Habits are powerful things and they literally can drive your life on autopilot. But when you are ready to change your life, it’s good to get in the driver’s seat and consciously create better habits that will improve, even change your life.
Think about it for a moment. What things do you do without even thinking?
You know like when you reach for your phone first thing in the morning and automatically scroll through Instagram…
But the secret to success and even happiness is consistent good habits.
So if your life needs a tweak or an overhaul, these 60 habits will propel your life forward and boost your happiness.
These are the simple habits you can start to improve your life so you can finally live the life you dream of.
The truth is that whether you know it or not the life you are living today is a result of habits we have developed over the years.
Sometimes we have bad habits that derail our lives which we really should stop but it’s not easy.
However, with commitment, we can replace those bad habits with good habits.
So that said, here are simple ways to improve your life starting right now.
Habits to improve your life every day
1. Cultivate a positive attitude
A positive attitude is a great life-changing habit to start.
Life is so much better when you have a positive attitude.
And it is important to note that the brain reflects back to us what we think, or the messages we send to our brain. And what then happens is that our brain starts to manifest what we think to prove us right.
That means that if you are a pessimist you will find more things to prove you right and bad things will just seem to be happening to you all the time.
You want to turn that script around with a positive attitude.
A positive attitude on the other hand brings more positive things to fruition. You send yourself positive messages.
More positive things manifest. Create more positive nerve connections in the brain and you will have more happiness and more positivity in your life.
So learn to embrace a positive attitude and beat negativity.
It is a state of mind that you can learn.
Simply challenge negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.
2 Have some life goals
Life goals are an important part of self-improvement. So have the habit of outlining your life goals, both short and long-term. Learn how to set smart goals that are actually realistic and achievable. Have health goals as well as achievement goals to improve your life.
3 . Banish and conquer procrastination
Procrastination kills dreams. It causes unhappiness. Learn to act on the things that matter.
If you have to do something, avoid putting it off because that ways you down, and causes decision fatigue.
Those hard things, do them first and get them over with. It s feels so good when you do.
The weight gets lifted off and your day suddenly feels lighter and brighter.
4. Work on your imposter syndrome
Darn imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome feeds us such lies and keeps us stuck believing we are not good enough.
It is a tough battle but you must beat imposter syndrome to realize your dreams.
Take a step every day towards your goals. And then reward each and every tiny step you take.
Remember even those great ones had to begin somewhere.
5. Embrace failure
Failure is a great teacher and so fail often, because when you do, you learn and it means you are trying.
So what are you afraid of failing at? Go ahead and try it till you get good at it.
Trying is a great habit to have because you can’t change your life without trying. So embracing failure is a powerful habit to have.
6. Reach out to old friends and family
It is easy to get alienated and lonely in our busy world but connectivity makes life so much more satisfying. A full life is one that is enriched by great relationships.
So reach out. Call old friends.
Renew those relationships.
Get in touch with family if you haven’t lately. Reach out and get together for lunch or dinner. If you can get together often it is much better. But still, a phone call every now and then will make you feel connected and happier.
7. Learn money management
Spending more money than you have is always a recipe for disaster. Plan your expenditures. Have a budget and stick to it.
Save for tomorrow as well and don’t ever keep your head in the sand about your finances.
Money worries are stressful, so do everything you can to keep your money straight.
And learn how to invest for your future. I love this book by Bola Sokunbi, Clever Girl Finance: Learn How Investing Works, Grow Your Money
You can learn more tips from bola on money management on her blog and Youtube channel as well. She is the best down-to-earth and knowledgeable and relatable person I know and I love her style.
8. Eliminate bad habits
Ah, bad habits! They are the bane of our lives. As humans we all have weaknesses. But the best thing is to keep working on reducing and eliminating bad habits.
Get rid of habits that set your life back. Work on those habits that cause unhappiness and stress.
This will vastly improve your life.
9. Have and protect your boundaries
To be truly happy you must have boundaries. A lack of boundaries can let chaos into your life. So to improve your life and be happy, let people know when they are starting to step on your toes.
This may be demanding more time from you than you can offer, asking for money, and such things that make you uncomfortable.
Protect your mental health, energy, time, and resources by saying no.
Yes, you can be helpful but don’t overextend yourself in a way that depletes you because your self-respect and self-love matter. So saying no is one important habit to have to improve your life.
10. Develop a morning routine
Having a morning routine is so important. When you have a morning routine you set the tone for the rest of your day. And a well-formulated routine should never be overwhelming.
Only include in your routine the things that make sense for you.
This way you will have a more calm, controlled, and productive day. In essence, helps you to accomplish more things in your day with less stress. And that equals joy in my book.
11. Plan your day
You can use a daily planner to outline the most important activities for the day. Or simply write a to-do list.
Making lists is a great way to keep your focus.
Plus it is so satisfying to cross things off as you get them done.
Try daily planners, weekly, monthly, and yearly planners to keep you organized and focused.
Plan the day before so you wake up knowing what your focus is. The best thing to do is to pick the three most important tasks that you need to accomplish each day.
12. Eat your frog
Yup! It may sound gross, but it simply means doing your most difficult task first.
This may also be the least pleasant task but one that is important.
When we tackle the most difficult tasks first or most unpleasant, it doe two things. Eating your frogs gives you a momentum boost.
It is empowering and makes you feel that now that you have done that difficult thing you can do even more amazing things.
Also, it frees your mind from decision fatigue.
When we have a heavy task sitting at the back of our minds it takes energy because it keeps popping up in our minds.
Now you free that room and you feel lighter and can go on to think of pleasant things.
Learn more about the art of eating your frog from the book Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy and transform your productivity and life
13. Don’t multitask
Some people think multitasking is where it’s at but no it’s not. Multitasking is simply a lie we tell ourselves.
And the reason is that the brain likes to stay on track with one thing before moving on to the next.
Multitasking is simply a recipe for overwhelm. Do one thing at a time to be more productive.
14. Have a nighttime routine
A nighttime routine plays a big part when it comes to improving your life. When having a nighttime routine helps you wind down easily and that ensures a good night’s sleep. It also lays a foundation for your morning and the next day ahead.
You can reflect on your day in your journal to wind down, and plan the next day’s to-do list so you go to bed feeling much lighter and uncluttered in thought.
A nighttime routine can totally change your life and make you much happier.
15. Stop caring too much about what people think about you
With social media highlight reels swarming your feed, it is easy to feel like you are missing out, or feel like you are not good enough, or are failing. Yes, you end up comparing yourself to others is a trap that causes makes you feel less than others.
Avoid comparing yourself to others.
And it is necessary to learn that and accept that we all cant be in the same chapter in life is one way to avoid comparison.
Be happy for those who are doing great. Clap for them and know in your heart your day is coming as well. Just let your passion direct you to your gifts. Keep doing you!
16. Pursue your passions
And speaking of passions… What drives you? Follow that passion. That may very well be what you were put on this earth to do.
Follow that with all you are worth. Educate yourself. Find mentors and don’t give up. Using your gifts makes work and life so much more fun, and easy. Try it.
17. Be real
Be you. It doesn’t matter if not everyone gets you. You are not for everyone. Accept that and embrace it. Let people see who you are. Show your true colors and your people will show themselves.
Being fake is so tiresome. It is so much harder to feign a persona than it is to be yourself. Remember you are an original. So be you.
18. Know yourself and your values
What are your values? Let the values you hold dear be your guiding light in this life. Your values determine how you live your life and that is why to be happy you must let your values show you the way.
This will determine your choices, and these can easily determine how your life turns out.
Don t do things just to please others.
Be authentic.
19. Read every day
Reading every day improves your mind, expands your thinking, exposes you to other cultures, and much much more. You learn so much when you are a reader.
Becoming a reader is a great way to improve yourself and learn about the world.
So pick a book and start the habit of reading every day.
I especially highly recommend self-improvement books as a way to help you get inspired to reach for better and be bolder.
If you want to get started, here is a list of 13 self-improvement books to help you live
20. Be truly informed about your world.
You should be curious about your world. Research distant places and learn about distant parts of the world and their people. You should be politically informed without letting politics swallow you whole.
Learn to spot propaganda and listen to more than one news channel so you know what other people talking about, and their stand on the news of the day. Weigh things and form your own informed conclusion.
It is also very important to be socially informed. Learn the new technology.
And you can do all this by reading, listening to podcasts, watching Ted Talks, and reading blogs.
Information is all around us. We just have to be wise about the topics and sources we choose.
21. Exercise
We cannot talk about self-improvement without talking about exercise and movement. As modern people in our very modern world, we sit too much. Unfortunately being that inactive is a health hazard.
In fact, sitting all day every day has been equated to smoking. Just as bad for your health. It is wise to take a daily walk.
Stretch and move your body daily. Some cardio will do you good as well. You can dance, or do yoga. Just ensure you move your body every day.
22. Eat right
What we eat can determine a lot about our health and so if you really want to improve your life, take a real look at your diet. Is it healthy?
To feel your best you must eat for total wellness.
When you have nutrient deficiencies you feel fatigued, you may get ill, feel depressed, or even anxious.
Healthy food does so much for our health. But unhealthy food just causes havoc- leads to metabolic diseases including diabetes and heart disease.
23. Sleep enough
Sleep is good for you. I love sleep. But sleep is not just time to rest, it is also time for renewal. When we fail to get enough quality sleep, we can end up with chronic diseases.
Besides, we just don’t feel good. We are tired and cranky and not as productive.
Do everything you can to optimize your sleep.
Have a bedtime routine to ensure an easy calm transition and easy resting. Keep your bedroom clean and calm.
Here are more tips about sleep improvement to stop restless nights.
24. Support a cause
When we are a part of a good cause we feel good. It feels good to help others.
So volunteer your time and resources to help others.
You can support a local cause or even an international cause.
25. Cook often
Learning to cook is an essential skill. Eating at home is good for your health and your budget.
So try to cook a few times a week at least and when you do that your bank account and your waistline will both thank you.
26. Listen to your body
Some of us do too much. Learn to listen when you feel tired. You cannot be productive when you wear yourself out.
If your body is telling you it’s time to quit, do it.
Also, if you think something is wrong, see a doctor. Don’t wait. Some little aches of discomfort can be a signal of something big. Get it checked out. Small problems can grow if left too long unattended.
So, don’t ignore health problems.
27. Learn to trust your instincts
Your instincts are the instincts that give your vital information. The only thing is they can be so subtle and easy to ignore.
But learn to attune to your instincts.
You are likely to make some life-changing decisions or avoid some disastrous ones when you pay attention to your instincts.
Listen to that tiny small voice that is likely warning you off of something. But then we also must recognize when it is our mean girl showing up to keep us from attaining our greatness.
28. Pursue healthy hobbies
Hobbies improve mood. In fact, some hobbies are great at calming anxiety and even improving depression. Improving your life means not just working hard but also taking time to have some healthy fun and decompress.
Here is a list hobbies you can try that will improve your mood.
29. Keep an orderly living environment
Our living environments are so very important. We have to maintain healthy and calm living spaces so we don’t feel overwhelmed, anxious and depressed.
Make it a habit to declutter and clean often. Clean calm living spaces make for good working environments.
You will get more inspired and energetic when your house looks clean and well-kept.
The keep is to not let things pile up. Pick up as you go. Wash a load of laundry daily. Keep your sink clean especially before you go to sleep. It feels so good to wake up to a clean sink.
30. Say daily affirmations
Have a routine to say out loud affirmations for self-love, to calm anxiety, and boost your confidence.
Say daily self-love affirmations every morning as part of your morning routine so as to state your intention for the day.
This will strengthen your confidence and your goals as you start your day so you are more positive.
Affirmations are a great life-changing tool that empowers you to be the best person you can be.
Get started with these bedtime affirmations and sleep well tonight. Or if feeling anxious, try affirmations for anxiety to easily calm your mind.
31. Love all of yourself
If you want to improve your life, first learn to love yourself, imperfections, mistakes, and all. Be kind to yourself.
That means taking time to practice self-care, and accepting that yes you are not perfect and that’s okay.
Also accepts that not everyone will love you and that’s okay too. Learn and believe that you are worthy of love and respect and good things.
Loving yourself is taking time for you. Saying no to things that you are not okay with.
When you love yourself you are perfectly fine and confident in your own skin. You know it’s okay to fall as long as you get up. Read more about how to completely love yourself in this post.
32. Don’t be a perfectionist
Self-improvement calls for accepting imperfections sometimes. If you are a perfectionist life can be too hard.
Sometimes it becomes hard to move forward, do new things, and learn new things because you spend too much time ruminating about mistakes, worrying you will make mistakes, and wondering what people will say.
Stop. It’s okay to be imperfect. Like I have already said, fall but get up. That is the only way to grow.
33. Drink more water
Okay. I know this is not groundbreaking news. You have heard that you need to drink more water, or enough water to stay healthy.
Truth is though many people still don’t drink enough water, or are not hydrated enough.
And dehydration keeps you from working at peak performance.
It affects your concentration, causing brain fights and fatigue. And can we talk about how it affects your skin? Plump that skin up with enough water.
The good news is you don’t have to just drink only water.
You can eat fruit, eat veggies that are hydrating, plus other drinks like smoothies( with less sugar of course) are all good ways to stay hydrated.
34. Face your fears
We all can get so far in life by facing our fears. Is fear keeping you stuck, never moving forward with your goals and dreams? Remember that fear of failure should never stop you.
Everyone doing what you want to do was once a beginner. Remember that.
And if you don’t try, if you don’t conquer your fear, you will never know what lies beyond that fear. face your fears today and start working on your big hairy scary goals.
35. Eliminate distractions
Our modern lives are so full of distractions. Unfortunately, this is exhausting and bad for productivity. Remember you are trying to improve your life.
And that said, it is hard to concentrate on important tasks if your phone keeps pinging messages, or notifications keep popping up on your screen.
Remove those apps from your phone, or silence them. Use productivity methods such as time blocking so you can get things done.
36. Journal
Journaling is such a great way to improve your mental health, and for reflecting on your progress, actions, and your life so far. It gives you insight and clears your brain, therefore a great way to calm your mind, boost your mental health, and find clarity.
Try and write in your journal first thing in the morning to set your intentions, or before bed as part of your nighttime routine.
When you journal before going to bed it allows you to put to bed worries that would otherwise keep you up.
You can free-write about the thing you are grateful for as well or use prompts.
Get a simple gratitude journal to guide your journaling. And for your mental health, I have just the perfect prompts to calm your mind or use these prompts to reflect on things.
37. Avoid the victim mindset
Please please, don’t go about life complaining and blaming. That only makes you feel powerless to move on and start forging the right course for your life. People may have wronged you. Be brave enough to forgive them, so you can find peace. Playing victim just keeps you stuck in the past.
And here since we are trying to improve and, over our lives forward we want to stop being stuck.
It sucks when people have wronged you. It does. But don’t stay there stuck feeling sad for too long.
Feel the emotion but don’t let it swallow you whole. Find the courage to move on. Go to therapy and let a mental health professional guide you on breaking free from victimhood.
38. Be grateful every day
Gratitude can change your life. Be grateful every day. Say it out loud. Write it down.
Everyone has something to be grateful for. And when you start noticing that you are blessed indeed, more blessings just keep coming.
It is amazing how noticing good things keep us from complaining and when we do, then we attract more goodness.
Try it. If you need help with daily gratitude, a guided gratitude journal can help.
39. Leave the past in the past
Don’t dwell too much on the past. If good things happened in the past that is great. Remember them with joy.
But don’t just look at that and fail to see the present moment and its blessing. Some may be in disguise.
Like when you lose a job. You may feel sad but this may be an opening to find a better job. Look at how you can make tomorrow even better. And in so doing you improve your life.
40. Simplify your life
You know you don’t need all the things. Simplify your to-do list by listing only up to three things each day you must accomplish.
Clean up and sell or give away stuff, and stop buying so much stuff.
You only need very few things to be happy. No, you don’t need that new designer purse or shoes.
Nor do you need all those things in your cupboard.
These things especially the things you hardly use just weigh you down. Get rid of them.
You will feel so much lighter and happier.
42. Celebrate your wins
Why do we only see what’s wrong? Try to see that there are some things you are doing right.
Things like…you woke up early instead of sleeping in…celebrate that. You chose healthy food today. Yay! That’s great. You have started the first step towards a new hustle, celebrate that.
43. Go outside
Go on out and take a walk. Go on a hike. Go swimming if the weather is good. We all spend too much time inside.
No wonder many people are deficient in vitamin D. Being out in nature is great for your mental health.
44. Know your most productive time
Know the time of day you feel most energetic. Are you a morning person? Allocate your most challenging tasks to the early morning.
That way you will effortlessly tackle those big tasks.
When done you will feel more accomplished and inspired to do more. See how much you get done and skyrocket your achievement by using your most productive time well.
45. Identify what is making for feel stuck in life
If you are feeling stuck in life or even totally lost, then need to take the steps necessary to get unstuck.
Ask yourself in what areas of life you feel stuck. Are you stuck in a career or relationship?
Have you outgrown your life? We do sometimes and that is human. You are after all the same person you were 20 years ago.
We grow and learn and change.
And those internal changes and growth may require different living situations, and a different job/ career.
And when our current life stops meeting these internal needs, we start to feel angst, and restless.
We ended up feeling stuck, and adrift. See this step-by-step guide on what to do when you feel stuck in life.
Related: 12 Reasons why you feel stuck in life
46. Identify the things in your control
Life can be challenging sometimes and we may get caught up in wanting to change it all and change how other people do things or see things. We can get frustrated by things we cannot control.
So learn what is in your control and do what you can to change that. The rest, let it go…
Enough said. Life is so much better when we lessen the load we carry.
Letting go of what we can’t change is essential.
47. Make your bedroom a haven of peace and calm
A calm bedroom promotes good sleep. To create a calm bedroom by ensuring things are picked up and everything has its own place. And most of all make your bed.
Really, an unmade bed just causes the room to feel chaotic while a well-made bed is so inviting.
Buy a lovely bedspread and gorgeous pillows and make a lovely bed. You will have more restful nights when your bedroom looks and feels calm.
48. Laugh more
Yes like they say… laughter is good for you. It is. To find humor and just laugh your head off. Laughter feels so good. It lifts all that heaviness that may be weighing you down. Watch some funny shows on TV, on Youtube, or on Facebook.
Just don’t get lost in it. Here are more benefits of laughter you may not be thinking of.
49. Learn a new language
Speaking more than one language is great. Learn the most common languages in your city or those spoken in another country where you may have an opportunity to try speaking to more people.
Me, I would love to learn Spanish.
It’s a fun language to know and so many people in the US speak Spanish that it would be so fun to speak this language. Which language would you love to learn?
50. Find a life coach or a mentor
Sometimes, we need someone to show us the way. We get stuck in life sometimes and don’t know what to do.
And at times our minds get crowded. Also, sometimes fear grips us and we are too scared to take any action.
At such times a life coach or a mentor can help you get out of your rut. So don’t let all the things stop you from achieving greatness. Seek help.
51. Start a 30-day challenge
I love challenges. They help you focus on a task to improve your life every day. You can start a self-care challenge, mental health challenge, decluttering challenge, or even a particular diet challenge.
Challenges help you commit and focus on an area of self-improvement and you feel great when you accomplish your challenge goals. And even better the improvements you make benefit you.
52. Pursue a dream you have
Now of all the things you do, this is the most important. If you want to live a full life, and really improve your life, you must know what inspires you and follow your dreams.
This is not easy, for imposter syndrome will rear its ugly head up and tell you to lie…lies like ” you can’t do that” or “that is stupid”, or “you just don’t have what it takes”, and more.
Don’t believe it. Keep taking action, no matter how tiny. Take action and keep going.
Eventually, you will live the dream you pursue, and what joy that will be to have a life well-lived. Pursuing your dreams relentlessly is essential when you decide to improve your life.
53. Stop making excuses
We give so many excuses as to why we haven’t done this or that. Recognize when you are just giving an excuse instead of facing the real reason why you haven’t done something. Be true to yourself.
Are you afraid of something? Do you fear getting off your comfort zone you say well, I just don’t have enough time to do A?
In fact, it is a truth well known that we make time for the things we value so if something is really important you will find the time.
Always ask yourself the reason behind the things you find hard to do and so you are making excuses as to why they are not getting done. When you face the real truth, you will have greater insight into your life and the changes you need to make to be happy.
54. Work on your confidence
Lack of self-confidence is a sad way of existing. Really. Think about the things you would go after if you had more confidence.
Let’s all work on that. With a little more confidence you can go after some grand things in life without worrying about what others think.
And being confident is an amazing way to improve your life because it can totally help you go after bigger and better goals.
And then you would be happier with more confidence because you won’t spend so much time second-guessing yourself.
So start learning the secrets to a more confident you. Here is a post with 14 tips to boost your confidence.
55. Dance
Dance! Doesn’t that word just hold so much joy? Dancing is exercise and an amazing way to boost your mood.
When you move your body with such joy it helps you produce endorphins making you feel joyful.
So dance like no one is watching. And who cares if they’re watching? Put some good music on and have fun.
This is such a fun way to improve your life.
56. Take deep breaths
Finally, just breathe. Take deep cleansing breaths. Really breathe from your stomach and feel those deep breaths cleansing your mind, and your soul. So many people go around breathing shallowly and holding their breaths. Keeping all that Co2 clouding your brain.
Feel the energy and vigor breathing right gives you.
That is the essence of a really simple way to improve your lie. But to be honest, I think many people breathe shallowly because they are so anxious about various things.
To learn practical ways to reduce anxiety and you will feel calmer and that will improve how you breathe.
It’s like the chicken and the egg sort of thing though. Breathing shallowly can make you anxious and being anxious makes you breathe shallowly.
57. Rest
Learn when you need to rest. This habit can help you avoid overwhelm and stress.
So rest when you need to and don’t feel bad about it. Many of us women just don’t know when to say enough is enough and just take a break. If you are a mom you know this.
58. Ask for help
It is not easy to ask for help. Asking for help when you need it is an important way to improve your life because you may need guidance or even life-changing advice in some crucial times in life.
But knowing when you need help and asking for it is an important habit to have. So reach out to the people in your life.
Talk to friends and family or seek counseling if life is becoming overwhelming.
59. Don’t engage in toxicity
The world has become quite toxic and every day you hear more and more bad news. First of all, turn off the news as often. It can be quite depressing listening to the news. But toxicity can come from so many areas of life. It may be in relationships you have. Who are your friends?
Do they really add value to your life or are they a toxic bunch of pettiness and jealousy and gossip? Reevaluate relationships and leave those that don’t bring you joy. Who are you following online?
Unfollow toxic people who only bring negative vibes to your headspace. Also, catch yourself when you are being negative and toxic.
Learn to see the good in our world and bring out the same.
60 Avoid alcohol
Drink less alcohol, or better yet, stop drinking alcohol altogether. It is of course no surprise. You will feel better and be more productive. That night cup doesn’t let you sleep well. So avoid it altogether.
61 Cut back on social media
Spend less time on social media. We are all consuming too much social media content these days. You know it’s not good for you. So spend more time doing other useful things.
And there you have it
Practice these simple habits to improve your life, and find true joy and a life you love. With these self-improvement tips, you have a chance to live a life that inspires you and brings you joy each and every day.
The key to success is to take just a few of these practices and do them until they become a habit.
Now, over to you! What tips would you add to this list of self-improvement tips?
