15 Good And Simple Daily Habits You Can Do To Improve Your Life

Photo by Miriam Alonso

Your daily habits determine the quality of your life. They provide you with the structure and freedom to live your life the way you want it to be.

So here are 15 good daily habits you can easily implement to improve your life.

15 Good daily habits to improve your life

Daily habits, no matter how small have the power to improve or derail our lives. Thus, it is important that we take note of how we go about our daily lives. And see if there are habits that we should change, improve, or simply stop doing.

In the following sections, we will discuss 15 good habits that you can incorporate into your daily life to help you improve.

For easier implementation, these are divided into three categories: morning, nighttime, and all-day activities.

Morning habits

1. Wake up early

Most of us tend to hit the snooze button each morning. It seems the normal thing to do. Until we find ourselves oversleeping, at which point chaos ensues.

A bad start to the day sets the tone for the rest of the day, one in which you are controlled by events rather than the other way around.

You end up constantly trying to catch up and are not giving your full attention to the task at hand. As a result, you become overwhelmed, overworked, and generally frustrated.

So, in order to improve your day, you should start the habit of waking up early.

With an early start to your day, you will be able to have the following benefits:

2. Drink water first thing in the morning

Hydration is important for the body, so you should be drinking your water all throughout the day.

However, there are some great benefits to drinking a glass or two of water first thing in the morning. These benefits include:

You can add a teaspoon of lemon juice, salt, or both to your drinking water to make it more interesting. Adding lemon to water aids in the proper absorption of nutrients from our food. Adding salt, on the other hand, aids in better hydration throughout the day, among other benefits.

3. Early morning walk

A walk outside in the early morning allows you to see things as you walk past them. According to Andrew Huberman of the Huberman Labs podcast, this is known as optic flow.

This optic flow is beneficial to your nervous system because it reduces stress and anxiety.

Early morning walks can also provide your mind and body with a variety of other health benefits, including:

4. Cardio and strength training exercises

Another important habit you need to develop for life improvement is to have regular cardio and strength training exercises.

Create a morning exercise routine that includes cardio exercises three times per week. Then, twice a week, do strength training exercises.

A minimum of 30 minutes of cardio or training exercises per day is beneficial to your health, fitness, and overall quality of life.

5. Early morning exposure to sunlight

Lastly, it is also essential to include in your morning habits the need for daily exposure to early morning sunlight. As it is vital to mental and physical health.

Exposure to early morning sunlight gives a signal to the brain that is time to be alert. In turn, the brain cascades a number of biological functions to every cell of the body.

Thus promoting metabolic wellbeing and directing the proper functioning of your hormone system. Including having a positive impact on your mental health.

In addition to these benefits, early morning sunlight exposure is also vital for the release of cortisol in the body. Because it promotes wakefulness and a healthy immune system.

Nighttime habits

1. Reflection

Reflecting is a good daily habit to practice at night. It allows you to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and actions throughout the day. And assess whether your actions were consistent with your values and the life goals you want to achieve.

A daily reflection practice allows you to examine yourself objectively. And ask yourself questions that will help you respond to stimuli more effectively in the future. Furthermore, reflection can shed light on better ideas or processes for personal or professional development.

There are numerous ways to practice reflection. You can either sit quietly for a few minutes and mentally go through your day. Consider what has occurred and how you could improve on it.

You can also reflect while performing mindless tasks such as dishwashing, sorting and loading your washing machine, or vacuuming the floors.

However, writing it down is the best way to practice reflection. So that you can review and keep track of your progress.

And, whether you’re using a simple notebook or a specialized journal, it’s always a good practice to write down your ideas. So you don’t forget about them.

2. Planning

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail, as Benjamin Franklin once said, and it is wise to heed these words.

So, if you want to make a difference in your life, you must develop the habit of daily planning.

This is because a daily plan gives your day structure.

Your day will undoubtedly be productive if you know what you need to do, what you need to do, and how to do it. Rather than starting the day with the intention of winging it, which will result in a lot of time being wasted.

Furthermore, daily planning is essential for the following reasons:

3. Reading

Most people swear by the importance of reading to their success. And there are three main reasons why reading is regarded as a great habit for success.

One of the best explanations for this is that reading promotes critical thinking.

Two, if we want to get scientific about reading, it is a neurobiological process that exercises the brain’s muscles. Reading and fully understanding the written word is thus one method by which the mind develops and improves.

It leads to creativity, additional knowledge, analytical skills, and memory enhancement.

Finally, and most importantly, reading improves your communication skills. And, as we all know, being a great communicator is essential for success in life.

4. Gratitude practice

Another good habit to develop and practice at night is gratitude. Because gratitude improves the quality of life by teaching you to appreciate what you have and thus experience greater happiness.

In addition, those who practice gratitude are more physically and mentally fit and healthy.

More importantly, daily gratitude practice transforms you. Allowing you to

Effective gratitude practice

In developing a gratitude practice, there are a number of ways you can start. The most recommended practice is having a gratitude journal. And listing all the things you are grateful for.

Another option is to count your blessings. Additionally, you can write thank you notes to people you appreciate and who have helped you.

While these are all excellent practices, Huberman Labs recommends anchoring your gratitude practice to a story as an effective gratitude practice.

A good story is more appealing to us as humans. Thus, a more effective way to express gratitude is to:

  1. Find a story of gratitude that resonates with you. It could be your own personal gratitude story or something that happened to someone else.
  2. Make an outline of the story, including what happened before the act of gratitude and what happened after receiving gratitude. Take note of the emotional experience you had when receiving gratitude, or imagine how the receiver felt if the story happened to someone else. And the emotional impact it had on you.
  3. Read your outline daily or at least 3 times a week and spend 1 to 5 minutes feeling into the experience of the story.

This particular gratitude practice allows you to notice and actually feel a change in your heartbeat and breathing.

It also changes your brain circuitry, increasing the effectiveness of your positive emotion and feel-good circuits. Lastly, it improves the efficiency of circuits associated with motivation and pursuit.

5. Get enough sleep

Sleep is one of the essential requirements of a healthy body that most people neglect. This neglect results in poor performance at work.

It also causes mood swings, memory lapses, and negative health effects such as weight gain and heart problems, among other things.

Thus, for optimal health and better quality of life, you should prioritize and make adequate sleep a habit.

Sleep, allows your body and mind to recharge. As such you wake up refreshed and alert. Getting enough sleep also helps your body to stay healthy and improve your immune system.

Moreover, the brain performs optimally with enough sleep. Enabling you to concentrate, think clearly, and optimize your memory functions.

How to sleep better

Here are some tips you can try in order to benefit from the effects of getting enough sleep:

All-day habits

1. Hydrate

Hydration is a simple and effective all-day habit that allows for:

Hydration also improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood.

Although water is your best hydration option, it is understandable that you may find it bland at times. And would prefer variations in order to stay hydrated.

So, in addition to water, here are some healthy hydration options:

  1. Infused water. To make your water more interesting, infuse it with fruits and vegetables like lime, lemon, strawberries, cucumbers, ginger, mint, celery, and so on.
  2. Milk. Comes with calcium, vitamin D, and protein. Now that’s a power drink, don’t you think?
  3. Milk substitutes such as soy, coconut, or almond can also keep you hydrated.
  4. Coconut water. Because it is 95% water, it is an effective way to stay hydrated.
  5. Sports drinks. They contain electrolytes that will assist you in becoming more hydrated.

As much as these are good alternatives, it is still wise to check for sugar content. To make sure that you are not inadvertently consuming more sugar than you should.

Soda, fruit juices, milk tea, smoothies, beer, and other alcoholic beverages should be limited if not completely avoided. Because they cause dehydration and contain too much sugar.

2. Smile

Smiling is a great habit to incorporate into your daily life to help you improve.

Even if you’re not feeling it, smile and you’ll notice an immediate improvement in your mood. You will immediately feel better. This is because when you smile, your body releases feel-good hormones like endorphins, which aid in stress reduction.

Smiling also makes you approachable, which is beneficial for networking and collaboration. A smile certainly makes you appear more likable, confident, and capable.

What’s more, smiling is most definitely contagious. So when you smile, you are spreading feel-good vibes all around.

3. Be a doer

In a world full of observers, be a doer. Stop overthinking and letting opportunities pass you by. Develop the habit of starting and doing things instead, and you will be successful.

Admittedly, imagination and creativity are important. But these will amount to nothing if they stay in your head or establish a permanent space on your drafting table. You have to take them off the drafting table and get them done.

In the words of Sarah Ban Breathnach:

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.

Failure will always be a factor in trying new things and getting started. But the most important thing is that you took action. You did your part and gave it your all.

You may fail, but you will have learned something. That alone should be significant.

So get to work. Begin the process. And when you’re old, you won’t waste your time wondering what if.

Tips on how to become a doer

4. Stay positive

Another good daily habit you should develop to improve your life is positive thinking. That is, not allowing yourself to be consumed by negative events or emotions. Instead, you shift your attention and interpret things from a positive perspective.

With this habit, you become a solutions finder. At the same time, you get to gain additional benefits, such as:

5. Tidiness

Another good habit to practice daily for life improvement is tidiness.

Keeping your home and workspace clean and tidy contributes to your overall happiness and well-being. Among the specific benefits of tidiness are:

Tidy tips

To get started with your tidiness habits, here are some tips you can try:

Importance of good daily habits

The majority of our daily actions are governed by our habits. Therefore if we want to improve our lives, we need to ensure that our daily habits are aligned with our values. And the goals we want to achieve.

Developing and setting good daily habits creates a structure for our day. Allowing us to have more control of our time and how we spend them. With good habits in place, we ensure that the requirements for our physical and mental well-being are met. Because they have become automatic for us to do.

Also, having good daily habits allows us to focus and concentrate on our daily tasks. We develop the discipline to reduce, if not eliminate, distractions.

Lastly, developing good daily habits improves our cognitive functions by freeing up more brain resources for more important decision-making and problem-solving tasks.

This is because our habit patterns are stored in a separate region of our brain that does not require the active brain’s involvement. As such, the active brain can focus on more important issues.

How to effectively implement good habits

It probably goes without saying that we all want to develop good habits. If we can automate being healthy in mind and body, achieving our goals and succeeding, and constantly improving ourselves as we go through life, why not, right?

But, studies show that roughly 80% of people give up or fail within the first 30 days of establishing good habits.

So, if you want to join the 20% of people who can develop and maintain good habits, here’s how to do it effectively.

Be guided by your strong desire

When you have a strong desire to change for the better, it is always easier to start a good habit.

Our desires are what keep us going. It serves as a powerful force that will continue to push us in the right direction.

Here is a quote from Think and Grow Rich that defines what a strong desire is.

The starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire, which transcends everything.

– Napoleon Hill

Allow your desires to stir you to take action. To find ways to make things happen, overcome obstacles, and serve as a constant source of motivation.

Start small

According to a Chinese proverb, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And most of us would agree that this proverb is true.

Whether we are pursuing a big dream or establishing a good habit, the most important thing is to start small.

Why is it necessary to start small? Here are some compelling reasons why:

Prevents overwhelm

You may have experienced biting off more than you can chew, trying to make sense of everything, and doing everything all at once.

The next thing you know, you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the things you need to do and worried about how difficult and time-consuming each of the steps will be.

You haven’t even begun, and you’re already exhausted and stuck in place due to the enormity of the task at hand.

Therefore, it makes sense to start small. And to break down your goal into manageable chunks. Begin with the simplest task you can handle and build your momentum from there.

Builds confidence

Completing one small task after another will certainly build up your confidence. Giving your ego a big boost and the can-do attitude to keep going and finish what you have started.

Small can be done

You can do and finish something small. Small is also something you can easily persuade yourself to do, even when you would rather not.

It’s one hack that will allow you to keep doing small things every day that will bring you closer to your goal.

As Confucius said, “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” The small things you can do every day will allow you to move your mountain.

Repetition is key

Repetition is the most effective method for making a good habit stick.

Repeating an action every day allows it to become ingrained in our brains. When this happens, the action no longer requires your active decision-making whether you want to do it or not because it has become automatic.

That’s pretty much it. A good habit does not require any additional effort. All you have to do is repeat the action on a daily basis until the action becomes automatic.

According to research, depending on the difficulty of the habit you are attempting to establish, you can build it in 18 to 254 days.

Yes, 254 days is nearly a year, but effective change cannot be rushed. Slow and steady is the name of the game.

Change your environment

Our surroundings, according to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, have a significant impact on the cues we receive in relation to a specific action.

That being said, one way to effectively implement a good habit is to create a habit-friendly environment.

This does not imply that you must completely renovate your home. Small changes in the arrangement of things should suffice.

Place fruits and vegetables, for example, in a visible location to encourage healthier food choices. Place chips and cookies in the back of your pantry, where they are not easily visible.

Another example is putting your workout gear somewhere you can see when you wake up. Also, you can put your television in another room to reduce distractions. Alternatively, only keep the tab you’re working on open on your laptop, and so on.

The goal is to make the process of developing a good habit as simple as possible.

You want the friction of doing a good habit to be minimal so that it is simple to implement. Because, as humans, we have a tendency to take the path of least resistance.

So, if the process of developing the habit is as easy as 123, you can be certain that it will stick.

Habit stacking

Stacking a good habit on top of an already existing one is another effective way to build a good habit and make it stick.

This is because the old habit is already hardwired in your brain. Introducing a new habit before or after an existing one makes the new one easier to maintain.

For example, if you drink coffee in the morning and want to develop the good habit of drinking water first. Your new process could be to drink water first before getting out the coffee maker to make your morning brew.

Another example is to sit down and plan your day after you finish washing the dishes at night.

This approach allows you to layer good habits on top of one another and continue to improve from there.

Connect with your tribe

If you don’t already have a group of people who are interested in developing good habits for life improvement, you should find one. Because it is yet another effective way to incorporate good habits into your life.

Seek out people who understand you, share your joy, and encourage you to be your best self. Being surrounded by like-minded people has a significant impact on your ability to stick to your good habits and improve your life.

Reward yourself

You may also want to reward yourself for each milestone you reach in establishing a good habit to help it stick.

Rewarding yourself for taking action toward habit development reinforces positive feelings in you. Allowing your brain to associate feeling good with completing the task or objective. And will gravitate toward it in the future.

The release of dopamine, which helps us feel happy and regulates our mood and appetite, is the science behind this. Dopamine surges strengthen specific behaviors that are worth repeating.

Small actions like patting yourself on the back, punching the air, or taking time to feel deeply the warm feeling of accomplishment all count.

You can also pamper yourself with a long shower, pedicure, or massage. You can watch an extra episode or two of your favorite Netflix show.

Or any other form of reward that makes you feel accomplished. As long as it does not interfere with the effects of the good habit you are attempting to establish, such as eating a doughnut after working out.

Why track your good habits

As with any activity, it is critical to track your progress so that you can determine whether you are succeeding or failing in the formation of your habit.

To paraphrase Atomic Habits, the goal is not to achieve a perfect score. The goal is to get the majority of the votes in favor of the good habit you want to establish.

This means that it is understandable if you slip up, just make sure that you get back to your good habit immediately. Do not allow yourself to miss an activity twice in a row.

You can use whatever is most convenient for you, such as your calendar, a notebook, mobile notes, and so on.

You can use whatever is convenient for you, your calendar, a notebook, your mobile notes, etc.

Keeping and maintaining a habit tracker allows you to:

How to determine what good habits to implement

The 15 habits listed above are a good place to start. Once established, add other good habits that will complement the ones you’ve already started.

You can choose from the following categories to implement additional good habits:

Summary

To summarize, developing and maintaining good daily habits help you improve. It also provides you with the structure and freedom to live your life the way you want it to be.

Here are 15 good daily habits you can easily implement to improve your life:

  1. Morning habits
    • Wake up early
    • Drink water first thing in the morning
    • Early morning walk
    • Cardio and strength training exercises
    • Early morning exposure to sunlight
  2. Nighttime habits
    • Reflection
    • Planning
    • Reading
    • Gratitude practice
    • Getting enough sleep
  3. All day habits
    • Hydrate
    • Smile
    • Being a doer
    • Staying positive
    • Tidiness

It is important that we develop good habits because they govern our daily lives.

It gives our daily lives the structure they require. So we don’t waste time being distracted, procrastinating, or trying to focus our attention. Furthermore, habits free up active mental energy that can be used for more important things.

To effectively implement good habits, you need to:

You also need to track your habits so you can determine whether you are succeeding or failing in your endeavor.

Finally, once you have established these good habits you may also want to add more good habits that will complement the ones you have already established. You can add good habits in the following categories:

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