Everyone has their bad habits, and it’s no secret that some of them can make you feel like crap when you really let yourself go. In this article, we’ll explore 8 micro-habits that can be easily incorporated into your daily routine and help you live better without taking too much time away from other aspects of your life.
We’ve provided links to more information about each micro-habit at the end of the article, so be sure to check those out for even more details about how to incorporate them into your everyday life!
1. Meditate
Sometimes we all need a little help slowing down and recharging. Mindfulness meditation has been proven to improve memory, focus, and even mental health in as little as eight weeks — and it only takes a few minutes per day.
Want to try it? We recommend starting with an app like Headspace or 10% Happier that can get you started with guided sessions. Meditation makes us calmer, happier people — and that’s an investment worth making in our own well-being every day.
The purpose of meditation is to live in a way that’s less stressful and more mindful, but for many people, making time for it can be hard. Try starting with a daily 10-minute meditation habit. Start small by focusing on simply observing your breath for each minute of every day.
After you build up some consistency (after one week or so), you’ll start noticing yourself becoming calmer throughout each day — and that will make sticking with it easier!
Meditation is a super effective way to exercise your brain and live a healthier, more stress-free life. Studies show that it can also help improve focus, creativity, happiness, and positivity — things you want in spades if you want to achieve greater success every day.
To keep things simple and ensure that you stick with it for life, give guided meditation a try; simply find a few minutes of silence each day and allow yourself to be gently led by an expert voice. The benefit is twofold: First, you’ll learn how beneficial meditation can be.
2. Nix Negativity,
staying positive in a negative world can seem like an uphill battle. But eliminating negativity in all its forms, whether it is unproductive thoughts or toxic people and situations, is easier than you think.
Negative thought patterns often occur when we start fixating on one aspect of our lives — whether it’s weight loss, career advancement, or finances — and ignoring everything else.
If you want to live better every day, get into a habit of tuning out toxic thoughts and people, so you can work toward your goals with positivity and enthusiasm. Here are 8 micro-habits that will help you do just that.
If you let negativity into your life, there’s no chance of making things any better. Watch how you speak to yourself and others; filter out negative people from your life; focus on ways you can improve one aspect of your daily routine at a time, and always look for positive outcomes in every situation. When you feed on positivity, good things happen.
After you’ve identified what’s dragging you down, negativity could be part of it. To live a happier and healthier life, you have to identify what’s hurting you. But it’s also important to choose how you respond.
Take stock of what makes your days better and pinpoint areas where some work would pay off big time (like cultivating a social circle that brings joy or trying new activities that get you outside). The sooner you start pursuing these improvements.
Including healthy habits for self-care and kindness in all interactions will bring with them long-term happiness benefits — not only through moments like receiving a compliment, but by making sure they stick around every day.
3. Don’t Complain
The act of complaining — and more so, listening to others complain — can be a serious mood killer. A 2004 study in Psychological Science found that negative emotions may be caught just as easily as a cold, and once you’re infected with a bad mood, it’s hard not to transmit it.
If you want people to feel good around you (and who doesn’t?), avoiding any opportunity for someone else to get on their soapbox is ideal. You don’t have to be Pollyanna; just try not to turn every conversation into an opportunity for venting.
There’s a reason that there are no complaining signs in restaurants and gyms. Complaining is not just a drain on everyone around you — it makes us feel worse, too. There’s no upside to it, so next time you find yourself starting a negative rant, try one of these methods instead
It’s easy to complain about things you can’t change. It’s also a waste of time, energy, and brainpower. Instead of complaining about things out of your control, try being proactive in making them better (or accepting them for what they are). Complaining doesn’t help anyone — least of all you.
4. Find Your Passion and Stick To It,
find something you love to do so much that you’d pay someone to let you do it! I used to say that as a motivational speaker. It’s true, but now I realize there’s an important caveat: Find something you love SO MUCH that you would do it for free.
Once your passion is big enough, money will simply be a byproduct of doing what brings out the joy in your heart and soul. And if it’s not, if making money is part of why you want to start a business.
Then don’t bother getting started. You will fail because there’s no way around hard work unless your passion fills up enough space in your heart and soul so that working hard and long hours becomes enjoyable!
One of my favorite quotes is from Sir Isaac Newton: If I have seen further, it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants. Whether you follow that adage or not, find something you love doing and keep doing it.
It doesn’t matter if no one notices, if you are getting paid for, it or if anyone ever tells you how great you are at it. If passion keeps driving you to accomplish bigger, and bigger, things, then find a way to incorporate that into your life every day.
The key is not finding passions, but rather, figuring out how you can do your passion in a way that allows you time for everything else in your life. Don’t be afraid to try multiple things; you never know when you’ll find something that works for you. Here are some ideas for finding and maximizing your passion
5. Start Something New
Studies have shown that people who perform just one tiny behavior in a new way every day can change their lives, whether it’s something as seemingly insignificant as flossing or as powerful as eating more vegetables. This is because at first, performing one small habit has only a minimal effect on our lives.
In fact, according to behavioral researcher James Prophase, PhD., it takes an average of 66 days before something becomes routine and automatic. So challenge yourself by performing one tiny act in a new way every day for 30 days straight (like washing your hands with soap and water after using public restrooms).
You’ll be surprised how easy it is to keep things up once you’ve gotten started. One of the best things you can do for your personal growth is to learn a new skill, practice a new hobby, or master an old passion. While our schedules fill up with obligations that feel pressing and urgent.
We rarely make time for these self-improvement activities. But there’s value in trying something new — and it doesn’t have to be monumental. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. When you wake up, do you immediately open Facebook? Is it a cookie or your phone first thing in the morning?
Do you spend hours at work on social media? Pick one of these areas and start something new. Set a rule for yourself (no smartphones before 10 am) and watch how different — and more enjoyable — your day becomes. Your brain will thank you, and so will everyone around you. Here are some other simple ways to change habits for good
6. Connect With Friends
Research has shown that strong relationships are associated with many positive mental and physical health outcomes, from reduced risk of depression and heart disease to increased longevity. In fact, one study found that people who didn’t have a close friend or confidant were twice as likely to die early as those who did.
Fortunately, you don’t need any special tools or great natural charisma to build meaningful friendships; all it takes is a willingness to put in some effort. Here are 8 easy habits you can try today.
Humans are social creatures, and connecting with other people helps us feel whole. If you’re having a bad day, seeing a friend will make it much easier to get through. Connecting with friends also helps us feel connected; when we build and maintain relationships.
We feel like part of something larger than ourselves. Today, call someone up that you haven’t spoken to in a while and catch up on what they’ve been doing. You may even meet for coffee or happy hour afterward!
It’s nice to know that you have friends and family who care about you. Surrounding yourself with people who love and support you can improve happiness, reduce stress, and combat loneliness — which is why making time for family is so important.
Studies show that when we prioritize socializing over other activities, our stress levels go down, which not only helps us feel calmer but also has a positive impact on our health. So start scheduling regular meet-ups with friends and family! (If they don’t live nearby, or it’s been a while since you last saw them, try Skyping or Facetiming.)
7. Be a Good Listener
Sometimes we get so caught up in what we have to say that we don’t listen. In fact, good listening skills are critical in all areas of our lives: personal, professional, and social. Even though it’s a skill you can learn, many people never take the time to improve their ability.
Next time you find yourself having a conversation with someone (whether one-on-one or in a group setting).
Try taking notes on what they say, or ask them questions about something else that was said when you finish speaking. The ability to pay attention is often undervalued, but it can really change how much someone enjoys talking with you or sharing their opinion with you. You might even learn something new as well!
Listening is a neglected skill. We often assume we’re good listeners, but many of us do it poorly. And all it takes is one bad listener to ruin a group project or friendship. If you’re looking for ways to improve your listening skills, here are some tips and habits you can start following today: 1.
Listen more, talk less. It will improve every relationship you have. Practice active listening — when someone else is talking, put your phone away, and don’t fidget or stare out of the windows. Focus on their words and body language and really try to understand what they’re saying.
If someone asks you a question that requires some research on your part before answering (e.g., Where did we leave off with our marketing plan?), don’t stall for time — answer honestly that you don’t know but will find out and get back to them soon.
8. Work On What Matters to You,
pick something you really want or need out of your day and try to start making it a priority. For example, if you know that exercise is important for your health, but it’s not a high priority in your day-to-day, decide what time and place will work best for you (see: Tip #2) and then stick with it.
If something comes up that prevents you from exercising at that time, work on finding a different time or scheduling it in with other activities on purpose — or both! Whatever works best for you.
Studies have shown that when you focus on doing work that’s important to you, you’re more likely to be happy and productive at work. Think about all of your projects and responsibilities and ask yourself: Which ones are truly meaningful?
Focus on those, rather than on what other people want from you. If there’s a job or project in your company that no one seems excited about, but it still needs to get done — maybe it should be up to you!
Have a 5-minute meditation session in the morning: Meditation is proven to reduce stress, improve memory and concentration, improve sleep quality, raise energy levels, strengthen immune systems and increase happiness.
Don’t worry about doing it perfectly; there are thousands of audio guides on YouTube and hundreds of books you can find at your local library.
(Just Google meditation guide.) Practicing for just five minutes in the morning will help keep things simple, so you can get through more advanced meditation sessions later on down the road.
It also ensures that you remember to practice regularly; if we skip our routine once or twice, it becomes easier not to do it again in subsequent days or weeks.
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