12 Small Habits That Will Change Your Life
Have you been wondering how you could easily and effortlessly change your life? Well, I’ve got the answer for you. Small habits can change your life without you even noticing it!
If you don’t have enough time to commit to big changes or you already have too much going on and you don’t want to make your life more difficult, making small changes can be the answer.
This blog post contains 12 examples of useful small habits that are easy to implement in your life. Try them and see what happens!
How can small habits change your life?
Something that takes less than a minute to do doesn’t necessarily sound very powerful, right? But even then, adopting a few useful habits can have a positive impact on your life and make your everyday life much easier.
You might not even have noticed how much of a difference small bad habits like checking your email all the time make and how much stress these kinds of things can cause you.
The small things matter. And that’s why adopting a few new small habits in your life can make you much happier.
How to start implementing small habits into your life?
I think we all know that new habits are often not easy to stick to. We tend to be set in our ways and reject change. But it’s actually not that hard to get over this.
You should only choose habits that you are serious about, otherwise you will likely forget about them fast. This experience can later on make you feel like you’re not someone who can change their life, which simply isn’t true!
To start implementing small habits into your life, choose the new habits carefully and think about what time of the day you should do them. What will you do when you feel like doing the opposite of your habit? You’re much more likely to succeed if you have a plan in place for when you don’t want to follow your habit.
1. Say no to everything that doesn’t have much value to you
You have too much going on, don’t you? It’s hard to find enough time to do everything and sometimes you can’t even remember all of the things you should get done. That’s why prioritization is so important.
You need to say no to everything that you don’t really need or care about. You don’t need to read books you don’t enjoy. And if your friend invites you to an event you’re not interested in, you are allowed to skip that.
2. Wait a month before buying something
So many people have the bad habit of buying things they don’t need just because of an ad or because they get excited about something. But there aren’t that many things you really need or that bring happiness to you. And wasting money on something that will barely even be used is not fun.
A small simple habit to adopt is to always wait a month before you buy something you don’t absolutely need. If you for example have been watching a lot of makeup videos on Youtube this week, you might feel like you need ten more pieces of makeup or maybe you are even excited to start putting on a full face of makeup every morning, even though you usually only use a bit of mascara.
This is exactly when you should wait. Maybe this is a new beginning and this is something you are genuinely excited about, but often that excitement wears off in a couple of weeks. So wait that month (or at the very least a week) and see if you’ll still want to spend that money at that point.
3. Always put everything in its place
This is one of those things we were probably supposed to learn at 5, but somehow it’s still sometimes too hard. Yet putting everything in the right place after use can make your house much tidier and it really takes no time at all.
Imagine how much nicer it would be to clean if you didn’t first have to spend half an hour going around putting things in their places. And how easy it would be to find everything if you never misplaced anything?
4. Set time limits for websites and apps
Do you know how much time you spend on Instagram or Youtube per week? You might be surprised by how many hours social media takes each week. I like to use the StayFree app on my phone to have a better idea of how I spend my time.
If you spend a lot of time on your phone, you could easily save hours every week by simply setting time limits for the apps and websites you use the most. StayFree lets you set usage limits, but you could also use for example BlockSite, which I use too. Both of these apps are available for both iOS and Android.
5. Reach out when you feel like it
It’s harder to make new friends and stay in touch with your old friends when you’re an adult. But that doesn’t mean that you yourself should make it any harder.
Don’t wait for someone else to send you a message. Simply pick up the phone and ask your old friends how they are doing and whether they’d like to meet up. It’s not weird or awkward.
The same goes for the new people you’ve just met. If you want to get to know them better, show them that you’re interested.
6. Try something new every week
This is such a fun little habit to have. All you need to do is to try one new thing per week. Very simple, yet it can have a big impact!
There are so many things in the world that are just waiting for you to discover them. Keep searching and you will find them. You can try listening to new bands, watching a couple of films in a genre you never watch, going to an event that you’ve never been to, or trying a completely new hobby.
7. Stick to a daily schedule
This habit requires a bit more effort, but it can help you stick to healthy and productive routines. All you need to do is to create a simple daily routine and then stick to it.
This means things like going to sleep at the same time every night. It’s especially important because it helps you get enough sleep and wake up well-rested. You can also start your days by writing a to-do list or you can make a smoothie when you come from work to make sure you’ll have enough energy in the evening.
8. Use the 5-minute rule
Do you struggle with productivity? Is procrastination your middle name? Don’t worry, we can change it.
It’s not always easy to be productive or to stop procrastinating when you really don’t feel like doing something. But one thing that can help you a lot is the 5-minute rule. That means that if a task takes less than 5 minutes to complete, you just do it immediately, without even thinking about it.
If the task takes longer than 5 minutes, you simply commit to it for 5 minutes and after that, you are free to do something else. Usually you will feel like continuing anyway.
This is such an easy way to get those small and simple tasks done. Even if it’s something you really don’t want to do, just focus on the fact that it will be over in 300 seconds. That’s not a lot.
Related article: How I Became Productive after Procrastinating for Years
9. Instead of thinking “what if I can’t” think “what if I can”
This is such a simple habit, yet it can literally change your life.
People are often nervous about doing something different and taking chances. It’s especially scary to do something really big, like quitting your job and starting your own business.
But what if you stopped thinking about all the things that could go wrong and what if you can’t do it? Because what if you can? What if you can reach your biggest goals? What if you can get that job? What if you will get published?
10. Let go of things that don’t work for you
We are not all the same and that’s just fine. It doesn’t make any sense to hold on to something that isn’t right for you.
If your old dreams no longer excite you, it’s probably time to let go of them. The same goes for old things taking up space in your closets. If you have tried a new fad or met someone new that you feel like maybe isn’t the best match for you, don’t be afraid to let go of them.
This way you will have more space in your life for things that actually matter to you and you will naturally keep looking to fill that space and find things that fit you better.
Related article: 6 Times When You Should Give Up On a Goal
11. Eat lunch for breakfast
Does this sound crazy? I assure you it actually makes sense.
Breakfast is normally something very simple and light, like some bread or maybe oatmeal. People often also eat the same breakfast most days.
That easily gets boring, but you also don’t get much energy from toast or cereal. It’s no wonder if you’re feeling hungry or lethargic by noon since at that point it could be up to 18 hours since you last ate properly.
Try eating something you usually eat for lunch for breakfast. Yesterday’s leftovers from dinner are also a good idea. Chances are that you’ll feel much better and more energetic all morning!
12. Always smile at yourself in the mirror
It’s the little things that matter. How you see yourself and how you treat yourself makes a big difference in your happiness.
Start smiling at yourself every time you see yourself in the mirror. Whether it’s the morning and you’ve just woken up or you’ve just come home from a long day at work, you deserve that smile.
It will always make you feel a little bit better and it’s good to have at least someone who always appreciates seeing you, even if it’s just your image in the mirror.
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Which ones of these small habits will you set for yourself? Do you often set new habits? I’d love to know!
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