100 good habits to change your life
Are you ready to start new healthy habits that will change your life? In this post, I give you 100 good habits to start and transform your life and happiness.
Our daily habits play a pivotal role in shaping the quality of our lives.
And when we cultivate good daily habits we can achieve personal growth, enhance our well-being, and create a fulfilling life. Bad habits on the other hand can lead to feeling stuck or lost in life and no one wants that.
In this blog post, we will explore 100 good habits that cover various aspects of life, including mental health, finances, social interactions, physical health, and productivity.
Whether you’re aiming for a complete lifestyle overhaul or just seeking small improvements, these habits can make a significant difference in your life.
How to start a new habit and make it stick
The best way to start a new habit is simply to repeat it until it sticks. According to Brian Tracy, it takes 14-21 days to form a new habit of medium complexity.
But how long it takes to form a new habit may be different for everyone and also differs on the habit itself.
Developing a new habit can take longer if it is a more complex habit. And according to toa 2009 research in the European Journal of Social Psychology, it takes anywhere from 18-254 days for a new habit to become automatic.
Recruit a buddy, tell people, and have a strong reason why you need this new habit.
Track your progress. You can use a daily habit tracker to show how you are progressing on your new habit. And don’t forget to reward yourself responsibly. And most importantly at the beginning stages, don’t skip the habit you are trying to create.
How to break a bad habit
Breaking a bad habit isn’t easy. If it were so many people wouldn’t be addicted to smoking, drugs and alcohol, and many other addictions in our modern life today.
Habits become ingrained because the brain loves routines and so after repeating a certain behavior it becomes automatic. That saves the brain energy and so you never have to think much about it.
That’s why after driving through a particular route home, you may find yourself at home without putting too much thought into it. Also, according to NIH, certain habits trigger dopamine, the reward chemical making the pleasurable habits harder to break.
But there are still a few things you can do to break a bad habit such as learning to recognize the trigger, and then aim to avoid that trigger.
For example, if being in certain places leads you to excess drink you can avoid those places or people.
Another thing that helps is having a why you want to stop a particular habit. Having a strong reason, like you want to exercise and be healthy so you can play with your kids, and live longer to see your grandbabies can also help.
Another way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a new good habit. For example, instead of having a piece of candy, eat fruit instead. Try, dried fruit or nuts as a replacement, and eventually after doing this repeatedly, the old craving for candy will fall off.
And for those troublesome habits, you need the above tips plus professional help.
Now that you know how to break bad habits and develop good habits, let’s dive right in and look at this list of good habits.
100 Good habits to be your best self
Mental Health: good habits to transform your life
1. Practice Gratitude: Start your day by acknowledging what you’re grateful for. Counting your blessings is the simplest way to feel content and joyful. Just writing down three things you are grateful for is enough to bring about big changes in your perspective.
2. Meditate Regularly: Set aside time for mindfulness and meditation to reduce stress. Just close your eyes and breath slowly in and out for a few minutes.
3. Keep a Journal: Write down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to gain clarity. Journaling helps you get things out of your mind and onto paper so you are not ruminating on things.
4. Have a calming morning routine: Having a morning routine gives structure to your morning and sets a positive tone for the rest of your day.
Having well organized morning routine helps know precisely where everything you need in the morning is.
Nothing is left to chance, and when you add mindfulness activities to your routine such as journaling, prayer, and prioritizing your todos list then you are in control and you feel well balanced.
You also move seamlessly through your morning avoiding chaos and rushing.
This keeps you stress-free and provides a positive morning experience which in turn leads to a better and more productive day overall. Above all, it is excellent for mental health.
5. Leave the past in the past: Learn the lessons of the past but don’t let the past ruin the present. Try to find a way to move on from a difficult past. Seek therapy if it is difficult to let go.
6. Volunteer regularly: Volunteering in your community is a powerful way to boost your mental health. You helping others in need even if those others are animals in a shelter feel good. It makes you feel needed and doing something good boosts your sense of self. So choose a course and volunteer as often s you can.
7. Speak your mind: One good habit for a happy life is letting people know how you feel.
Of course, you have to be mindful when a situation calls for you to speak your mind. In relationships, sometimes we expect the other person to know how we feel or what we want but well, they can read our minds. So tell them. Bottling things up just makes you feel stressed and unhappy.
8. Practice self-love: Of all the good habits that have the potential to transform your life, this may be the most important. When you love yourself you feel content and happier. And when things go wrong, you’re able to center yourself and find your campus much easier.
Here is a post on simple ways to practice self-love.
9. Do 30-day challenges: Doing 30-day challenges is a great way to get good habits to stick to. For example, a 30-day self-care challenge helps you practice the habit of taking care of yourself every day. And you will find prioritizing yourself for a few minutes or hours can have tremendous benefits for your mental and physical health.
10. Have a restful night’s routine: A restful night routine is a great habit to ensure a restful sleep and to be well prepared for the next day.
Have a daily routine: Start a daily routine that includes a calming nighttime routine and a stress-free morning routine.
11. Take a mental health day when you need one: Life can be stressful, and it is important to know when you need to stop and care for your mental health. Call off work and spend the day taking care of yourself.
12. Listen to inspiring mental health podcasts: Mental health podcasts provide great information for your mental health. They can offer a perspective that helps you see a bothersome situation in a different light. It’s like having therapy right at home or even in your car as drive to work or run errands.
13. Limit Screen Time: Unplugging from devices helps you eliminate mental clutter. Social media has become a big problem in today s society with so many of us spending way too much time staring at our phones for hours on end. Limiting screen time will help keep your mind calm. Plus you can focus on things that are worth focusing on.
14. Read often: Engage in reading to stimulate your mind and gain new perspectives.
15. Practice Self-Compassion: Treat yourself with the same kindness you’d offer a friend. That includes talking to yourself like you would talk to your best friend. Avoid calling yourself names or putting yourself down. Our brains believe what we say over and over t ourselves.
16. Develop Resilience: Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth.
17. Stay Present: Practice being fully engaged in the present moment.
18. Seek Therapy: Consult with a mental health professional if needed. There is no shame in seeking therapy when you need to speak to a professional about your mental health.
19. Develop a positive attitude: Negativity is just you and those around you unhappy. So cultivate a positive mindset. Catch yourself when you are being negative. Instead of complaining try to see if there is a positive in the particular situation.
20. Know when to rest: Dont keep going even when you are exhausted. allow yourself time to rest. Women especially, are bad about just stopping to rest. Moms especially are quality of this. We must heed our bodies and rest if we are to be productive and nurturing. We must nurture ourselves by taking time to rest.
21. Engage in hobbies: Having a hobby is extremely beneficial for mental health. when you are doing something you love and that brings you joy you feel good of course. Just make sure your hobby is healthy.
If you want to try a new hobby for mental health, see this list of 15 best hobbies for anxiety and depression.
22. Cut out toxic relationships: Nothing ruins lives like staying in toxic relationships. However, it is not always easy to cut them out. So seek help if you are in a toxic relationship that’s difficult to leave.
Sometimes the toxic relationships are family members, and that is not only really heartbreaking but hard on mental health. So you may need to distance yourself as much as possible.
23. Dont compare yourself to others: The comparison game is our number one enemy when it comes to loving ourselves. Learning to stop this habit is key to finding joy and contentment in life. Everyone’s journey is different. And always remember in today’s world, for the most part, all we see is the highlight reel.
24. Declutter: Clutter is simply bad for mental health. The easiest way to avoid clutter is to ensure you put things where they go every day. Enlist the family to do the same. If you have too much stuff.
Be honest with yourself and if you haven’t used an item for a year, it’s time to give it away or threw it away, We need so much less than we think.
The mind thrives in well-organized spaces. If you tend to be anxious or depressed, the more clutter you have the more depressed or anxious you will feel. So develop the habit of decluttering every day.
Finances: Good habits to change your life
25. Track your income and expenses to manage your finances better.
26. Save Regularly: Set aside a portion of your income as savings.
27. Avoid Impulse Buying: Think through purchases before making them.
28. Make a meal plan: Have the habit of making a meal plan for each week. This will save you money because you know what to cook every day. That way you won’t spend on impulse at fast food restaurants, or have to order Uber Eats for instance.
29. Invest Wisely: Educate yourself about investing and plan for the future.
30. Pay Bills on Time: Avoid unnecessary fees and maintain a good credit score.
31. Live Below Your MeansFocus on needs rather than extravagant wants.
32. Avoid Debt: Minimize and responsibly manage debt.
33. Review Financial Goals: Regularly assess your financial progress and adjust as needed.
34. Build an Emergency Fund: Prepare for unexpected expenses.
35. Practice Contentment: Recognize that happiness isn’t solely tied to material possessions.
36. Educate yourself about money management.
37. Have a budget: Having a budget is an essential habit to have to avoid overspending or living above your means. A budget keeps accountable so you can avoid the stress that comes with stretching yourself too thin or being tempted to use credit.
Social Life Habits: Good habits to improve your life
38. Listen Actively: Be a good listener and show genuine interest in others during conversations. This is an important skill in making friends, and also to help people feel heard and understood.
39. Be Empathetic: Put yourself in others’ shoes to understand their perspectives. Always try to understand the other side.
40. Practice Random Acts of Kindness: Spread positivity and compassion. Nothing like surprising someone with an act of kindness they didn’t expect. Like paying for someone’s groceries. It’s pretty random, but likely to make that person’s day, and they hopefully will want to do the same for another person.
41. Surround Yourself with Positive People: Build a supportive social circle.
42. Apologize and Forgive: Let go of grudges and cultivate forgiveness.
43. Be Reliable: Keep your commitments and be someone others can depend on.
44. Offer Help: Extend a helping hand to those in need.
45. Practice Active Networking: Build professional relationships and connections.
46. Set Boundaries: Learn to say no when necessary for your well-being.
47. Celebrate Others’ Success: Be genuinely happy for others’ achievements.
48. Reach out to friends and family: Having friends makes life so much more richer and happier. So don’t get too busy that you never call your friends or family. Make time to spend quality time with your friends and family, because as social beings, we need good quality relationships to be happy.
49. Learn the art of making new friends: Making new friends is always fun, plus you never know when you will meet a great new friend. You can never have too many friends.
50. Be kind: Yes truly, love is the answer. People have become too self-absorbed. Help those in need. Let someone go ahead of you in line. There are also many opportunities to help and to be kind every day.
Physical Health
51. Exercise regularly: Engage in physical activity that you enjoy. Exercise has many health benefits. Exercise not only helps you lose weight, and looks nice and trim, but also boosts your mental health. You see when you exercise your brain produces happiness chemicals that make you feel really good. If you ever heard of a runner high, then you know that running makes you feel light and happy. But any exercise that raises your heartbeat will give you this runner high.
52. Eat a healthy diet: Nourish your body with a balanced diet. Eat natural foods, such as organic fruits and vegetables, lean grass-fed beef, and caught fatty fish. Eating healthy food benefits your whole body. eating healthy boosts your immune system and prevents inflammation that causes diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes that affect so many people today. Junk food is also bad for your mental health. Avoid it.
53. Learn to read food labels: So much bad stuff hides in food labels. Look for things like fructose corn syrup, and learn that a large amount of the ingredients are listed first. Look for other names of sugar such as fructose, maltose, dextrose, and many others that all mean sugar.
54. Take your vitamins and use supplements wisely: It is important to get your vitamins and mineral from the foods you eat. Sometimes for various reasons, you just can’t get the right amount from your food. So a supplement may be needed. Look for vitamins and supplements that have 3rd party testing to be sure of the quality.
55. Stay Hydrated: Drinking an adequate amount of water daily is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Staying hydrated is a good habit to have because your body needs enough water for metabolism and energy production. Plus dehydration can make you feel like you are hungry when you are not. Plus mild dehydration can make you irritable and easily stressed. So start your day with a glass of water first thing in the morning. Use a tracker to remind you to drink water if you have a problem remembering.
56. Get Sufficient Sleep: Prioritize rest and enough sleep for better physical and mental performance. Adequate sleep is so important for both your physical and mental wellness. So resist the urge to stay up late, or to drink that glass of wine especially two hours before bed.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to sleep better at night.
57. Practice Mindful Eating: Pay attention to your eating habits and avoid emotional eating. Learn to check yourself when you feel like you need to eat. Do you reach for a tub of ice cream when you are upset? Recognize it and try a different way to self-soothe.
58. Do Regular Health Checkups: Monitor your health and address any concerns promptly.
59. Wear sunscreen: This is an important habit that may save your life. Sun damage is not only bad for your skin. but can cause cancer. Sunscreen daily is a healthy habit. Even when it’s cloudy or is in the house where sunscreen m=beacues those UV rays can filter through the window, or those clouds.
60. Limit Alcohol and Tobacco: Moderation is critical for these substances.
61. Totally and completely avoid illicit drugs: No explanation is needed here. Okay, they ruin lives.
62. Practice Good Posture: Maintain proper posture to prevent back and neck problems.
63. Practice Relaxation Techniques: Reduce stress through mindful practices like deep breathing or yoga.
Productivity Habits| Good daily habits for self-improvement
64. Wake up early: Avoid hitting snooze. Hitting snooze is the easiest way to ruin your whole day. Those extra minutes are not worth the chaos that can ensue when you wake up late. So if this is a problem, keep your phone or alarm across the room wo you have to get up to turn it off.
65. Be disciplined: That means the strength not to let how you feel stop you from doing what needs to be done to achieve your goals. Remember, successful people are disciplined.
66. Prioritize Tasks: Focus on high-priority tasks before less important ones. When your most important tasks are done, even if you don’t get to the lesser tasks, your day will have been well spent, and you will have optimized your productivity.
67. Set Daily Goals: Plan your day with specific objectives in mind.
68. Avoid Procrastination: Take action promptly to accomplish tasks and avoid unnecessary stress.
69. Eat your frog: This means doing the hard things first. I love this saying because sometimes I have things on my to-do list that I just don’t feel like tackling. But then I know once I get those hard things out of the way the rest feel so easy and I feel so much more accomplished.
70. Eliminate Distractions: Create a productive environment by reducing distractions. This includes turning off notifications on your phone or computer.
71. Follow the Two-Minute Rule: Complete quick tasks immediately to avoid procrastination.
72. Use a planner: Using a planner is a great habit to schedule what needs to be done and keep you organized. Plus once you schedule something you sort it makes it sort of official and you are more likely to do it. And if it’s an appointment you have the reminder right there in your planner. Choosing a beautiful planner is also more motivating at least it is to me.
73. Use To-Do Lists: Organize your tasks to stay on track. Nothing is as satisfying as checking things off on your to-do list. It gives you such a sense of accomplishment.
74. Time Blocking: Allocate specific time blocks for different activities.
75. Practice the Pomodoro Technique: Work in short bursts followed by brief breaks.
76. Learn to Delegate: Share responsibilities to free up time for crucial tasks. If you have a team learn to delegate. If you are a mom, ask your kids and spouse for help. Try not to be a superwoman.
77. Avoid Multitasking: Concentrate on one task at a time for better focus. Multitasking decreases productivity because your brain must switch from one task to another and you become less efficient.
78. Avoid sitting at your desk all day. Stand and stretch occasionally. Did you know sitting all day long is as bad as smoking?
79. Keep an organized workspace: Keeping a well-organized space is a good habit for productivity because the brain likes organization. This also makes you more efficient as you know where everything is.
80. Use the 80/20 rule: This is also known as the Pareto Principle which states that 80% of the outcomes are from 20% of the input. Apply this in productivity habits means prioritizing the 20% of activities that will bring the most results.
81. Practice Time Management: Prioritize tasks and manage your time efficiently.
82. Regularly Review Progress: It is a good habit to regularly assess your productivity and make necessary adjustments. What went well, what didn’t go so well. That way you know whether maybe you are scheduling too many things, or need to prioritize better.
Good Habits for personal growth and Self-development
83. Read Daily: It’s a great idea to read books, articles, or blogs to gain new knowledge and perspectives.
84. Set Goals: Establish clear and achievable goals to work towards each day. It’s a good habit to have daily goals for each day. But also make sure they are achievable. No need to have a lofty goal that is not doable or practical. Learn more about how to set SMART goals here.
85. Reflect on Your Day: Take time to review your achievements, challenges, and areas for improvement.
86. Learn Something New: Dedicate time to learn a new skill, language, or hobby regularly.
87. Seek Feedback: Be open to receiving feedback from others to grow and develop.
88. Network and Connect: Build relationships with like-minded individuals to expand your support system.
89. Step Out of Comfort Zone: Embrace new challenges and experiences to foster personal growth.
90. Stay Curious: Be inquisitive and seek opportunities to learn from different sources.
91. Learn from your mistakes: This is a very important habit. Learn what went wrong, what you did wrong so that next time you do better. This is also very important when it comes to relationships.
92. Dont be afraid to fail: If there is something you want to do but you are afraid you will fail, do it anyway. Many of the success stories you know about were met by failure after failure. You only fail if you don’t try.
93. Visualize Success: Imagine yourself achieving your goals to boost motivation and focus.
94. Practice Positive Affirmations: Repeat affirmations to cultivate a positive mindset.
95. Avoid Negative Self-Talk: Replace negative thoughts with positive and empowering ones.
96. Prioritize Self-Care: Take care of your physical, emotional, and mental health consistently.
97. Review Your Values: Regularly assess if your actions align with your core values. It is easy to get lost in the frenzy of new fads, or social norms, but what is important to you? What values do you hold?
Right now (2023) society is in a new social upheaval where so many things are being called into question and even laws are being passed that to me are oppressive to many. Do you feel it’s okay to burn books because one parent who liley never even read it, doesn’t even read questions the book? ( okay, I need to write a whole new post on this.)
98. Stay Open-Minded: Be receptive to new ideas and viewpoints. Try at least to understand. Accept that you may not know everything about something. So educate yourself.
99. Celebrate Achievements: Acknowledge and celebrate your successes, no matter how small. Not many people will come and tell you how great you are doing. Plus you know your struggles. So celebrate yourself.
100. Take responsibility for your life: Don’t get stuck blaming others for what has happened in the past. Remember, “your wound is probably not your fault, but your healing is your responsibility”- Denice Frohman
Also, take responsibility for your actions and choices. Acknowledge when you are wrong at right the wrong. Apologize when you are wrong.
Conclusion:
Incorporating these 100 good habits into your daily life may seem like a daunting task, but remember that small, consistent steps can lead to significant improvements and positive changes.
Embrace the positive habits that resonate with you and tailor them to your unique circumstances. Take small steps daily to improve your life. And remember sometimes it is the simple things that make a big difference in changing your life.
Over time, you’ll witness positive transformations in your mental and physical well-being, finances, productivity, and social relationships. Plus you will experience tremendous personal growth.
Don’t be discouraged by setbacks; instead, view them as opportunities to learn and grow.
Remember, the journey toward self-improvement is a continuous and rewarding process. Start today and create the life you’ve always envisioned.
