When people think about making improvements in their lives, they often think in terms of grand gestures. This is why gyms are notorious for being crowded starting in January and much less so the rest of the year; people start with a big plan to work out regularly and then find that they can’t muster the discipline they thought they could. The reason so many of these efforts at improvement fail is because small changes in your everyday habits can often be much better way to bring about change. None of the habits below will improve your life overnight, but they are all small sustainable actions that will make a big difference in the long run.
Look For Money Saving Options
Get into the habit of always looking for the cheaper option. This means everything from checking the unit price at the grocery store, to downloading an app that can help you price check to buying what you can secondhand. It might even be possible to save on what you may think of as fixed expenses, such as your home insurance. If you’ve been with the same company for this and other services for a while, you might not have thought to shop around. However, you can get started on spending less for these things by researching top providers online that offer competitive rates for student loan refinancing, home and auto insurance, and much more. Tracking your spending is another way to become more mindful about what you spend, and it’s a habit you can pick up easily by downloading an app that does most of the work for you.
Walk The Extra Distance
Barring medical issues that prevent it, any time you have a choice to walk a little extra or stay sedentary, you should opt for the former. This includes climbing stairs as long as you are able. Exercise programs are great if you can stick to them, but our ancestors didn’t keep fit by setting aside purposeful periods of exercise. Instead, they simply moved frequently throughout the day. Taking the opportunity to walk or otherwise choose the slightly more physically challenging option can help you stay in better condition.
Learn Something
Too often, people think of learning as something they stop doing when they finish school, or they only learn new things when they’re forced to by their job or other circumstances. However, thinking of learning as a lifelong affair can help you keep learning valuable skills and stay more engaged in your life. It’s easier than ever to pick up new things thanks to technology. There are plenty of podcasts that will deliver bite sized episodes to you on many different topics, or you can listen to audio books. If you like languages, another option is apps that will teach you languages, many of which include exercises you can complete in just a couple of minutes while you’re standing in line. Universities increasingly offer online classes, and many non-credit courses are even offered online for free.