I would love to share five simple habits I have integrated in my life that have dramatically improved my everyday. Some of these habits have been engrained within me for years, and some are newer. But nonetheless, these habits are here to stay indefinitely.
1. Fix Your Bed Every Morning
Making this a habit to do every morning will already provide you with your 1st accomplishment of the day. It may sound simple but I am surprised by how many people don’t already do this.
Take a minute of your every morning to fix your bed – your safe space where your body relaxes and recharges. Your mind is still waking up in the morning anyway, so it’s a bonus that this task doesn’t require much brainpower. How great will it also be to return home to a made bed?
2. Drink a Cup of Warm Water
Now some of you might think no way because you’re an ice-water drinker. And I respect that. But think about it — your body is naturally 97-98° F and by drinking warm or hot water, you won’t send your body to complete shock.
Most of my Asian friends naturally drink room temperature water because it’s something our parents have always done. I actually started to pick up this habit after college when my mom told me to (haha) but I have been doing this every morning since (even when I travel).
Let’s also go over the health benefits, you can Google it but there are so many! Drinking warm and hot water aids in digestion, fights colds and sore throats, and improves circulation of the blood which naturally eases muscle pain. It also releases toxins from the body which can prevent acne — say no more.
3. Find Something in Your Day to Look Forward to
We all have those days where we aren’t excited for the next day — whether it’s having to deal with our daily commute or the simple act of having to wake up early to work or attend school. (Some of you might be thinking this is every day for you, haha).
But a good mindset to start to implement is having something in your every day to look forward to. For me, it’s getting my vanilla latte with oat milk when I get into work and a workout class I have scheduled for that day. It can be anything from getting to see your friend at work and catching up on the latest news or listening to your favorite song during your commute.
By having one thing to look forward to in our everyday and recognizing it will help you put one foot in front of the other.
Either you run the day, or the day runs you
Jim Rohn
4. Plan for the Next Day
I hope I haven’t lost you yet. But this is important for people who are late risers like myself. A good habit to pick up is to have your belongings packed for the next day. Have your work bag set to go — your keys, chapstick, wallet, laptop, all packed together. More importantly, have your outfit ready for the next day (one less decision you’ll have to make in the morning).
I like to make it a habit to check the weather and grab my clothes from their respective drawers or section in the closet and fold them together — ready for me to grab and go. It’s very important to build a routine with the variables you can control and start the day right.
5. Don’t Sleep with your Phone
There are many studies out there that link our phones to a loss of sleep which leads to underperforming at work. One trick I like to do is utilize the Bedtime Setting on the iPhone, this sends a notification to me 15 minutes before my set bedtime and puts the phone on Do Not Disturb so I’m not distracted by late night texts or notifications. And when it’s time to wake up, the alarm sounds.
This one is a little harder especially if you’ve been used to crawling into the comfort of your bed and scrolling through Instagram but if you can make this a habit, it will improve your mental health.
And that’s way more worth it. (Weekends can be the exception.)
