This post includes 13 daily habits to improve your life. Each powerful habit is rooted in science and mindfulness and includes a corresponding list of products to improve quality of life.
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We all dream of living healthy, happy, and fulfilling lives but we never get a rulebook for how to do it.
These 13 daily habits to improve your life have the power to completely transform your day-to-day.
These habits are here to empower you to upgrade your life through small changes to your behavior and routines.
Youâll be amazed by just how much of a difference an effective habit can make.
What Makes A Good Life
So you want to improve your life?
Well, you may be surprised to hear that the first step in building a better life is simply defining what that is.
We all have different definitions of âthe good life,â but there are a couple of components that most of us can agree upon.Â
A recent study broke down the five key elements that contribute to a happy and fulfilled life.
- Work satisfaction: You know the saying âif you love your work, youâll never work a day in your life? Well, it turns out that there is some truth there. People who are satisfied with their job report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction.
- Financial security: You donât need to be rich to be happy, in fact, thatâs often the opposite. But when it comes to money, security is a huge factor in peopleâs long term wellbeing. Research even shows that debt can cause emotional scars.
- Physical health: Health is wealth. Itâs easy to take our health for granted but as soon as you have a cold or a sprained ankle you realize just how much it affects your day-to-day.
- Community: Feeling connected to a community and a greater sense of purpose has a profound impact on oneâs well being and it’s even credited to why certain people live so much longer than others.
- Relationships: Loneliness can double your risk of dying from heart disease. Now thatâs a wild fact. Maintaining deep relationships with family and friends is key to living a good, long life.
A good place to start is to reflect on each of these five categories and define for yourself your personal life goals. What do you aspire to have in terms of community? Do you have any unmet goals for your physical health? How about work satisfaction? Is it time to get a new job?
Itâs important to note that in todayâs world, itâs hard to find a balance between living for the present and planning for the future. We all have to decide for ourselves what weâre comfortable with but weâll leave you with this. One of the most common life regrets for people in their old age is putting things off and waiting for the right time. Often the right time is now or you may find that life will pass you by.
How to Change Your Life
As we get older and more self-aware, it becomes more and more clear just how much our patterns of thoughts, behaviors, and emotions dictate our lives.
Homeostasis is a powerful mechanism and itâs hard to achieve real, long-term change in your life. But it all starts with a firm decision to do so.
So after youâve made a decision, whatâs next?
The first step is getting really clear on what you want that change to be and most importantly why. Envision your future self living the life youâre dreaming of, set yourself actionable goals and milestones, and find a way to keep track of your progress.
As you embark on your journey, you need to understand that youâll need to leave your comfort zone. Things will not always be easy or smooth and making these changes will demand that you find new ways of coping.
One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is forming effective habits.
The Power for Habits
Everything we do can be traced back to our unique collection of learned habits. Our world is complicated and filled with potential threats, so our brains are adapted to falling back on old patterns of behavior in order to make decisions about the future.
Forming new habits takes quite a bit of time but there are some simple frameworks that make it much easier to do.
First, you need to understand that every habit is made up of the cue, routine, and reward loop. Meaning that almost all of our behaviors start with some sort of trigger, followed by our learned habit, and lastly rewarded in some way or another.
For example, if youâre used to grabbing a little snack everytime you pass the fridge, seeing the fridge is your cue, grabbing a snack is your habit, and enjoying the food is the reward.
By seeing this habit reward loop play out in our own lives, we can start to understand our unique triggers and rewards.
Whether we want to change an existing habit or form a new one, we should start with identifying the trigger and the reward.
Interested in learning more about habits? Weâre obsessed with James Clearâs book Atomic Habits. Itâs one of the most helpful self-help books weâve read with practical tips and actionable frameworks for making habit formation easy so you can accomplish your goals.
13 Powerful Daily Habits to Improve Your Life
1. Create A Morning Routine
Have you ever heard the saying âYou canât pour from an empty cup?â Having a morning routine designed to make you feel energized and complete is a key component of approaching each day as your best self. Everyone is different so make sure you build a routine that works for you.
If youâre not a morning person, you donât need to join the 5:00 am club. Start with just 15 minutes of something that you enjoy, whether it be a dog walk, journaling, or meditation. Once youâve built that habit, you can start adding on until you have a complete routine.
Hereâs a suggestion, start by incorporating positive affirmations into your routine. Speaking out your goals and dreams is a great way to rewire your brain to achieve them.
Product Recommendation
If you have a hard time getting up in the mornings, you need to try a sunrise alarm clock. These clocks mimic that color and light of a natural sunrise and signal to the body that itâs time to wake up. They are more effective than a traditional alarm and also much more enjoyable.
2. Practice Mindful Movement Every Day
Staying active is one of the most important contributing factors to our long-term health. Daily movement keeps both our mind and body on the right track. But physical exercise doesnât have to mean going to the gym. Walking and biking are also great ways to incorporate activity into your day.
If youâre new to working out, start small with a step goal or by changing your commute to require more movement. Donât lose hope if even just the word âworkoutâ makes you feel ill, there are all kinds of ways to move, from dancing to games and outdoor activities. Need some inspo? Check out this list of fitness routines for women in their 20s.
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I canât lie, I am a huge Apple Watch fan. When I started wearing my watch back in 2016, I was suspicious that it had any real value. But let me tell you, the little chorus of vibrations it makes when Iâve completed my daily goals is way too motivating.
3. Cultivate A Meditation Practice
Youâre probably totally sick of hearing it but meditation is a profoundly beneficial activity. With even just 15 minutes a day you can train your brain to better handle stress, focus on the present moment, and be more creative! And the list doesnât stop there. With a quick Google, youâll see dozens of proven benefits.
Weâre big fans of the Insight Timer App because it has a ton of free meditations and you can try out a variety of styles like guided, visualization, and more!
4. Write Down Your Gratitude
More and more research is coming out on the power of gratitude. In fact, giving thanks is proven to be linked to happiness. Gratitude can be a transformative force in your life and just taking a moment to recognize and acknowledge our blessings shifts our perspective and reduces stress and anxiety.
A regular gratitude practice is shown to improve mental health, enhance our wellbeing, and even elevate our physical health.
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Itâs easy to start with a 5-minute gratitude journal that you fill out each morning, plus itâs an extra 5 minutes you can stay snuggled in bed. You can also try a 30-day challenge and see just how different you feel in one month.
5. Drink Your Water
Every single cell in your body relies on water to function correctly. Drinking enough water is a simple habit that ensures that your body has what it needs to support your overall health. Hydration is key to so many functions like digestion, detoxification, temperature regulation, and cognitive function.
Plus, did you know that being dehydrated actually leads to fatigue? You can test it for yourself. Next time youâre feeling low energy, drink a liter of water, wait 30 minutes, and notice if you feel any different.
Product Recommendation
The easiest way to make drinking water a habit is to carry around a water bottle. Itâs the cue in the habit loop that you need to keep it top of mind. We love this insulated tumbler because it’s cute, keeps water cold all day, and we just drink so much more when it comes from a straw.
6. Time Block Your Day
Have you heard of time blocking? Itâs a scheduling style where you divide your day into specific blocks of time. You assign each task on your to do list to a block of time and then just follow your plan!
You wonât believe just how much it can improve your productivity! Plus when all of your to dos have a place on your schedule, youâll feel much less stressed about getting them done.
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If youâre a fan of hand written planners, there are tons of fun versions available specifically for time blocking. Start by writing down your top three priorities for the day. Then do a brain dump of anything else that needs to get done. Plot any existing appointments or commitments onto your schedule then start adding your to dos. Itâs that simple!
7. Invest Into Your Relationships
One of the most profound ways to improve your life is to improve your relationships. We already talked about all kinds of ways to improve your relationship with yourself but itâs also important to invest your time with your friends and family. Loneliness and social isolation is directly associated with early mortality. Not the good life if you ask me. But the opposite is true as well.
People with the deepest social lives and richest communities tend to live the longest lives. So hereâs your excuse to make plans with your best friend, or mom, or co-worker! It’s one of the daily habits to improve your life you really shouldn’t skimp on.
8. Speak Positively To Yourself
You might be asking, is speaking positively to myself even a habit? Well the answer is yes, in fact, how we speak to ourselves is deeply rooted in past behavior. Lucky for us, that also means that if we change our behavior, we can rewire our brains as well.
Can you imagine how much better your day would be if you were just a little bit kinder to yourself? If you want to work on your self-love, try out these journal prompts, designed to boost your self confidence.
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If youâre looking to implement a cue for positive self-talk, check out these Affirmation cards. Each card has a little reminder to love yourself and you can put them out in your bathroom, on your desk, or by the coffee machine. Itâs the small things you know? Such a simple way to put one of your daily habits to improve your life into action.
9. Practice Self-Care
Self care has become a popular buzzword in the past couple years. As awareness around mental health has increased, weâve learned more about the importance of taking care of ourselves. Self care is the practice of giving care to yourself that you give to those around you.
It encompasses a lot of activities from physical, to emotional and spiritual but the important things to keep in mind is just to make time to do the things that make you feel whole.
Product Recommendation
Self care is so much more than baths and spa nights, but those do happen to be some of our favorite self care activities. Plan a night to pamper yourself and buy a couple of treats to make it extra special. We love this Pamper Me Kit that includes a hair, face, eye, hand, and foot mask. Imagine putting them all on, laying on the coach, and enjoying a good book.
10. Make Time for Hobbies
Life can get a little chaotic and before you know it, your days are filled with to-do lists and lack your real passions. Ikigai is a Japanese way of life that roughly translates to âreason for being.â Itâs a principle that is very prevalent in some of Japanâs oldest living communities.
They even call it the secret to a long and happy life. Bring this idea into your own life by cultivating meaningful hobbies that youâre passionate about. Need some inspo?
- 23 Fun Hobbies for Women in Their 20s
- 19 Fun Hobbies for Women in Their 30s
- 37 Hobby Ideas for Couples to Elevate Your Relationship
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If you want to learn more about Ikigai, there is a great book written by HĂ©ctor GarcĂa. It goes into detail about how to find your Ikigai and bring meaning and joy to all of your days.
11. Read Every. Single. Day.
Reading is one of the best ways to expand your mind and which makes it one of the most important daily habits to improve your life. You can escape into fantasy lands, immerse yourself in someone elseâs story, or become an expert in just about any topic.
Building a practice of daily reading is a great way to ensure that you are constantly learning but it’s also a great tool to improve your focus and concentration. We could go on and on but we think you already know this one to be true.
Product Recommendation
Are you a Kindle convert yet? Although nothing can replace a real book (and the amazing smell that comes with it), there are all kinds of benefits to switching to a Kindle. Not only are the books less expensive, saving you money over time, it’s also more comfortable to read with.
My favorite feature is that I can also have the Kindle app on my phone. Meaning if I get stuck at a doctors office I can pick up where I left off at home. And when I get back to my Kindle, it automatically updates my reading position.
12. Create A Night Time Routine
Creating a night time routine can unlock potential you never knew you had. Imagine waking up every day feeling rested, prepared, and energized? With just a couple of small changes, youâll be well on your way to realizing this vision.
Having a good routine has all kinds of benefits. It helps you to mentally and emotionally prepare by reflecting on the past day and setting positive intentions for the day ahead. It also helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Want to learn more about it? Check out this guide on creating a night time routine.
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If you find yourself struggling to fall asleep at night, try this simple swap. Buy a couple of simple red light bulbs for your bedroom lights. Red light increases melatonin production which signals to your body that itâs time for sleep. Even 15 to 30 minutes under red light can leave you yawning.
13. Sleep 8 Hours Every Night
This is one of the daily habits to improve your life, I’m sure you already know about. Sleep is one of the most important factors in living a healthy, full, and long life. People generally greatly underrate the impact of sleep on their wellness, especially their mental health.
You will be amazed how much better you feel after getting into a consistent routine of getting seven to nine consecutive hours of high-quality sleep each night. Itâs truly life changing. Check out this sleep hygiene checklist with a bunch of ideas for how to improve your sleep.
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Not all sleep is created equal. Weâve all had the experience of waking up from a seemingly full nightâs sleep feeling groggy and grumpy. High-quality sleep leaves us feeling rested, energizing and actually allows the body to repair itself and maintain its health. One of the secrets to getting better sleep is to block out disturbances. If you have the luxury, we recommend adding full black out blinds to your bedroom. However, this black out sleeping mask is a much less expensive alternative.
Itâs crazy to think that your dream life could be just a couple of habits away.
But itâs true! Habits can be so transformational.
With these 13 daily habits to improve your life, you can upgrade your energy levels, your relationships (especially the one you have with yourself!), and your mental health.
We hope you also found the products to improve quality of life helpful. They are some of our favorites that help us on our journeys too.
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- 10 Day Self-Care Challenge For Busy Women [+ Free Download]
- 30-Day Gratitude Challenge To Change your life [+ Free Download]
- 7 Breathing Exercises to Unlock Calm in 5 Minutes or Less
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