A shared habit tracker in Google Sheets, without the giant dashboard

By Rootmates editorial. AI-assisted article.

A shared spreadsheet gives you a layout you can customize yourself. You choose the habits, add checkboxes and keep the weeks organized. Below is a small setup for two friends, without formulas or a giant dashboard.

Prefer to skip building the tracker? Download Rootmates on the App Store to track habits with friends in an app built for it. You still choose what to do and check it off, but you do not have to build a table, manage sharing permissions or copy a fresh tab every week.

1. Make the smallest useful sheet

Create these columns in a blank Google Sheet:

Replace the examples with actions you can actually mark done. “Read five pages” is easier to interpret than “be more productive.” The two people do not need identical habits or schedules.

Select only the cells for planned days, then choose Insert → Checkbox. Leave the other days labelled Rest. Google documents the checkbox controls in its Sheets help page.

An unchecked box now means a planned action is not marked done. Rest means it was not scheduled. Neither needs a complicated score.

2. Share it with your friend

Use Share to invite your friend by email, with Editor access so they can tick their own boxes. Keep general access restricted rather than making the sheet public. Google's sharing guide explains the roles and controls.

Treat the sheet as a shared space: do not include medical details, private journal entries or anything you would regret the other editor copying. A habit label can be brief without explaining the whole story behind it.

3. Agree on how you will check in

Pick a time when both people can glance at the sheet. For example: update your own row after dinner, and check in with each other on Sunday.

When a row goes quiet, try a simple question: “Still doing this one, or should we make it smaller?” The sheet records your check-ins; the conversation is still up to you.

Do not fill in the other person's boxes for them. And do not turn a missed Wednesday into a discussion about their character. You are recording an action, not grading a friend.

4. Give next week a fresh tab

Duplicate the tab, rename it with the next week's date and clear the checks. Keep the old tab if you both want a record. If a habit changed, write the new version in the new week instead of rewriting what happened before.

This is the ongoing work of the spreadsheet version: keep the dates right, reset the checkboxes and make sure you are both using the current tab. It is manageable for a small tracker, but it is also work you can skip with a dedicated app.

If your friends already work in Notion and want dated entries rather than weekly tabs, compare our shared Notion habit tracker setup before choosing a tool.

Or skip the spreadsheet setup with Rootmates

If you enjoy customizing columns and keeping your own weekly tabs, the sheet gives you that control. If you just want to track habits together, Rootmates is the simpler option for avoiding that setup and upkeep.

• No weekly table to rebuild. Check off habits in the app instead of copying tabs and clearing last week's boxes.
• Friends in one place. Invite your friend to a squad so you can see each other's daily progress, without managing a shared spreadsheet.
• Less tracker maintenance. Spend your check-in on the habit, not on which tab or row to update.

You still do the habit and mark it done. The app removes the spreadsheet work, not the effort of showing up. For a closer look at how sharing works, read our habit tracker with friends guide.

Download Rootmates on the App Store, choose a habit and invite a friend. Prefer a browser? Use the web app.