Making changes that will improve your life doesn’t always have to be a major lifestyle adjustment. There are small, mindful things you can do each day that will help you see changes in your mood, thoughts, and behavior over time. Start by adding these 8 simple things to your day–to–day life and enjoy the results.
Put down your phone
Americans spend an average of 11 hours per day using electronic media – aka looking at digital screens. While technology has made tremendous strides in improving our lives, it has also come at a cost. We are so connected to the digital world, we often lose sight of ourselves and forget to have meaningful interactions with our friends and family. Instead of scrolling through Facebook while you wait for your coffee, make small talk with the stranger in line with you. Instead of checking your email while at dinner with your significant other, keep your phone in another room and enjoy a thoughtful conversation instead. Taking a break from the saturated world of social media will help you take in your surroundings and improve your overall mood.
Stop overcommitting your time
You know those times when you desperately need to catch up on sleep, but you take on one more work project anyway? Or, when you want nothing more than to sit on your couch, with a glass of wine and catch up on Scandal, but you agree to take your niece for the night instead? Overcommitting your time can be a tough habit to break because we have been conditioned to believe that putting others before our own personal needs is the right thing to do. The polite thing to do. But, protecting your time, mood and physical/mental health are important. Remember, no is a complete sentence.
Stop comparing yourself to others
Practice kindness, with yourself. When someone else succeeds – in a relationship, in their career, in a hobby – that does not mean that you have failed. There is enough room for us all to succeed, by our own definitions of success. Understand that you are on your own path in life, and comparing yourself to others is a sure–fire way to breed unhappiness.
Stop spending money on coffee shops, gym memberships and late fees
Keeping your finances in order can be daunting, but financial freedom has a lot of benefits. Take a look at your spending habits, and start cutting out small luxuries that could save you money. This will help you save money, for larger purchases, such as a new car, international vacation or mortgage. Cut out that coffee shop run and you could save over $1,000 a year! You can also save money by working out at home, not letting late fees sneak up on you and packing your own lunch.
Start bullet journaling
Bullet journaling has been all the hype for a couple years now, but you might be hesitant to try it out. After all, you’ve got your planner and lists to keep you organized. But, bullet journaling is so much more than that, and can really improve your well being. Keep your notes, journal entries, to-dos, appointments, lists, and random thoughts all in one place. Plus, with all of the tapes, stickers, and markers for bullet journaling, it will help your creativity as well!
Learn something new
You may be done with school, but that doesn’t mean the learning has to (or should) stop. Studies have shown that successful people devote their time to being lifelong learners. Building space in your busy life to improve a skill, learn a new trade or enlighten yourself on a new concept is crucial to your health and wellbeing. These online classes will introduce you to a new idea and can be used as a catalyst to jumpstart your creativity.
Stop multitasking
There is scientific research proving that we can not multitask. Our productivity decreases, we make more mistakes and our creative output is lowered. Not only that but believing you’re good at multitasking is actually just an illusion. In reality, we are bad at ignoring distractions and as a rationalization, we convince ourselves that multitasking is increasing our productivity. Instead of switching back and forth between tasks, block off sections of time to focus on only one task. Remove distractions, such as texts, phone calls, and email and practice monotasking. You will be amazed at how much more efficient you become while increasing the quality of your work.
Practice gratitude
One of the best ways to increase your awareness is to write down three things you are grateful for each morning. Consider your life thoughtfully, and jot down the things that you are appreciative of that day. This will help you keep your perspective on the positive throughout your day.
15 Comments
Shauna
October 25, 2017 at 3:06 pmThese are amazing tips thank YOU 💖 working on not overcommitting myself
jenn
October 25, 2017 at 4:06 pmall of these are on my 2018 list but why not start now, right? I desperately need to bullet journal but I feel like ill go down a rabbit hole of doing nothing but haha
Morgan Shaw
October 25, 2017 at 4:42 pmI love stop multi-tasking something my mind does to much and then nothing gets done! Also, being addicted to your phone really does affect my mood! If i see something sad on social media. Thanks, for your tips! Morgan
Lisa
October 25, 2017 at 6:36 pmGreat tips, sometimes, we make things way too complex!
Lorna Holowaychuk
October 25, 2017 at 7:35 pmThanks for the great advice !!!
Heather LeGuilloux
October 25, 2017 at 7:40 pmGreat tips for growing and evolving as a person.. I think I am personally really trying to not compare myself to others (which can be tough in the blogging world) and to share my own authentic and creative side and hope that others enjoy or find my shares valuable. Thanks for the insightful post!
Cassie |White Sands and Cool Breezes
October 25, 2017 at 10:13 pmSuch a great list. Thanks for the reminder. I need to work on putting down my phone 😕
Jessica
October 25, 2017 at 10:33 pmAll great tips!! And things we should be reminded of often. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Nadalie Bardowell
October 25, 2017 at 11:38 pmThese are really great tips, in fact I try and follow a very similar guideline. I recently canceled my gym membership to save money and will be working out at home.
Dominika
October 26, 2017 at 12:47 amHi Elizabeth, today’s post struck a bell with me. I love to add value to my life and improve my life as well. I love bullet journaling my self-care progress, my mood and ofcourse gratitude helps me too.
http://dominikagoodness.blogspot.com.ng
A-
October 26, 2017 at 2:36 amI’ve always wanted to start bullet journaling, but I’ve never known where to start. Maybe I’ll take a look around online and really commit myself to it. It seems so relaxing and a great place to put all the thoughts jumbling around inside my head. Thanks for sharing these tips!
A- simplylovely90.com
Kara
October 26, 2017 at 6:54 pmI love this.. simple reminders but things we often forget or don’t recognize often enough 💜
Stephanie
October 27, 2017 at 12:43 amLoved these tips! It’s so important to bullet journal & organize your life.
Stephanie
lifestylebystephanie.com
Jenny
November 2, 2017 at 12:43 amI totally agree! Everything you said here is what I think of sometimes…what used to be my biggest insecurity is always comparing myself to others that eventually lead to depression, sadness and low confidence, it’s never a great feeling!
Sarah | A Simple and Contented Life
February 10, 2018 at 11:41 amIt’s amazing how much we can instantly improve our lives just by making small changes like these. I find that switching your mindset really helps too. I love the saying that ‘life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it’ …having a positive outlook rather than a negative one makes life so much better! 🙂