as a backup
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If experiencing persistent issues, try the "Reset Database" option in advanced settings (after backing up your data)
We hope this guide helps you make the most of StreakForge! Remember, building lasting habits is a journey - consistency matters more than perfection. If you miss a day, use our Streak Forgiveness feature and get back on track.
Here's to your success in building great habits with StreakForge! 🎯✨
