Forget New Year’s resolutions and short-term commitments to change that seem to crash and burn almost before they get off the ground. There’s an easier way to transform your life: incorporate keystone habits into your daily routine. These simple and life-altering changes will set you up for success.
#1 Make Your Bed
This may seem like an annoying household chore rather than a life-changing action. Researchers disagree. Psychology Today reports that people who make their beds daily tend to be more productive, feel better, and are even better at budgeting. Who knew?
This task could help start your day strong. Even if it doesn’t, you’ll have a neatly made bed to climb into at the end of the day.
#2 Plan Your Day
Planning out the day can help you prioritize your activities and even make time for self-care. Just make sure not to overwhelm yourself with too many plans or an overly tight schedule. Look for work-life balance while planning and utilize daily routines to help manage your time more effectively.
A neatly organized day could help you feel prepared and accomplished. The sense of empowerment you feel could carry over into all those tasks ahead of you. It’s a small difference that could have a big impact.
#3 Meditate
Meditation may have the power to decrease stress and anxiety, reduce the risk of depression, lower your blood pressure and even help you sleep better. So, why aren’t more people doing it?
It could be because the perception of meditation doesn’t always line up with reality. You don’t have to pull out a cushion and chant. You can just take a few deep breaths and ground yourself to the present by paying attention to your body and its senses.
Sounds simple, right? That’s because it is. Taking the time to meditate daily can help improve your overall health, which could be lifesaving as well as life-changing.
#4 Exercise
You read that right. It’s “exercise,” not to be mistaken for “extra fries.” Exercising every day can put you in a better mood, give you more energy and help you manage your stress. Those are just a few of the benefits of getting your body moving every day. Plus, you can customize your workout to your level of fitness, health, and ability.
Choose something you enjoy doing, and you’ll likely want to do it more than dread it. Adopting a regular exercise practice can do wonders!
#5 Keep a Food Journal
Keeping a food diary is often helpful for weight loss, but let’s take a look at the broader implications. Tracking what you consume — both food and drink — gives you a lot of information. It’s a great way to help identify allergies and sensitivities, but it can also pinpoint what you’ve consumed around the times you feel bloated or sluggish. Plus, a food journal can help you stay more hydrated and even help you eat more fruits and vegetables.
Just noting what you eat brings more awareness to the kind of nutrition you’re giving your body to make energy. Keeping track of it isn’t just an aid for weight loss. It can help with meal planning, time management, and better nutritional habits. A food journal can help you eat more intuitively and to become a more conscious consumer. You can also use an app like MyFitnessPal to track your consumption.
#6 Get Enough Sleep
Beauty sleep isn’t the only reason to catch all the z’s you can. You look and feel better when you get enough sleep, but it also supports your health. Adults who get 7 to 8 hours each night tend to have better immunity, heart health, and a lower risk of diabetes. More sleep may also improve work performance. It may be a seemingly insignificant habit, but getting more sleep each night can have a powerful effect on your day.
Changing your life doesn’t require anything dramatic. It can start with incorporating small steps each day to help create change. You may begin to notice that you have more energy, feel better and stay in a better mood when you begin these keystone habits. Don’t wait to start. The rest of your life begins today!
