The Ultimate List of Habits for a Better Life
Are you looking to improve your life? If so, try introducing some new healthy habits. This can be anything from exercising at least once per week to practicing gratitude daily. However, if you don’t know which habits you could add to your everyday life, don’t worry. We have created a list of habits that we believe will help anyone find happiness and success in their lives.
We talk all the time here about the importance of habit building to reach your health goals. That way they stick and you can build from there! And it all starts with that first decision to get started… once you gain momentum the rest is history.
How to build a new habit
Since building healthy habits is a vital element of living a better life, before we dive into the list of good habits, we will go through a few useful tips that can help you form new habits that last.
- Start small: Making huge changes requires a lot of motivation. Thus, if you want to build new habits that stick, it’s best to start small. For example, if you would like to add a push-up habit into your life, then you can start doing as little as 5 push-ups each day. Then, slowly increase the number of push-ups until you reach the number you wish.
- Use habit stacking: Habit stacking can help you a lot to build new habits. Simply tie your new habit to an existing one. For example, if you would like to form a journaling habit, it may be a good idea to write in your journal while you are drinking your coffee in the morning.
- Be repetitive: It takes time to form a new habit so try to focus on your goal every day. Remember, you want to get to the point where it’s automatic.
- Make it easy: Some days you may lack the motivation to do your habit. This is why you should make it as easy as possible. How? If you want to exercise in the morning, put your workout clothes next to your bed before going to sleep. This way, you may find it easier to start to exercise once your alarm goes off.
- Track your process: Tracking your process can help keep you motivated. (Note: If its actually making you feel overwhelmed to track then you might try a different tracking method).
Related read: 10 Habits of Health That Are Easy to Add to Your Routine
List of habits that can help you improve your life
Now that you have a better understanding of how to build a new healthy habit, it’s time to see our list of good habits. To make it easier for you to find those habits you need the most in your life, we have divided the habits into different categories.
Habits for a healthier, balanced diet
- Keep a glass of water next to your bed and drink it first thing in the morning.
- Swap an unhealthy food that gives too many empty calories to your diet for a healthier one. For example, eat a side salad instead of fries.
- Get more green leafy vegetables in your diet by incorporating them into your dishes.
- Eat a healthy, nutrient-rich breakfast each day.
- Practice mindful eating.
- Eat a wide variety of vegetables – at least 3 servings per day.
- Replace refined grains with whole-grain foods.
- Use healthy oils such as coconut oil or avocado oil for cooking.
- Prefer sustainable sources of protein (organic, BPA free, wild range, for example, eggs, lean meats, beans, nuts, or seafood.
- Eat a completely plant-based dish at least once a week.
Habits for a more active lifestyle
- When you get up in the morning stretch for a few minutes.
- Take a walk each day.
- If you sit for hours during the day, take a break frequently and move a little.
- Take the stairs whenever you can instead of the elevator.
- If you take the bus get off a stop before your destination and walk the rest of the way.
- Park your car further from your destination and take the rest of the way walking.
- Exercise for at least 15-30 minutes every day.
- Do a fun exercise you always wanted to try. For example, you can try Zumba or Kangoo.
- Every day, do a certain number of push-ups, sit-ups, or squats before going to take a shower.
- Learn a new sport. It can be either a team sport like volleyball, basketball, and soccer, or an individual sport such as boxing, rock climbing, badminton, and surfing.
Related read: 8 Fitness Habits To Conquer This Year
Habits for personal growth
- Read something informative or inspiring to enhance your self-awareness and personal development.
- Practice visualization every morning. Visualize yourself being the person you want to become.
- Keep a journal – a gratitude journal is an excellent choice.
- When you realize that you have negative thoughts, try to change them into something positive.
- Set goals and work on achieving them each day.
- Meditate for 10 minutes every morning.
- Learn a new skill or a new language.
- Spend time with supportive people who have a positive mindset.
- Create a daily habit of writing.
- When making decisions – instead of pleasing others – focus on what YOU want.
Related read: 8 Reasons Why Health Consciousness is Important
Habits for improved productivity
- Wake up a little bit earlier each day.
- Write a to-do list and start with the most challenging task first.
- Use a Pomodoro timer.
- Remove distractions while you are working. For example, turn off your phone or at least your notifications, turn off the TV, clean your desk, etc.
- Practice task batching – do your similar tasks at the same time such as respond to all your emails or create all your social media content for the week at once.
- Set daily, weekly, and monthly milestones for achieving your goals.
- Learn how to say “NO”.
- Get adequate sleep each night – it’s a big productivity booster!
- Prepare for your day the night before.
- Don’t multitask. Instead, focus on one task but give it 100% of your attention before moving on to the next task.
Habits for better, healthier relationships
- Spend some time each day having a meaningful conversation with your partner.
- Establish healthy relationship boundaries.
- Replace negative comments with positive, supportive words.
- Practice how to communicate openly with your partner, family members, and co-workers.
- Do something fun every day with your loved ones.
- Express gratitude daily.
- Do some of the chores together with your partner.
- Stay in touch with your friends even if you can’t meet (call each other, send messages, etc.).
- Practice active listening.
- Spend time with those who are important to you.
Related read: 9 Keys to a Healthy Relationship
Habits for becoming more confident
- Use the power of positive affirmations to improve your self-confidence.
- Practice positive self-talk.
- Set aside some time for self-care every day.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
- Get out of your comfort zone and do something challenging. Face your fears!
- Don’t listen to your self-limiting beliefs.
- Stop comparing yourself to others.
- Identify your weaknesses and work on improving them.
- Write down your strengths – your skills, talents, positive qualities, and take a look at the list every day.
- Look in the mirror and practice smiling every morning.
Related read: 10 Ways to Be Good to Yourself
The key is to start
Hopefully, you enjoyed our ultimate list of habits that can help take your life to the next level. Remember, the key is to start and be consistent. Thus, ultimately, any of these good habits can lead to a more productive, healthier lifestyle.
Which habit from this post do you think might be most helpful in achieving your personal goals?