Whether we realise it or not, some of our daily habits can hold us back in life. I’m not trying to say that everything you do needs to help you better yourself. Sometimes we do things just because we want to and that’s okay. However, it’s always good to incorporate some new daily habits into your life.

Here’re some daily habits that you could incorporate into your life to make your life happier and more productive.

1. Learn to single-task

Multitasking isn’t always bad, but if you spend the majority of your life multitasking then you are never able to fully focus on a certain task and live in the moment. The best way to start single-tasking is by creating a to-do list and working through each task one at a time. While working on each task, focus on what you’re doing and be present in the moment. This way, the quality of what you are doing will improve and working this way will help remove mental clutter.

2. Make your bed every morning

This probably sounds a bit basic and boring but trust me, it matters. If you get out of bed and make your bed first thing in the morning then you’ve already ticked one thing off your to-do list. This will help you feel accomplished and might motivate you to continue being productive throughout the day.

3. Appreciate more

It’s easy to get caught up in the rush of life and we forget to appreciate the smaller things. What we don’t realise is that the smaller things are what make life worth living. I shared a post all about the small daily things we should start romanticising and I mentioned some things in this post that we should appreciate more. If we start slowing down and appreciating the small daily things like riding a bike, drinking a cup of tea or visiting a book shop, we will start to see improvements in our happiness.

4. Surround yourself with positive people

The people who you surround yourself with have a huge impact on your wellbeing. If everyone you know is constantly being negative or nasty then that is likely to impact your mood and you’ll find yourself feeling tired and worn out after socialising with these people. Find people who help you be the best version of yourself instead. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and make you feel like a great person.

5. Read more

Reading has so many benefits. It can help us to discover more about ourselves and it can improve our health too. Reading increases brain connectivity, increases your vocabulary, reduces stress, and can help you get a better night’s sleep. On top of all that, reading is fun too!

6. Move your body

Any form of exercise is one of the healthiest and best habits to incorporate into your life. Making sure to move your body every day has so many benefits for both your physical and your mental health. Even if you just go for a walk or you stretch, it’s still better to move your body than to do nothing.

7. Replace saying “sorry” with “thank you”

We say sorry so many times a day without even realising and we really don’t need to. Instead of apologising for the small things, try practising gratitude. I’m not saying to never say sorry. Apologising for your mistakes is definitely an important thing to do. What I am saying is to find the times where you’re saying sorry mindlessly and replace those with “thank you”s. For example, if someone is waiting for you, say “thank you for waiting” rather than “sorry for making you wait”. This is a simple way of practising gratitude and it can help to improve your whole look on life. Another example of this is saying “thank you for listening to my talk” instead of “sorry for talking too much”. Gratitude is key.

8. Drink more water

This is such a basic and boring thing to say and I’m sure you’re all fed up with hearing it now. However, staying hydrated really is a great way to help improve your day. I find that when I drink more water, I feel more energetic and awake which helps me to be more productive and happy during the day. If you’re not a fan of water, you could try adding some cordial or try sparkling water. I’ve been loving the Robinsons Fruit Creations Peach & Raspberry Squash which has helped me to stay hydrated.

9. Journal daily

Journaling is absolutely fantastic for improving your well-being. Journaling can be completely personalised to you which makes it perfect for everyone to try. You can create so many different types of journals which will help you reflect on your life and write down your adventures for you to remember forever.

10. Check your posture

I’m a sloucher and I’m pretty sure most of you will be too. Throughout your bed, make sure to check on your posture. Straighten your back and relax your shoulders. While you’re at it, unclench your jaw too. Improving your posture has so many benefits and it’s such a simple thing to do.

11. Learn to say no

This one probably isn’t that simple but learning to say no to people can be so great for your mental health. We all seem to have a habit of trying to please people which means we often find ourselves agreeing to do things that we don’t want to. One of the best habits you can learn is to say no to people instead of trying to come up with an excuse or doing it just because you didn’t want to say no. You don’t have to be rude to people but saying no to someone and simply saying that you don’t want to or you don’t have the energy is a valid answer. You need to protect yourself and your well-being so learn to say no when something isn’t right for you.

12. Get familiar with muting, unfollowing or blocking people on social media

Your social media accounts are meant to be safe spaces for you. If someone comes into your space and brings negative energy or makes you feel rubbish then remove them from that space. You don’t owe anyone a reply, follow back or anything like that. A great habit to form is to regularly check your social media and remove anyone who doesn’t make you happy.

13. Spend money mindfully

A great habit to get into is to check your bank account, keep a budget, and monitor your spending. It’s so easy to mindlessly spend money these days, but if you take a step back to check on your finances, you may be able to find that you are wasting quite a bit of money that you could save to treat yourself later on or save for a big event. One of the ways that you can challenge yourself to be more mindful of your money is to put yourself on a spending ban. It might be hard at the moment but it will help you see how you would normally spend money which will help you figure out ways to spend more mindfully.

14. Meal plan

We’ve all been in that position where we get home and we’re exhausted but still need to make dinner. You have no energy but you gotta eat so what do we do..? We order a takeaway! Instead of ending up in those situations, try meal planning. On the first day of the week, work out what you are going to eat for the week and do any prep that you can to make it easier for yourself. If you know that one of your days is going to be a longer and busier one then you can plan to have a simpler meal that evening. Meal planning is meant to work for you and benefit your life so always personalise it to your week.

These habits can be incorporated into your life at any time. You can try them and see if they work for you. One way to do this is to keep a tracker. Different habits suit different people so find what works for you.

What habits have you formed that have improved your life?