Be thankful for habits because they allow you not to have to use as much of your brain. Imagine that every time you drove your car, you had to think as much as the first time you drove. You want to get into the best routine possible by finding the habits that will change your life.
Whether that is getting up early, going to bed early, or reading for 20 minutes, if you develop positive habits, you will build your life up without thinking about it. Unfortunately the same is true for destroying your life with negative habits. It's also your duty to break bad habits.
Developing excellent habits is about getting the little things right. Day to day habits don't seem to make a difference, but when you stick with them for years with consistency, these habits can and will change you.
While you're trying to change your habits, as a student you may think: "proofread my essay online" so you can also hire a writer who would be happy to write an essay for you.
The reason that waking up early is an essential habit is because it gives you extra time to implement some of these other habits.
Habits That Will Change Your Life
1. Waking Up Early (The Keystone Habit)
The keystone habit is the one habit that you can change that changes everything else you do in your life. Habit Stacker helps people build their habits off of waking up early because its the habit we believe has the most significant impact on your life.
I believe this so much so that I began getting up at 3 AM partly because of Eric Thomas and the book the Miracle Morning. These two sources inspired me to get up 30 minutes earlier each day, and it changed my life so I kept waking up a bit earlier.
The reason that waking up early is an essential habit is because it gives you extra time to implement some of these other habits. For example, making your bed each morning is a great habit, but the reason people don't do it is that they are rushing out the door.
No one is going to wake up at 5:30 in the morning to watch TV and waste their time. When you wake up in the morning, your will power is at its best. You will have the easiest time being productive earlier in the day.
2. Making Your Bed
There is a reason that the Armed Forces of the USA makes everyone make their bed each morning. It starts the day with success. When you get up on time and make your bed right away, you add two small wins to the day.
If you can start each day with two small wins in the first five minutes, imagine what you can do in the next 24 hours. Making your bed is one of the most dangerous habits because it will change your life without you even knowing it.
3. Saving 10% of Your Income
Saving money will fundamentally change your finances. We spend 1/3 of everyday working. We may as well be smart with the rewards. When you pay yourself 10% first. You are making a statement that before anyone else gets paid, saving is the most important thing.
Saving money also helps you to be ready for any opportunities that come your way. You don't want to have to pass on a fantastic opportunity because you are living paycheck to paycheck.
The third significant benefit is not being stressed out over money. When you are always scared of running out of money, it stresses you and can force more poor decisions. When you have the cash you need in the bank, you and your family can be much more secure.
4. Reading
The brain needs to be fed, and reading is a great way to do that. When you read books every day, you slowly add in new pieces of information and perspectives to your knowledge set. Reading will seem like a waste of time if you love instant gratification.
Reading takes years to reap benefits from. But every once in a while, you read the right book at the right time, and it helps you right away. Either way, to be your best self, you have to be learning non-stop.
Books provide some of the best returns on investment that you can ask for. You can spend $2 on a used book that makes you over $100,000 and more. When you are buying used books, you have nothing to lose from your investment.
5. Positive Thinking
Positive thinking seems pretty apparent, but a lot of people forget to bring their best thoughts with them each day. Granted, this alone isn't going to help you become successful, but it will go a long way in helping to motivate you to do what is required.
When you allow yourself to consume negative thoughts, you almost always end up failing at what you were trying to set out to do. Take quitting smoking, for example, a lack of faith that leaving is even possible will lead to failure. All mind, body, and spirit need to focus on winning.
I believe focusing on this habit first will help give you an easier time building new habits. I suggest putting a tally on a piece of paper and counting how many times a day, you actively think negatively. Each time you notice a negative thought mark it down. Soon you'll recognize them, and you'll be able to squash them.
6. Moving Your Body
You've probably heard everyone say that exercise is a great habit to form, and they're right. Endorphins in our body crave happy mood-boosting movements. So why not give our body what it wants?
- It makes you feel better
- Provides self-confidence.
- Builds a healthier body
- A stress reliever
- Improves mental health
7. Doing One Task At A Time
This is the polar opposite of multi-tasking. The reason to do one task at a time is you will become more effective in your tasks, and you will eventually get more done.
It's hard to complete essential things when you are switching tasks and trying to finish other urgent things when, in reality, they aren't that important and could take a back seat. In my opinion, you will be less stressed and will be happier throughout the day.
Nothing gets your anxiety going like when you have 101 things you have to do, and you're trying to do them all at once, it just doesn't work. Focus on one task at a time!
8. Getting One Thing Done Well Each Day
We all have goals that we want to accomplish; we all want them to be performed right now. Just like with focusing on one task at a time, I think concentrating on one primary task each day and week.
When you try to take on many things at once, you're spreading yourself way too thin. Your focus and energy end up being misplaced. Energy and focus are two critical components to helping you achieve any goal and you can't afford to waste those resources.
What happens if you have 5-10 goals that you want to help make happen? Pick the most important one to focus on. You can then break them up into mini-goals that you can accomplish monthly.
If it's a long-term goal, focus on actions that you can take today. Keep moving forward until the goal is accomplished - do an activity every day, finish the mini-goal(s) and then pick the next mini-goal to work on. Then once that one goal is a complete focus on your next one.
9. Complimenting People
Go out of your way to look for the best in other people. People like people who like them. The habit of complimenting people will change your life because it will force you to find something good in every person you meet.
Building relationships is a huge part of success. Loving on other people is a massive part of being a functional member of your community. Complimenting people will accomplish both of these goals.
10. Cold Showers
Cold showers change the game for two big reasons. The first is they save you a crap tonne of time. No more taking 30-minute showers. The second reason is they make you tough as steel.
I love cold showers personally because they remind me that life is not about doing what you want to do. Cold showers are never comfortable. You never enjoy taking a cold shower either. But each day you suck it up and do it anyway.
11. Time With God Each Day or Meditation
The only reason I did not put this habit higher is that not everyone believes in God, so this is not a universal habit. I start each day in the world, doing some scripture memorization and then spending time in prayer. Its the rock of my day and it gives me a solid foundation to build the rest of the day on. Then after I finish my prayer I meditate and focus on my breathing.
The reason this is not a keystone habit is that this habit tends to be pushed back if you don't get up early enough. None the less nothing will bring you spiritual healing and life balance like this habit will. It helps you to remember what is important what you are doing all of this for.
12. No Sugar
Sugar is not suitable for us, but that crack like substance is in everything. We are addicted to sugar, and as soon as we get some, our brains want more. The problem is that its poison and it's killing us. Sugar works in opposition to every single health goal you could have.
13. Stretching
Here is another weird habit that may make you scratch your head. As a guy who ran track for almost 20 years of his life, believe me on this one. Stretching will relax you before you go to bed. Make it one of the last things you do as you watch some TV or listen to a podcast to wind down.
The reason stretching is incredible is because when you start working out, it will prevent your muscles from getting tight. As you work out more with tight muscles, you are asking for an injury. When you get injured, you stop working out, and there goes that habit. Stretch at night to prevent all of this!
Develop Your Daily Routine By Habit Stacking
This seems so simple, but a daily routine can make a huge difference in your life. I've found the best routines come at the beginning or end of the day. Developing a routine for when you rise from slumber, to when you start your workday, for when you finish your way day, and for when you end your evening can all help you make significant differences.
Habit Stacking is simply building habits on habits. Instead of waiting for an external cue like being thirsty to drink water. You drink water right after you finish meditating for example. By waking up in the morning with enough time, you can complete most of your habits before you even leave the house.
Doing a daily routine will help you firmly root the productive habits you want to firm in your everyday life. It'll help you focus on what is essential. It'll help you get things you want to make sure gets done, is done.
Getting Started With Your Daily Habits That Will Change Your Life
Habit Stacker provides resources to help you improve your habits. The first way we do this is through our online course Habit Mastery. The second way is with the Habit Stacker mobile app that will help you break bad habits.
Olympian and founder of Habit Stacker Ian Warner, teaches the Habit Mastery course. He walks you through practical techniques that you can use to improve your life. No fluff or non-sense! You get instant access to over 45 different videos breaking down how to build good habits.
The Habit Stacker app is what you use to live out your habits daily. It's a habit tracker that lets you know what you need to do each day. The app sets your daily routine board for you each day, so you all you have to do is get the task done at the top of the list. You can look back and see your streaks for each habit.
Conclusion
You want to make sure that you are focusing on all the habits that create the most bang for your buck. Waking up early creates room for you to be able to focus on building other habits. Habit Stack is where you build habits on top of each other and use them as cues. You want to use Habit Stacking to remember habits you need to get done next but also to break bad habits.