Do you feel as though you are stuck in a rut, unable to move forward, or make progress and experiencing the same, tedious Groundhog Day on repeat? As the beginning of the year hits we often readdress our lives and the things we are doing to make sure things are going well. The New Year is as good as anytime to reflect on these things. Happy New Year, by the way!
Although New Years Resolutions are not my thing per se, I do think it is important to add what I call Success Habits to your life in order to live your best life. I do and recommend things like daily meditation, practicing gratitude, and lots of small things to help others throughout the day. Here are some other secrets to boost your success and the five habits that you can use to transform your life in the new year.
What Are The Benefits of Habits?
Building habits and routines has the potential to transform our lives through making small, seemingly insignificant changes each day.
These build up over time, and before you know it, you are enjoying a balanced, refreshing new life. This year I am going to try to add a new daily reading and reflecting habit based on a 365 day challenge. I am also going to try to add exercise or yoga on a regular weekly basis.
The habits you build are totally within your grasp -
here are five powerful habits to cultivate in the new year:
1. Change your wake-up time
One of the simplest and most effective changes that you can make is the time you wake up – this has a large impact on how your day will go.
Train your body to wake up earlier, and at the same time each day, and you will enjoy more time, energy, and it will get you into a positive mindset for the day. Plus, you can enjoy coffee in peace!
Now I say that, but I’ll also say that I am a morning person and so waking up early is easy for me. I realize this might not be easy or enjoyable for some people. I know this is NOT my wife’s idea of fun. Ha! So do your best here. Being a morning person I can set the alarm a bit early and get after things and am really productive in the mornings.
I would not recommend cutting into your 8 hours of sleep though so if you get up earlier I might suggest you also go to bed earlier.
For those of you who are night owls, maybe the flip side is staying up an hour longer. In our family, my wife gets alone time after the family is down and I get some alone time in the morning. Find what works for you.
2. Have a schedule
Once you are up and about, take some time to schedule out your day. By drawing up a daily schedule, you are focusing on your priorities, eliminating distractions, and helping you decide which things are most important to you.
I live and die by a calendar during the day in my business. If it doesn’t get on my calendar, it doesn’t get done. It is that easy. You can use Google Calendar to do pretty much all you’d need in this area and it is available everywhere you have internet (and even accessible when you don’t but maybe less editable without internet service).
Having a schedule also offers you structure in your day, and this can be very useful for remaining motivated and engaged.
It also sets out all your responsibilities clearly, and this can help prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by all you have to do or thrown off by unexpected tasks.
3. Set deadlines
Deadlines can be an amazing way to focus the mind and help you to achieve your goals. Rather than seeing them as restrictive or invasive, restructure your thinking a bit to help you smash your goals and reduce procrastination.
Challenge yourself to a certain deadline each day – you will feel amazing when you beat it!
Setting deadlines also helps you to remain accountable for your actions, and this is an important element of self-development and improvement.
Beyond these benefits, having deadlines also helps you manage your time and block out time for other things or communicate availability to friends and family who might want or need you to do something or time to hang out. This alleviates stress and helps you stay organized which are always a good things.
4. Make time to move
As part of your daily schedule, take the time to pencil in a chance to move your body periodically throughout the day. Humans were not designed for a sedentary lifestyle, so write down the times when you will be exercising and be as active as possible throughout the day.
I try to get up a move every hour or two. Take a 10 minute stretch and just walk a bit.
You could also set an alarm to remind yourself to stand up every 30 minutes, walk around the block on your lunchtime, or even just do some stretching while you are waiting for the kettle to boil.
Keeping fit and active is crucial for improving your life and will keep you healthy and strong as the years go by.
I know for some people this will be an easy thing to do. I get up and walk around a bit every day and try to get a walk in multiple times a week. In all honesty though I do not workout regularly like I did in my 20s-30s. I am however starting to make this a priority again. This morning I did some Yoga and it felt great getting in a good exercise session. I am working with personal trainers now to find a good program that will get me back on track and dropping this paunch around the waist.
I did a bit of ice skating over the holidays and that made me realize how much work I need to do to follow my own advice here. Stay tuned as I get my own routine dialed in and I’ll share my experience. I know feel better when I am active.
I do walking meditation and mindful movements weekly to work the both the mind and the body.
5. Remember self-care
You are the most important asset that you have, and it is important to take care of yourself before anyone else. This can seem counterintuitive, but it is extremely important for keeping yourself healthy, well and strong. If you are reading this article, you probably already know this is one of my driving points in life.
Take time each day to watch your favorite movie or even just enjoy the sound of silence. For me, meditation is my go-to self-care habit. I do it every day and I do many informal mindful practices throughout the day. This has been a game changer for me and really why I created this site. Last year I created the 30-Day Daily-Meditation Habit Builder Challenge and I gotta tell you the students have been seeing huge success with this program. If you’d like to get on the waitlist to be notified when I will be starting this program again, you can sign up here.
Don’t make work your whole life. Regardless of how much you love your job or in my case my business (and maybe yours), it’s important to ensure that you have projects that are just for you and that ignite that inner spark and passion in your soul. For me this is reading and listening to music. I attend a weekly Sangha meditation meeting twice a week. I also run a book club to take time discussing books with other book friends.
Transforming your life may seem like an immense task, but incorporating these five small, simple habits into your daily routine will soon allow you to enjoy incredible, life-changing results. What are you waiting for?
P.S. –
Another great habit is practicing gratitude. If you’d like to try a powerful 5-Day Gratitude Challenge, check out the Grateful Living challenge below.