Habits. A habit is defined as a practice that is done routinely. Bad habits or good habits, we all have our own habits. Due to the “clingy” nature of a habit, most can’t be lost, but what if we started a new habit?
Below is a list of good habits to implement in daily life.
1. Wake up early
For some night owls, waking up early may seem like a daunting task, but it comes with many benefits. One of its benefits includes a sense of achievement. Sure this may sound like a petty achievement, but for certain individuals that struggle to wake up in the mornings, it could seem like a rewarding task. The extra time in the morning can be used for productive tasks such as leftover work from the day before or getting ahead on a task. It also serves as a benefit for night owls who struggle to fall asleep. Although waking up early may seem detrimental to the amount of sleep a person receives, the lost sleep can actually evoke fatigue, helping night owls fall asleep earlier. Reverse psychology!
2. Drink water right after waking up
Hydration is one of the determining factors of a person’s productivity for the day. The average amount of water a person needs per day is 12 cups per day (can vary per individual). One of the main causes of fatigue is dehydration. Some people do not realize they need water and eat extra food to boost their energy, when all they need is a glass of water. This can make a person put on extra pounds. Right after waking up, drink a glass of water at room temperature. Wait for it to settle in. After 30 minutes, have breakfast. This simple trick can eliminate your drowsiness in the morning and get you ready for the day.
3. Eat Breakfast
Honestly, this isn’t really a habit. Breakfast should be a MUST, rather than a maybe. For those of you that already eat a healthy breakfast every day, claps to you. An obvious benefit of eating breakfast is having energy to get throughout the day. Without breakfast, a person can feel tired and fall asleep in the middle of the day. Not having breakfast also comes with a list of possible health problems, a list too long to read. I’m emphasizing this again, eat a healthy breakfast every day to keep the doctor away!
4. Exercise every day
No matter the intensity of the exercise such as walking a dog, running a whole marathon in less than an hour, or doing yoga, it can be beneficial. That’s right couch potatoes, so let’s exercise! Exercise can increase the intake of oxygen, allowing for your cardiovascular system to strengthen and work more efficiently. This can increase your energy for the day and your stamina. Exercise also helps release endorphins, which can decrease a persons perception of pain, so next time you get a papercut, the word “ouch” wont come out of your mouth!
5. Create a To-do list for the day
A track meeting scheduled at 6pm today. You wake up and read the email about its details. Going on with daily life, you live as if nothing happened, then go to bed. That’s when you realize, you totally forgot about the track meeting! Oh no, you realize you can’t reschedule it either!
We’ve all had this moment. That’s when To-Do lists come in handy.
6. Write down your thoughts
Did you have a thought last night? Was it a really good invention idea? A blueprint to a new pair of wings? A plan to solve world hunger? All of these new ideas came to you, but it was night time, so you told yourself, “I will write it down tomorrow,” and then the next morning… you forgot. You forgot what the initial idea was, and you forgot to write it down. If you had wrote your thought, then maybe you wouldn’t have forgotten it. This probably happens to all of us at least once in our lives. Speaking for myself, I have lost a whole ocean of good ideas because I was too lazy to write them down. Next time you get a very interesting thought, tell yourself “Write that down, write that down!”
7. Read a book
To all of you bookworms out there, this doesn’t apply to you, but to the others that don’t like to read. Reading books has many benefits, but the benefits don’t matter in this case. People shouldn’t read for the benefits, but rather for the sake of reading. The plot could be as crazy as a dragon that swims in lava to save a princess that works as a part time peanut to buy food for her pet football, and still keep you engaged! The point is, grab a good book and start reading!
7 habits. Just 7 habits. 7 small, but life changing habits.