Everyone searches for self-improvement. Sometimes, this self-improvement comes in the form of changing something about yourself and developing who you are.
Luckily, it doesn’t have to be in the form of an overnight transformation. You can take your self-improvement one step at a time, at a pace that’s comfortable for you, and make decisions that lead to lasting changes in your life.
Habits for Home
You can implement these new habits at home. The home is a great place to start building new habits because you’re not in public, so you won’t feel the extra pressure to keep up with them if you can’t handle them. Minor changes to your daily personal life can affect you positively.
1. Make Your Bed
Every morning, complete your first task by making your bed. By accomplishing something so early in the morning, you’ll feel prepared to tackle the rest of your tasks for the day. Additionally, if you make your bed in the morning, you will likely sleep better at night.
2. Buy Smaller Plates
Whether you’re looking to watch your portion control or just wanting to use fewer food resources, you should consider buying smaller plates. If your dishes are smaller, you’re more likely to feel full without as much food. The plate size deceives your eye and may make you think you’re eating more than you are.
3. Create a Chore Chart
Chore charts are for more people than just kids! If it’s just you and your partner at home, you can easily keep track of who’s supposed to handle which household responsibility by listing them out on a chart. You simply need to designate different days for different chores.
If your children are old enough, you can enlist their help with some of the easy chores, like clearing the table or cleaning their rooms. Plenty of apps can help you with planning which rooms should get your focus on certain days.
4. Start Meal Planning
Meal planning can save you money because it ensures that you will use everything you buy. You can use this budget-friendly tactic alongside couponing to get the most out of your dollar. You’ll also be reducing your carbon footprint by creating less waste as a household.
5. Establish an Exercise Routine
Exercising for 30 minutes a day is the best way to protect your health and ensure you stay fit. You don’t have to want to lose weight to exercise, either. Keeping active is essential, especially as you get older, and even walking counts toward keeping yourself fit.
Habits for Work
Your home isn’t the only place where you can change up your habits. By making small changes at work, you can benefit both your body and mind. Try out these minor changes to see how your life improves.
1. Write a To-Do List
Keep up with the things you’re supposed to do for the day on paper. Even if you have it all in your brain, there’s no guarantee you’ll remember everything on your own. If you write it down, you can refer back to your tasks throughout the day.
2. Wear Blue-Light Protection
Too much blue-light exposure over time can cause retinal damage without the proper protection. Also, spending too much time in front of a screen without a way to mitigate the effects could affect your sleep. Wearing protection is the only way to keep your eyes strong and decrease the harmful side effects of too much screen time.
3. Cut Back on Caffeine
Caffeine has numerous side effects, some good and some bad, but many can affect your performance at or after work in a negative way. Long-term use of caffeine is linked to insomnia, headaches, and other detrimental effects. If you can, cutting back on caffeine consumption could be the ideal way to rely less on its positive effects.
4. Sit Up Straight
If you’re working at a desk for hours on end, you should practice good posture and save your spine the stress. Correct posture means that you cultivate more self-esteem and more energy to carry you throughout the day. Plus, it’ll make your back hurt less!
5. Drink More Water
The recommended amount of water a person should drink varies depending on their height and weight. You should figure out how much water you should give your body and make sure to stay adequately hydrated, especially when you’re in front of a screen where your eyes could quickly dry out.
Habits for Your Social Life
When you’re not working on yourself, you should be working on your relationships with other people. Now more than ever, people know the importance of staying connected to others, and you can reflect how much you care by how you interact with your loved ones.
1. Put Your Phone Down
Your time with loved ones is sacred at the dinner table. If you hold your phone the rest of the day, put it away while eating with your family. During meals, people want your full attention. It makes them feel good when they know you’re focused entirely on them.
2. Listen Actively
When someone tells you a story, ask them follow-up questions. Take an interest in their life, and they’ll be likely to care about what you have to say, too. Even if they don’t change their behavior, you can demonstrate that you’re learning more about your loved one, which is never a bad thing.
3. Video Chat Once a Week
Today, it’s challenging to keep up with everyone even though people are more connected than ever. Once a week, take the opportunity to video chat with a loved one, whether a friend or family member. Catch them up on everything going on in your life. They’ll be happy to hear from you and see your family’s faces.
4. Limit Your Social Media
Social media users who are on social media for about five hours a day are 2.8 times more likely to develop depression. That may sound like a lot, but consider how often you pull out your phone to scroll through your feed or answer messages, and the time adds up.
You can’t help but play the comparison game online. Much of social media these days is curated to show only the best parts of people’s lives, and you can feel like you don’t add up — as a working professional, a parent, or a person — just by scrolling through your feeds.
5. Practice Saying Thanks
Instead of apologizing when something goes wrong beyond your control, consider thanking another person for their time and patience rather than apologizing profusely. By avoiding apologies when it’s unnecessary, you’re bound to start to feel better about yourself.
Little Habits Can Change Your Life
Small behaviors add up. By keeping yourself humble, grateful, and physically healthy, you’ll present yourself as a renewed person. Changing who you are for the better should be celebrated! By making minor changes like adjusting your posture or being more present when you’re with friends, you can transform your life into one that’s more fulfilling and provides you with more happiness.
