10 Daily Routines That Changed My Life for the Better
If you follow the same routine every day, chances are you don’t feel as though you’re living life. By introducing change into your daily routine, you can set yourself up to experience more of what life has to offer without having to do anything drastic or out of the ordinary.
Here are 10 daily routines that can help you feel alive and on top of the world. They helped change my life around when I needed it.
Wake up before your phone
Most of us have cell phones in our pockets that give us updates on everything from sports scores to text messages. However, if you regularly wake up with your phone next to you (or worse, right under your pillow), it can affect how well you sleep.
And since getting good sleep is important to feel energized during the day, it’s vital to make sure your phone isn’t a morning distraction. Make sure your cell phone is across the room and charging before you go to bed.
Give yourself a quiet place without distractions where you can just chill out until morning comes. You will feel a lot better.
Exercise first thing in the morning
This is my favorite one. Once I got myself motivated and started walking in the mornings, everything changed. I slept better, felt better, and had more energy.
We’ve all heard that exercise is important to our health, but does it have to take up an hour of your day? Absolutely not. Take a cue from Olympians and other fit celebrities: Exercise in the early morning, even if it’s just a 30-minute walk with your dog.
Doing so will jumpstart your metabolism (and give you more energy throughout the day). It also gives you a built-in break from work at just about the time you need one most.
Do an activity outside of your comfort zone
Break out of your comfort zone, you might just discover something you love. Take a class on an unfamiliar subject, learn a new language, or pick up an instrument that you’ve never played before. A little discomfort can be really helpful because it forces you to try new things and get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
But you should only try something if it sounds interesting and fun, not because it seems like some sort of requirement. If you do decide to push outside your comfort zone (or at least try to), stick with it.
New experiences can take time to get used to, but once they become familiar, they’ll often become some of your favorite parts of life.
Don’t make any plans past 5 pm
This one is not as bad as it sounds. Planning out your days and weeks helps you achieve balance in life, as well as understand what your highest priorities are. If you don’t have a set day to complete tasks or plan activities, you may feel overwhelmed by what’s on your plate.
Plan ahead so that you can stay organized and make sure you’re making time for all of life’s important moments. When it comes to planning out your week, don’t forget about putting yourself first. Make time to relax and be a priority in your own life; otherwise, maintaining work-life balance is a struggle.
Consume caffeine in moderation
Caffeine doesn’t just wake you up, it can help you lose weight. People who consume caffeine regularly are less likely to be overweight than those who don’t use caffeine at all, according to research published in Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care.
When researchers controlled for gender, age, and other factors, they found that after an initial bump of extra energy from caffeine, participants given more caffeine had 1.8 times more body fat than those not taking any caffeine over a period of 3 months.
So if you don’t take your morning coffee or tea, consider adding it back into your diet and seeing if it helps slim down your waistline over time.
Eat dinner with your family
In a time when most families have spread apart due to work schedules, it’s never been more important to make dinner a family event. It’s your last chance of the day to truly connect with those closest to you, so you want it to be a positive experience.
If you’re serious about getting together for dinner but finding it hard to fit into your busy schedule, consider planning dinner at an earlier time than normal, or making leftovers for lunch during the week.
Even if everyone isn’t there every night, showing up once in a while can go a long way toward preserving family ties. Remember: family time is precious.
Practice gratitude at night before bed
Think about three things you’re grateful for. Maybe it’s your health or your friends, or that amazing coffee you get every morning on your way to work. Gratitude is a practice that has been shown to help people both feel and perform better — in some cases even making them happier.
If you want to boost happiness levels, start thinking of three things each night that you are grateful for before going to bed. At first, it might be hard and feel contrived, but over time it will become a habit that keeps those pesky negative thoughts at bay. It may sound silly to some, but it works.
Get enough sleep every night
Staying well-rested is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. Not only will you feel less stressed and mentally sluggish without proper sleep, but getting enough sleep each night has also been linked to lower obesity rates.
While most adults need seven to nine hours of shut-eye per night, finding that amount can be challenging; according to 2011 data from The National Sleep Foundation, 40% of Americans report having trouble sleeping once a week or more.
While there’s no one reason why someone might struggle with sleep, practicing these 10 healthy habits may help you get more shuteye.
Focus on present moments only
One of my best friends teaches mindfulness meditation, and I decided to give it a try when I was feeling particularly stressed out one day. I was skeptical at first but ended up getting into it pretty quickly. It wasn’t just a new habit; it became a lifestyle change.
In fact, mindfulness is something that most successful people regularly practice, even if they don’t know they are doing so. Mindfulness is essentially living in your present moment. There is a reason why they say “Don’t dwell in the past.”
Play a sport you love (or learn a new one)
Spending time doing what you love is a great way to make sure you’re getting enough exercise. Remember, you don’t have to be an athlete to stay in shape, even just 30 minutes of activity can make a difference.
The important thing is that you like what you do and that it makes your heart rate go up. Even better: if it helps put your mind at ease by clearing your head of stress. If not, try out a new activity. You might find something else that will suit your needs perfectly.
Final Thoughts
To end, I’d like to leave you with a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry that best summarizes my passion and purpose behind helping others.
“The meaning of things lies not in the things themselves, but in our attitude towards them.”
May we all live our lives unapologetically, doing what makes us feel alive. Be good to yourself and one another.
