Your smallest habits can have a significant impact on how your day unfolds.
Imagine getting out of bed after noon, choosing only to fill your cup with soft drinks, and spending your entire day parked in front of trashy TV.
At what point does your day turn productive and uplifting?
It probably won’t.
At the very least, you’re going to have an unproductive day. At the worst, you will end up having a dreadful day, especially if these activities are habitual.
Your life can be a never-ending cycle of feeling confident, motivated, productive and amazing. You merely have to make small changes, consistently.
You can consciously create a set of habits that will ensure that you consistently experience great days. Some of the most effective practices to get there might surprise you with how comfortable they are!
Here are 11 habits you can practice to shape the quality of your day:
1. Wake Up When You Say You Will.
Once you start running late, it feels as if you never get caught back up. One of the most important steps to having a good day is to start the day on time and with intention. Ensure that you have enough time to do what needs to be done before you head to work.
2. Practice Intermittent Fasting.
Check out this article for a thorough overview from one of my favorite writers. Here is a super-short rundown on the smallest possible version of this habit: when you get up for the day, try to drink only water for as long as possible.
After sleeping all night, you're mildly dehydrated. So give your body what it needs: some water! Water is good for you, so limit your beverages to just water for as long as you can hold out. Wean your body off caffeine and sugared drinks. Water isn't very exciting to drink, but you'll feel and perform better.
3. Take a Few Minutes to Meditate.
So many successful people meditate daily and swear that it’s one of the reasons they’re so successful. Ten minutes of meditation can make a big difference in how you focus on your day and stay productive.
4. Write Down Ten Positive Things.
They don’t even have to be things you love, just acknowledgments of the positive aspects of something on your mind. Create only one list of ten positive things every day, and you will start to see a lot more positive things in your life that you can appreciate.
5. Communicate With One New Person.
You have no idea who you’ll meet as your day unfolds. A new person might become your client, friend, employee, employer, spouse, or best friend. Your life won’t seem to improve or change much if the people in your life never change, so open up your life just a little bit every day!
6. Move Your Body: Walk.
Daily exercise is a fantastic goal, but you might have had trouble in the past making it a reliable habit. Bring it down a notch and think smaller. Shoot for a short daily walk. 1,000 steps might take ten minutes. A daily walk provides powerful health benefits like improving your digestion and relaxing your mind and body. Start small, and it won't take long before you look forward to your daily walk.
7. Keep a Positive Outlook.
You are guaranteed to have better days if you choose to see the positive aspects. Your thoughts influence your perceptions, and when you think and feel positive, good things happen. Our human instinct seems to assume a situation is negative until we’ve been told otherwise. Take the opportunity to reverse that thinking at least ONCE every day, and you’ll find it easier to do every time you try it.
8. Learn Something New.
It’s a great practice to keep a running list of things about which you’re curious. Every day, take a few minutes to find out more about something that interests you. Read a chapter of a book about it, research about a question you have on the internet, or even post a question to your social media or Quora.
9. Be Prepared For Tomorrow.
One of my favorite tips is to make a list of the most critical tasks you need to do the following day. There is no reason you should waste the first few hours of your day trying to get your bearings. Set the intention to be prepared the night before, and you’ll be getting things done while everyone else is still dazed and confused and sipping on coffee.
10. Write Down Your Thoughts.
Every day, spend just a few minutes to record your thoughts in a journal or small notebook. Keeping an ongoing record is an important practice that allows you to get to know yourself better over time. Life also becomes a little more interesting, because you'll want to have something interesting to write about.
11. Get Enough Restful Sleep.
To feel optimally healthy, your brain and body require a certain amount of sleep each night. One of the best habits you can deliberately create is to have a set time you go to bed each night. It's tough to have a good day when you're exhausted, so make sure the amount of sleep you get is enough to support your health needs.
How many of these habits do you currently have?
Think about your life and what small things can change for you to feel like you’re operating at your peak performance.
Can you create habits that support you and help you maintain that optimal feeling?
Your habits determine much of your life. You can greatly increase the odds of having a great day by introducing a few helpful habits into your daily routine.
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