A streak counter answers a narrow question: how many consecutive days met the rule you set? To understand your progress, also record what you did, the situations you noticed and the adjustments you want to make. A short weekly review can hold information that a single number cannot.
You can keep a streak if you find it useful. Give it a clear definition, and keep the surrounding record when the count changes. A reset of the display does not delete the notes, decisions or practical changes you already made.
What does progress-monitoring research support?
Harkin and colleagues combined 138 randomized studies involving 19,951 participants. Across the goals studied, interventions that increased progress monitoring also improved goal attainment on average. This supports taking monitoring seriously, but does not validate every tracker or worksheet. The review does not establish a recovery score for pornography use or an effect of Unhook. Read the research abstract.
Our worksheet is an editorial tool for organizing observations. It is not a clinical assessment, and the categories below are not a validated scale.
Start with a goal you can observe
Before counting anything, write the action you intend to take. “Leave my phone on the desk during dinner” gives you something to check. “Be healthier” needs a more specific action before a weekly count can tell you much.
Include the opportunities you actually had. Leaving your phone on the desk during three of four dinners at home means something different from doing so during three of seven. Note travel, illness, a changed work shift or another relevant difference instead of treating every week as identical.
Choose only a few observations. You do not need to record every urge, interruption or minute of your day to complete this exercise.
Copy a weekly review
Week beginning: ______
Action I chose to practice: ______
Opportunities I had / times I tried it: ______ / ______
One situation I noticed: ______
Something that made the action easier or harder: ______
A useful adjustment or support I tried: ______
One change for the next week: ______
Use short, factual entries. “Moved the charger to the hallway” records a practical change. “Asked a friend whether they could check in on Friday” records an action without assuming the friend agreed. If nothing useful comes to mind for a field, leave it blank.
An illustrative review
Suppose someone wants to stop browsing during their first break at work. Their fictional weekly note might read:
“I had four workdays and took a walk on two first breaks. On one day it was raining; on another I stayed at my desk to finish a message. Having my coat ready helped on Tuesday. Next week I will choose an indoor route for wet days.”
The note shows which action happened and what to change. It does not require a perfect week to contain useful information. It also avoids assuming that the rain caused the missed walk with certainty; it records the circumstances the person noticed.
Keep the record honest and proportionate
Avoid changing the counting rule midway through a week to make the number look better. If the rule needs updating, write down the change and start the new comparison from there. A simple note is enough.
Consider whether tracking is serving its purpose. If you spend more time checking the counter than choosing your next action, simplify the record or review less frequently. Sharing a score is optional; you can reflect privately without posting sensitive details.
End the review with one feasible next step. If you know the moment where your plan tends to fall apart, turn that observation into an if–then phone habit plan.
Sources and further reading
This article is an educational resource from the Unhook product team, not personalized medical advice. Examples and worksheets are illustrative. Read our content standards.
