Your habits can make or break your day. Imagine getting up late, only drinking soda, and spending your entire evening watching TV. You’re bound to have a bad day, especially if these things are habitual. You can create a set of habits that will all but ensure that you consistently have a great day.
Some of the most effective habits to reach that goal might surprise you!
Your habits shape the quality of your day:
1. Get up on time. Once you’re running late, it seems like you never get caught back up. One of most important steps to having a good day is to start the day on time. Ensure that you have enough time to do what needs to be done before work.
2. Drink only water for as long as possible. After sleeping all night, you’re dehydrated. Give your body 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. Meditate. Many successful people meditate daily. Many of those same people claim that meditation is largely responsible for their success. Ten minutes of meditation can make a big difference in your life.
4. Communicate with one new person. That person might become your client, friend, employee, employer, spouse, or best friend. Your life doesn’t change much if the people in your life never change.
5. Walk. Daily exercise is a great idea, but few people do it reliably. Think smaller. A daily walk provides excellent health benefits and relaxes your mind and body. It won’t take long before you look forward to your daily walk. You might even want to try two walks each day. One before work and one after.
6. Stay positive. Keep positive thoughts in your mind and you’ll have better days. Your thoughts influence your perceptions. When you think and feel positively, good things happen.
7. Learn something new. Read a book, research topics on the internet, or peruse cultural or scientific attractions.
8. Be prepared. Make a list of your most important tasks to do the following day. There’s no reason to waste the first few hours of your day trying to get your bearings. You’ll be getting things done while everyone else is still dazed and confused.
9. Journal. Spend a few minutes to record your life in your journal. You’ll learn more about yourself. You’ll also find your life becomes more interesting, because you’ll want to have something interesting to write about. Keep a journal and live a life worthy of recording.
10. Sleep. Get enough sleep. Your brain and body require a certain amount of sleep each night. Try to have a set time you go to bed each night. It’s tough to have a good day when you’re exhausted.
How many of these habits do you currently have? Think about your life and where your sticking points exist. Can you create habits that address those issues and potentially avoid them? For example, you might have a report that’s due each morning by noon. You might create a habit of working on that report first thing in the morning.
Your habits determine much of your life. You can greatly increase the odds of having a good or bad day with your habits. Introduce a few helpful habits into your daily routine and note the effect on your life.