Habit Stacking
97 Small Life Changes That Take Five Minutes or Less
By S.J. Scott
Habit Stacking Copyright © 2015 by Oldtown Publishing LLC
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Table of Contents
Your Free BookLittle Hinges Swing Big Doors Habit Stacking: A Brief Introduction Small Changes vs. Mini-Habits
8 Elements of a Habit Stacking Routine Productivity (Small Changes #1 to #17) Relationships (Small Changes #18 to #31) Finances (Small Changes #32 to #44) Organization (Small Changes #45 to #60)
Spirituality and Mental Well-being (Small Changes #61 to #75) Health and Physical Fitness (Small Changes #76 to #85) Leisure (Small Changes #86 to #97)
8 Steps for Building a Habit Stacking Routine
How to Choose a Trigger for Your Habit Stacking Routine Two Examples of a Habit Stacking Routine
Habit Stacking Disruptions and Challenges: What to Do? Conclusion
Would You Like to Know More? Did You Like Habit Stacking? More Books by S.J. Scott
Your Free Book
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In 77 Good Habits to Live a Better Life, you’ll discover a variety of routines that can help you in many different areas of your life. You will learn how to make lasting changes to your work, success, learning, health and sleep habits.
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Little Hinges Swing Big Doors
You can learn a lot about life from a simple quote by W. Clement Stone: “Big doors swing on little
hinges.”
Put simply, many big outcomes happen because of small events. When you consistently apply this principle to your life, you’ll find that small changes turn into big wins in your business and in your relationships.
Many books (including a few of mine) emphasize making dramatic life changes (e.g., quit smoking, exercise every day or write 30 minutes every day), but there are a lot of ways to make a difference in your life by introducing small changes.
As an example, let’s talk about fruit. We all know that eating bananas, apples or tangerines can produce positive health benefits. These fruits are sweet, taste good and are a great snack for anyone on the go. Yet fewer than 50 percent of American adults fulfill their recommended daily amount of fruit.
Think about this for a second. It takes about two minutes to eat a piece of fruit—plus, it can be carried anywhere. Most people know that eating fruit is a healthy habit. But more than half of the population can’t take a few minutes out of their day to make it happen.
The point of this example isn’t to lecture about the magical benefits of fruit. Instead, I wanted to introduce the idea that we all know how to improve our lives, but we often fail to take action.
You can compound this with other small changes. I’m confident that right now you could easily think of a dozen ways to instantly improve your life. Odds are, these ideas will only take a few minutes apiece to complete. The problem? You might feel like there’s not enough time to do all of them. The solution, I feel, is a concept that I call habit stacking.
As you’ve probably experienced, it’s not easy to add dozens of new habits to your day. But what you might not realize is that it’s fairly easy to build a single new routine. The essence of habit stacking is to take a series of small changes (like eating that piece of fruit) and build a ritual that you follow on a daily basis.
Habit stacking works because you eliminate the stress of trying to change too many things at once. Your goal is to simply focus on a single routine that only takes about 15 to 30 minutes to complete. Within this routine is a series of actions (or small changes). All you have to do is to create a checklist and follow it every single day. That’s the essence of habit stacking.
Who Am I?
My name is S.J. Scott. I run the blog Develop Good Habits.
The goal of my site is to show how continuous habit development can lead to a better life. Instead of lecturing you, I provide simple strategies that can be easily added to any busy life. It’s been my
Even though I’m a firm believer in making progressive life changes one at a time, I discovered that it
is possible to make multiple changes. All you have to do is add them to an intuitive checklist.
I first realized the benefit of habit stacking about a year ago. At the time, I was living over an hour away from my girlfriend. Because she’s a teacher and I need a dedicated office space for my work, we only saw each other on the weekends.
Eventually, this time apart became a serious strain on our relationship. After a number of arguments, I learned that our time apart wasn’t the main issue. The problem stemmed from the fact that she felt like I didn’t think of her during most of the week. She went on to say that a simple, loving text message would make her happy. Talk about an “ah-ha moment.”
This statement made me realize that, while the big things do matter, sometimes it’s the smallest of actions that can make a difference in someone’s life. After truly hearing what my girlfriend was telling me, I made the internal commitment to send her a nice text every single day, without fail. Almost overnight, the quality of our relationship dramatically improved. We now live together, but she still gets a nice, upbeat message on a daily basis.
My point here?
I was able to improve the quality of my relationship by adding a habit that took less than a minute to complete.
Imagine filling your life with dozens of these habits. You could do this for any part of your life: work, relationships, health, organizing and finances. All of this is possible when you follow a habit stacking routine.
Isn’t This Common Sense?
One of the challenges of writing a book like this is that some of the content will seem like common sense. Odds are you’ll read certain sections and think to yourself, “Duh, I already know that.” I know I’m not the first person to tell you that eating a piece of fruit every day is a healthy habit, or that saying “I love you” to someone important will improve your relationship.
The value of the habit stacking concept doesn’t come from the individual habits. Most of us know
what we can do to improve our lives. What we don’t know is how to add a series of small changes to
a simple-to-follow framework.
It’s my goal to provide a catalog of quick habit ideas and show you a simple system for introducing them into your life. You will learn all of these things in the following book: Habit Stacking: 97
Small Life Changes That Take Five Minutes or Less.
After reading this book, you will understand how habit stacking works, how it can benefit your life, what small changes are right for you and how to get started today.
Finally, before we move on, it’s important to know that there are a lot of links and resources within this book. So I’ve compiled a special “reader’s only” page on my site where you can access these links.
This doesn’t require an email or anything like that, simply go here if you need to find a specific website: http://www.developgoodhabits.com/stacking-links
Habit Stacking: A Brief Introduction
Everyone has their own personal habits. Some can be good, such as writing, exercising or eating that piece of fruit. Others can be extremely damaging, such as smoking, losing your temper or cheating on your spouse. What’s interesting is that it’s easy to notice the big habits and forget all about those small things that we do on a daily basis.
As an example, you probably brush your teeth. This habit doesn’t take that long, but not doing it every day could have a disastrous impact on your long-term health. You could get gingivitis, periodontitis or tooth decay. You could even lose some of your teeth. All of these outcomes are extremely painful and expensive. Yet most people are able to prevent them simply by brushing their teeth on a
consistent basis.
Brushing your teeth isn’t that hard to do. In fact, even the busiest, most overwhelmed people in the world find five minutes of time to properly brush their teeth. Unfortunately, it’s hard to say the same thing about other equally miniscule habits that could have a positive impact on our lives.
Think about this: How much would your life improve if you were able to add the following: de-cluttering your house, buying your wife flowers while grocery shopping, complimenting a stranger, tracking your daily expenses or eating that darn piece of fruit?
We all have been inundated with reminders about how these activities are important, but seriously, how often do you actually do them?
Probably not very often.
The most common excuse that we like to give for not taking action is time. Many people feel like there are simply not enough hours in the day to get things done. However, if you go back to the teeth brushing example, then you know that “limited time” is simply an excuse we give for activities we feel aren’t immediately important. You have enough time to brush those pearly whites, so why aren’t you able to add other quality habits?
I think the answer stems from something called cognitive load. The truth is we have a finite limit on our short-term memories. It’s been said that the average person’s short-term memory can only retain seven chunks of information. So the theory behind cognitive load is that since you can only retain a small amount of information, you have to rely on long-term memory, habits and established processes to do basically everything in life.
Think back to that small list of life changes. You know that de-cluttering your home and randomly complimenting a stranger could be beneficial. But these activities are easy to forget because they’re not part of an established, daily framework. Most people brush their teeth because this habit is attached to a larger routine like a morning, evening or eating ritual. This habit doesn’t strain your cognitive load due to the fact that you do it on autopilot.
The purpose of habit stacking isn’t to nag you about developing positive routines. Instead, it’s my
aim to show you how to create a simple routine (managed by a checklist) that you repeat on a daily basis. With this strategy you don’t have to worry about cognitive load because all you have to
remember is to follow the checklist. Even better, you’ll discover a few tools that will keep you motivated and consistent. So even if you’re completely stressed out, you’ll still find the time and energy to complete these quick habits on a consistent basis.
You’ll find that implementing small changes can have a significant impact on your life. Remember —little hinges swing on big doors. By completing dozens of small habits on a daily basis, you’ll be able to make giant leaps forward in your business, strengthen your personal relationships, stay on top of your finances, get organized and improve your health.
Before we get to the “how to” information on habit stacking, allow me to briefly clarify one point that might have crossed your mind.
Small Changes vs. Mini-Habits
A few months back, Stephen Guise wrote an excellent book called Mini Habits: Small Habits, Bigger Results. The core premise is to show how you can stick to a larger habit (like writing or working out) by starting “stupidly small” and creating a very simple goal. The goal of a mini-habit is to be consistent. In fact, consistency is much more important than what you accomplish with this daily habit.
The example that Stephen gives is what he calls “The One Pushup Challenge.” In the past, he had trouble sticking with a workout routine because he tried to cram a year’s worth of effort into the first workout. This “feast or famine” approach led to de-motivation and burnout.
One day, Stephen decided to do the opposite, and set a goal of doing one pushup. Simple, right? With that single pushup, he fulfilled his daily activity “requirement.” But next thing you know, he did 14 more. After that, he decided to do one pull-up. Same thing happened—one led to several more. Then he did the same thing with sit-ups. By the time Stephen was done, he had completed a solid workout —simply by setting a goal of doing one pushup.
The core idea behind the mini-habits concept is that you can build a major habit by thinking small enough to get started. Most people don’t need motivation to do one pushup, so it’s easy to get started. And once you get going, you’ll find it’s easy to keep at it.
You can apply the mini-habits concept to any major habit: exercise, productivity, health or relationships. If an action has the capacity to grow and turn into a major routine, then it could be labeled a mini-habit.
The difference between a mini-habit and the small changes I’m about to discuss is level of capacity.
Think back to the brushing your teeth, for example. It’s an excellent small change that everyone should do, but there’s no way you could “add reps” to this routine. You either brush your teeth or you don’t. The same principle applies to the majority of the habits outlined in this book. Each is a single-serving action. While you could expand on some of these habits, you’ll get the best results by only doing each for a few minutes.
Now that you understand the core principle behind habit stacking, let’s discuss the elements required for a successful habit stacking routine.
8 Elements of a Habit Stacking Routine
Habit stacking. It sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? Linking habits together is a way of getting more done
in less time, resulting in a positive change in your life. As you perform the stacked actions every day, they become part of your daily routine.
At first glance, the nature of habit stacking can be a bit confusing—so let’s discuss each element of this concept. Reviewing each element makes the concept easier to understand and will help you develop your own habits, create a new routine and make small, positive changes in your life.
Element #1: Each Habit Takes Less Than Five Minutes to Complete
Each habit within your habit stacking routine takes less than five minutes to complete. This means that each task is simple and doesn’t require a major time commitment, making it easy to finish and move on to the next habit.
Five minutes is 0.35 percent of your day. Just one-third of one percent of your day will help you create a habit that results in long-term change and benefits. A great example of a quick one-minute habit is collecting all your loose change and adding it to a change jar or sending a text message to a friend that you haven’t connected with in a while.
Element #2: It’s a Complete Habit
A complete habit is an action that cannot be built upon. For example, exercising is a habit that can be built upon. Exercises change, increase or decrease, and develop over time. This is not the point of a habit within habit stacking.
Each habit is a full action completed in a short amount of time—like making your bed. It is basically the same action every day and doesn’t vary much in the time it takes to complete.
Element #3: It Improves Your Life
Habit stacking is done with the purpose of improving your life in a positive way. The positive changes that come along with habit stacking are reflected specifically in one of seven areas: productivity, relationships, finances, organization, spirituality/mental well-being, health/physical fitness and leisure.
Within this book are 97 small changes that will improve your life. For instance, finance habits help you get smarter at spending, saving and budgeting. All of these things are broken down into specific, actionable routines.
Element #4: It’s Simple to Complete
Since each habit takes less than five minutes to complete, it’s natural that none of the habits are complicated or rigorous. The simplicity of each habit allows you to complete it and move on to the next habit, sticking to the routine and making a lot of positive changes quickly and efficiently.
Each habit takes only a few small steps to complete. One example is unsubscribing from a retail email newsletter. You can do this by taking a few simple actions that take only a few seconds each.
Element #5: It Takes Less Than 30 Minutes
Your complete habit stacking routine should take up just 15 to 30 minutes when you string all of the quick actions together. If you’re new to habit stacking, start by focusing on habits that add up to
around 15 minutes of your day. This will help you avoid being overwhelmed and ensure you complete all of your habits.
With a 15-minute routine, it’s possible for you to complete anywhere from three to thirty small
changes. Even if you add new habits, it’s important to keep your routine to less than 30 minutes. If you create a routine lasting longer than 30 minutes, there’s a chance it will take too much of your time, making it difficult to complete every habit on your list.
Element #6: It Follows a Logical Process
Your habit stacking routine should flow like a well-oiled machine. You complete each action, moving from room to room quickly and consistently. If you take breaks in between actions, you are wasting both time and energy. This could prevent you from not completing the entire routine.
The whole process should be like a production line, with constant action until all the habits are
complete. Every time you complete the routine, it will get easier and become more habitual, resulting in many positive life changes over the course of the next few weeks or months.
Element #7: It Follows a Checklist
Habit stacking isn’t meant to be a guessing game, or to be improvised on a day-to-day basis. It should be a set of actions done the same way, in the same order, each day. The best way to make sure this happens is to have the habits written down in a checklist. That way, you always know which task comes next and feel a sense of accomplishment as you get through each item on your list.
Checklists do much more than keep people organized; they also increase productivity. The Checklist
Manifesto by Atul Gawande is a great read about how checklists can improve personal productivity.
It offers great insight and inspiration for your own habit stacking checklist.
Element #8: It Fits Your Life
It’s important to leverage your day when it comes to habit stacking. Take advantage of your location and the time of day when it comes to your habits. Energy is usually at its peak during the first part of your day, which means you should be completing habits that inspire or excite you about the day ahead. A great example is sending an inspirational quote or story to a loved one. It takes energy to find such a piece of content and decide who to send it to, but this habit is highly rewarding and will help you kick off your day feeling great and ready to tackle all the following habits you have in your routine. Well, there you have it—all the important elements of habit stacking. You must take all these elements into account when creating your habit stacking routine because they all work together to ignite
positive life changes.
Because all of the elements work together, you need to include them all in a productive and successful habit stacking routine. The right structure of a habit stacking routine is the foundation for constructive, valuable habits that result in positive changes.
Now that you understand how habit stacking works, let’s go over the specific small changes you can add to your routine. I’ve classified them according to seven specific areas:
*1. Productivity *2. Relationships *3. Finances *4. Organization
*5. Spirituality and Mental Well-being *6. Health and Physical Fitness
*7. Leisure
Each section contains a number of specific actions you can add to your day. I guarantee you won’t be interested in all of these ideas. My advice is to read each section and identify the ones that sound interesting.
After you review each section, I’ll provide a simple eight-step process for turning these ideas into an actionable habit-stacking routine that can improve your life.
Productivity (Small Changes #1 to #17)
Productivity is simply a measure of your work efficiency during any given day. While there are many time-consuming habits that can help you get things done, it is possible to make small changes that will positively impact your level of efficiency.
I’ll agree that some of these actions might seem like common sense, but if you add them to a solid 15-to 30-minute routine, you’ll see a dramatic improvement in both the quantity and the quality of your efforts. So let’s talk about how to add small changes to your productivity.
#1. Drink a Large Glass of Water
Even mild dehydration can cause headaches and fatigue, affect your concentration, impair short-term memory and impede mental function. If you want to be at your most productive, it’s important for your brain to be firing on all cylinders. Therefore, you should make sure you are sufficiently hydrated before starting work.
Sidebar: Obviously you want to drink more than a single glass of water every day. The rule of thumb
is eight 8-ounce glasses per day (or a total of 64 ounces.) To be honest, this number could vary
according to your weight and level of physical activity. The key lesson here is to add the consumption of water as a daily habit.
Action:
Fill a 16-ounce glass of water and drink it. Either warm or cold water is fine—there are health
benefits to both, so pick whichever you prefer. If you find plain water unpalatable, try adding ice and a squeeze of lemon.
Herbal tea (iced or hot) is an acceptable alternative if you really don’t like drinking water, but don’t add any sugar. Avoid black tea and other caffeinated drinks.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#2. Schedule Your Day and Prioritize Your Tasks
Without at least a basic schedule, it’s frighteningly easy to get to the end of the day and realize you’ve achieved nothing of importance. At the very least, you should make a list of the tasks you want to accomplish during the day and decide where your priorities lie.
Actions:
Make a list of the tasks you want to complete by the end of the day. Try to be realistic, rather than planning too much.
Rate each task’s importance as 1 (vital), 2 (important), 3 (important but not time-sensitive) or 4 (unimportant).
Assign an estimated time to complete each task. Be generous with your estimates.
Schedule each task for a specific time. Plan to do your most important tasks first. Don’t forget to schedule breaks. If you feel restricted by a tight schedule, you may prefer to split your tasks into morning and afternoon sessions instead.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#3. Focus on Your Three Most Important Tasks
Another way to plan out your day is to focus on your Most Important Tasks (MITs). With a daily schedule, it’s easy to try to do too much. Then, when you get to the end of the day and haven’t completed everything, you feel like a failure. Picking your MITs each day gives you something to focus on so you don’t waste your day on tasks of low importance. If you manage to complete your MITs, you’ll feel productive—even if you do nothing else on your list.
Action:
If you’ve already prioritized your tasks, this step should be easy. From your day’s to-do list or
schedule, pick the three tasks that have the highest importance or must be done today. Don’t work on anything else until you have completed your MITs.
Time required:
1 minute. .
#4. Turn Tasks into Manageable Steps
Sometimes a task can seem so overwhelming that you simply don’t know where to get started. This leads to procrastination and unnecessary stress. Taking an extra five minutes or so to write a list for each project or task can make your workload seem more manageable and help with your productivity.
Action:
For each task on your schedule, consider how it can be broken down into smaller steps. As an example, if one of your tasks is “write a blog post,” you could break it down like this:
*1. Write the title. *2. Conduct research.
*3. Write headings and an outline. *4. Write the post.
*5. Check spelling and grammar. *6. Format the post for the Web. *7. Source and resize images. *8. Insert images.
*9. Upload and schedule post.
By breaking a task into specific steps, you’ll have a better understanding of what needs to be done and how to schedule your day.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#5. Create Accountability by Telling Others
Planning out your work in meticulous detail will not do you much good if you never get around to acting on your plan. When you’re only accountable to yourself, you’re much more likely to
procrastinate, delay working on tasks or simply never complete the items on your list.
If your tasks don’t have accountability built into them (like a client deadline), creating accountability by letting others know your intentions is a great way to discipline yourself into staying on task. You won’t want to embarrass yourself by admitting you didn’t get any work done, so you’re much more likely to achieve your goals if you make them public.
Action:
Tell someone your productivity and work goals. You can do this by having a productivity partner that you email or talk to regularly in order to keep each other accountable. Alternatively, you could write about your goals on a forum, post an update on social media, create a public blog post or use an app like Lift.do. All of these actions can keep you accountable to your goals.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#6. Reward Yourself for Task Completion
If you schedule your day to be all work and no play, you’ll soon burn out and feel demotivated. To keep your energy up and motivation high, alternate your work tasks with small treats. These treats not only act as a break to replenish depleted levels of concentration, but also work like a carrot on a stick —you’ll work faster and with more enthusiasm when you have something to look forward to at the end of it.
Action:
For each task on your list, plan a suitable treat you’ll look forward to. These treats don’t have to be anything fancy as long as they feel like a treat to you—a cup of coffee, a five-minute yoga session or sitting down with a magazine is just fine. For the completion of bigger tasks, you may want to plan a more substantial treat like meeting a friend for lunch or buying yourself something you’ve had your eye on for a while.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#7. Remove Distractions Before Working
Humans are curious creatures, and most people find it almost impossible to ignore their email and social media notifications until the end of their work sessions. If you’re being interrupted every few minutes by a ping or flashing browser tab, it will greatly reduce your productivity and concentration. Additionally, these social activities are pleasurable—they give our brains a little hit of dopamine, otherwise known as the happy hormone. In other words, social media can be addictive. A quick five minutes on Facebook can easily turn into an hour, as many of us can attest to.
Rather than struggling against your brain’s natural inclination to procrastinate, save yourself a lot of time and hassle by simply closing your email tab and banning social media during work time.
Actions:
If you’re not tempted to access your email or distracting websites if they’re out of view, simply close them when you start a new work session. If you’re in need of a little willpower boost, there is a wide selection of software available that will block your access to tempting websites and software when you should be working. Use an app like StayFocusd or Cold Turkey to remove temptation at the start of each work session.
Time required:
1 minute. .
#8. Clear Your Desktop
It’s difficult for your brain to stay focused and ordered when you’re surrounded by chaos. Spending five minutes clearing your work area at the start of each day will help to mentally prepare you for being productive, like turning to a fresh new page of your notebook. A cluttered desk can also be highly distracting, constantly reminding you of all the other things you need to do. Remove these physical distractions and you’re sure to see an improvement in your concentration levels.
It’s not just your physical environment that needs organization. A cluttered computer not only works to distract you but also means it will take longer for you to find the files you need. Get organized and you’ll be instantly more productive.
Actions:
Clear all paperwork off your desk except what you will need that day. Put everything else into physical folders, file boxes and drawers—out of sight, out of mind.
Clear your computer desktop by deleting temporary files and downloads you don’t need any more. File everything else in the appropriate folders.
Time required:
Three to five minutes (it depends on how messy your desk has become). .
Calming music, ambient nature sounds like rain or ocean waves, and simple background noise like a fan or the babble of conversation in a coffee shop may help you to concentrate and stay focused on your tasks.
Low-level background noise helps muffle any distracting sounds that could interrupt your work and has been shown to improve creativity and focus for many people.
Actions:
Experiment with different types of noise and see what helps you to concentrate the most. You could try a fan or air conditioner, nature sounds, or a website like Coffitivity that simulates the background noise of a busy coffee shop. There are also several white noise apps for iPhone and Android that offer a selection of different background noises.
The best music for concentration is usually classical, ambient or instrumental, without lyrics. Most people find music with lyrics to be very distracting, but author Stephen King writes to a backing track of heavy metal—you may be surprised what works for you! You can find productivity playlists
compiled by other users on YouTube and Spotify.
Once you’ve found your ideal work soundtrack, play it whenever you’re ready to get down to work.
Time required:
One minute. .
#10. Do the Hardest (or Most Unappealing) Task First
When you look at your list of tasks, it’s tempting to choose the smaller, easier tasks to do first. If you have a big project that fills you with dread, you’re much more likely to procrastinate and put it off until later. However, if you get that task out of the way first, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing it’s crossed off your list and the rest of your tasks will feel like a breeze in comparison.
A study of elite musicians found that rather than practicing more than their peers, they were instead engaging in more deliberate practice, focusing on their hardest tasks and being more productive during their practice sessions. If you look at the hardest task on your list, you’ll probably find that it is also the task that will give you the most benefit.
Action:
Look at your list of MITs and underline the one that you know you’d put off indefinitely if you had the chance. Get started on this task before you have a chance to think about it. Don’t work on your other tasks until it’s finished.
Time required:
One minute (to choose the hardest task). .
#11. Commit to a Very Small Goal
Often, simply getting started is the hardest part of getting work done. Before we start a project, our brains naturally fixate on the hardest parts and avoid this unpleasantness by inventing other things to
do (checking Facebook, reorganizing your paperwork, etc.). Once you can get over the hurdle of starting, it’s likely that you’ll happily continue working well past the time limit you’ve set.
Committing to a ridiculously easy goal like writing for only five minutes reduces the difficulty of the task in your mind and allows you to get over the hump of getting started. (This is why I love the simplicity of Stephen Guise’s book, Mini Habits.)
Action:
Look at your hardest task and plan a small, easy first step to completing it that will take only a few minutes. Pick a simple metric that you know (without a doubt) you can complete.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#12. Work in Small Blocks of Time
As previously discussed, our brains generally do not react favorably to the idea of large, difficult tasks. However, we can trick ourselves into making these tasks more acceptable by breaking them into small chunks. If you sit down and tell yourself you’re going to work for three hours, your brain will balk at the idea and procrastination is likely to follow. Instead, divide your work sessions into smaller blocks of time, with breaks in between.
The Pomodoro technique is probably the most well-known version of this technique. It involves working for twenty-five minutes and then taking a five-minute break. Twenty-five minutes doesn’t work for everyone, though, so it’s worth experimenting and seeing when your concentration starts to wane.
Actions:
Set a timer for 25 minutes (or your ideal time for a block of work). You can use a physical kitchen timer or stopwatch, or use an app. There are several Pomodoro timer apps available for Android and iPhone, or you could try a website like e.ggtimer.com.
Time required:
Less than a minute to start the timer. .
#13. Track Time for Different Activities
Have you ever gotten to the end of the day and felt like you’ve worked all day but have very little to show for it? Most people overestimate the amount of time they spend doing actual work and spend a surprisingly large amount of time doing mindless tasks.
By tracking your time, you become more aware of how you’re spending it, and you can start to spot patterns in your schedule that are reducing your productivity.
Actions:
There are time-tracking apps available, or you can simply write down the time that you start and stop each activity.
RescueTime is a very helpful software application for tracking how you spend your time on the computer. It runs in the background and sends you a report at the end of each week so you’ll know exactly how much time you spend in different software applications and on different websites. This can be eye opening to say the least.
Time required:
If you use an automatic app, you can set it and forget it. Writing down tasks will probably add up to five minutes over the course of a day.
.
#14. Use the Two-Minute Rule
We often put off unpleasant tasks or things not directly related to our current projects, even if they will take only a couple of minutes of our time. This leads to a backlog of tasks that will end up taking much longer to deal with.
For example, it’s more efficient and less unpleasant to wash your plate straight after eating than to have a sink full of dirty dishes to do at the end of the day.
Action:
If a task will take you two minutes or less to do, deal with it immediately and move on.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#15. Capture Every Idea
Very few people are able to keep their minds solely on the task at hand. Instead, it’s more likely that your mind will wander and you’ll come up with all sorts of ideas and thoughts for other projects and tasks, distracting you from your work.
Trying to ignore these thoughts is futile (have you ever tried not to think about something? It’s
impossible!). So instead, capture them in a physical or electronic notepad. Once they’re out of your head and down on paper (or a screen), your brain will forget about them so you can get back to work.
Actions:
Keep a notepad on your desk so you’re always ready to jot down thoughts as they come to you while you’re working. Alternatively, use an electronic program like Evernote to make notes on your
computer or mobile device.
Time required:
Less than a minute per idea. .
#16. Write a Done List
Most people are familiar with to-do lists, but these lists can easily make you feel overwhelmed and demotivated if you try to plan too much. A done list has the opposite effect. By writing down
everything you achieve each day, you’ll feel motivated to continue.
Action:
Make a note of tasks as you complete them, or reflect at the end of the day and write down a list of everything you achieved. You can do this on paper or in an app like iDoneThis.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#17. Review Your Goals
Everybody has goals. Whether they are big or small, we all have things that we want to accomplish. Sadly, the daily hustle and bustle of life can make us get off track. You need to review your goals so that you can create plans to reach those goals, put your day in perspective and know what’s important to accomplish.
You can set goals for the day or the year, but you can’t just aimlessly wander around on a day-to-day basis. Make sure you use every minute for what it’s worth and accomplish what you set out to do.
Actions:
Keep your goals in an easy-to-access place. This could be a binder or an app like Evernote. Once or twice a day, pull out this list and review your goals. Take time to read each goal out loud and think about the specific actions you’re taking to achieve it.
Time required:
Relationships (Small Changes #18 to #31)
Our relationships give meaning to our lives. Whether it’s a significant other, family member, child, friend or potential dating partner, it’s important to spend time proactively working on these
relationships.
The truth is, it’s easy to allow your relationships to decay in the pursuit of other goals. We often feel like there’s not enough time to connect with others, but you’ll find it’s not hard to add a few
relationship-building activities to your daily routine.
#18. Return a Call or Text Message
Communication is the two-way street that leads to a healthy relationship. When someone has reached out to you, it’s important to reciprocate and continue that communication by replying. Returning calls and text messages in a timely manner builds trust and integrity within a relationship.
Action:
Check for missed calls first. Return calls in the order they were received. Apologize for missing the call and inquire about what you can do for the other person. Then respond to any text messages that have gone unanswered, again in the order received. Last, check any emails that are sitting unopened in your inbox and respond accordingly.
Time required:
Five minutes (it could be more or less depending on the person). .
#19. Text Something Encouraging
Sometimes, it’s about doing something for others that will make you feel better about yourself. Take a moment to send that special someone a few words of encouragement. It doesn’t have to be anything big, but you’ll feel better about yourself afterwards.
Action:
Think of someone who might need a bit of encouragement during the day. He or she might be facing an important project, test, athletic event or meeting. Simply write a short message wishing them luck and letting them know you’re thinking of them.
Time Required:
Two minutes. .
#20. Make a Lunch or Dinner Date
Keeping a full social calendar by consistently making lunch or dinner dates is a great way to stay social. Going out to dinner or lunch with someone is the best way to get to know them better, build
your relationship and try new things.
Action:
Call, text or email a friend, family member or co-worker to ask if they are available to meet for dinner or lunch. Suggest a specific date, time and location for your date. If the person accepts your invitation, add the date to your calendar so you don’t forget about it and make other plans.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#21. Give a Compliment
Giving a genuine compliment makes others feel good and will also make you feel good about
yourself. Going out of your way to cheer someone else up is rewarding, and it’s a great way to start a conversation or enhance a friendship or relationship.
Action:
Keep an eye out for something you genuinely like or enjoy, such as someone’s outfit or a recent accomplishment. Then compliment the other person about it.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#22. Check Your Social Schedule
When making social plans, it’s important to allot the right amount of time for each event. Don’t double-book appointments or schedule too much or too little time for your appointments. Keeping your social calendar balanced makes it easy to have a social life and helps you improve your integrity and follow-through. Double-booking plans and not scheduling enough time for people has the
potential to damage valuable relationships.
Action:
Sit down and take a good look at your desk calendar as well as your email and phone calendars. Check other places where you might have written down information about upcoming social plans. Take some time to write down new plans, delete plans that have been canceled or update the date, time or location of previously scheduled plans. If you find that you have two events or appointments booked at the same time, reach out and ask if there is another day or time you can meet. Don’t forget to apologize for your scheduling mistake.
Time required:
Four minutes. .
Making a new connection on Facebook or LinkedIn can help to grow your social network. People you may know are joining LinkedIn and Facebook every day, just waiting for friendship requests and professional connections. New connections can rekindle friendships from the past, strengthen new ones or spark interesting conversations.
Action:
Log on to LinkedIn and/or Facebook. Both sites have a “people you may know” section. Look through this section to see if there is anyone you know who hasn’t already connected with you. If there is, click on the “Add Friend” or “Connect” button.
Time required:
Three minutes. .
#24. Talk to Like-Minded People on Social Media
Making connections is just one aspect of participating in social media. Another great reason to join social media networks is to find like-minded people who are facing the same challenges you do. Whether you are training for your first marathon or wondering how to prepare meals on a budget, having the right people to support you can make a huge difference. Creating a social networking account could change your life!
Action:
Find an online forum or Facebook group that matches your personal interests or habits. Then spend a few minutes each morning interacting with people on this website. There are a number of reasons why this is a necessary step to success. Here are some of the most important:
** Talking to other people about your goals holds you accountable for your actions. ** You can connect with like-minded people.
** You’ll find new tips and strategies for success. ** It’s easier to track your progress.
Time required:
Five minutes.
.
#25. Share Something Inspiring
Sharing quotes, stories and blog posts with other people shows you take the time to think about others. A thoughtful story or quote can even strengthen your relationship with another person, making both of you feel good about yourselves.
Action:
Keep an eye out on Google or Twitter for links to good quotes, articles or blog posts. You can send the link to someone else via Twitter or email, or you can print the piece to mail or give to someone in
person.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#26. Meet Someone New
Introducing yourself to someone new is a great way to expand your social circle. You will never have new friends or relationships if you don’t step out of your comfort zone and open yourself up to the potential of a new friendship. If you never introduce yourself to other people, you’re more likely to have an unfulfilling social life.
Action:
Introduce yourself to someone new in class, at the office or in the neighborhood. Give the person a friendly handshake and ask what he or she does for a living. Share some information about your occupation or favorite hobby. Before walking away, let the person know you enjoyed your interaction.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#27. Research a Fun Activity
Making plans with others is easy when you know what you want to do. Think of the people in your life and what they enjoy most. Then take the time to research something fun that you can share with them.
Action:
Hop on Google, Facebook or Twitter and see what’s going on in your town this week. Are there any free activities that you and a friend could enjoy together? Maybe there is a fundraiser for a local charity that you and your sister could go to this weekend.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#28. Do an Activity That Makes You Happy
It’s hard to be happy in a relationship unless we are first happy with ourselves. That’s why it’s
important to take a few moments every day to do something we thoroughly enjoy, whether it’s a quick five-minute meditation or maybe listening to your favorite song. When we are happy, we can make others happy, improving our social lives and relationships immensely.
Action:
your front porch while watching the birds or writing in a journal about your day.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#29. Spend Time in Someone Else’s Shoes
To better understand people and interact with them socially, it is important to spend some time
thinking about their lives and what they are going through. You will be able to better relate to people when you think about things from their point of view.
Action:
If you have some conflict with a family member, co-worker or friend, think about how the other person might be feeling. Try to think of something you can do to help out. By making an effort to understand someone else’s point of view, you will learn how to communicate effectively with other people.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#30. Learn a New Joke
Being able to make someone else laugh is a great conversation starter. Having a joke to share is always a great thing because people are entertained by jokes and laughing together can make your relationship stronger.
Action:
Use Google to search for and find a joke that makes you laugh. If it makes you laugh, it will surely make someone else laugh as well. Read it a few times so you can memorize it, or write it down for later.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#31. Leave a Note
Leaving a note for a friend, family member or co-worker is a little action that goes a long way.
Finding a note is a surprise that can brighten someone’s day and show the other person that you went out of your way to make him or her smile. This is a great way to strengthen relationships.
There are tons of ways to make someone’s day, and it’s even better if they don’t have a clue about it. Here are some examples you can use: leave a note on the pillow, pack your child’s lunch and put a sweet message in it or place a kind word of encouragement in a backpack or briefcase
Write a quick, uplifting message on a Post-it note or piece of paper. Leave your “Have a great day!” or “I love you” note in a place that makes it easy for the recipient to find it.
Time required:
Finances (Small Changes #32 to #44)
Improving your financial situation requires discipline and deliberate action. Really, when you think about it, the money you keep largely depends on the choices you make on a daily basis. Fortunately, making smart financial choices doesn’t always require that much of your free time. In fact, there are a number of small actions you can take every day to make improvements to your current situation.
#32. Transfer Funds
It’s important to always know how much money you have and where it is. If you know how much money you have, you can better decide how it needs to be saved or spent. Also, over-drafting and bouncing checks are expensive habits you can easily avoid.
Action:
Take a look at each bank or credit union account you have. Write down how much money you have in each account. Decide whether or not you need to transfer funds from one account to another to spend or pay bills.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#33. Read a Personal Finance Article
You can never be over-educated, especially about finance. It’s important to know about the economy and personal finance in order to make the best financial decisions. Learning from others is a great way to save more money and avoid costly mistakes.
Action: Use Google, Yahoo! or Bing to find an article about personal finance. Whether it is an advice
column or a daily piece written by an expert, it is sure to provide you with insight into personal finance as well as inspire you to make changes to your personal financial situation.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#34. Put Loose Change in a Jar
A quarter here and a nickel there doesn’t seem like anything substantial, but when you collect all your change and keep it in one place, you’ll see how quickly it adds up! Every time you add more change to your change jar, you are essentially adding to a savings account that is growing over time.
Action:
Check your pockets, purse, kitchen table or any other place you might leave your spare change.
and storing it inside a cabinet or drawer.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#35. Write Down Yesterday’s Expenses
Tracking your expenses is the smartest way to manage your personal finances. Writing down
everything you buy as well as how much it costs will give you great insight into your spending habits. Over time, you will notice trends in your spending and be able to easily decide where cuts can be made to save money.
Action:
Use a checkbook or notebook to write down each expense from yesterday. Keeping your receipts makes this way easier than trying to write them all down by memory. By day, write down each item and cost, tax included. You can also write down whether you paid cash or with a check or credit card.
Time required:
Three minutes. .
#36. Count Your Cash
When you know how much cash you have, you can make better decisions when spending it. It’s important to know how much cash you have in case you have a bill that needs to be paid. You will also need to know how much cash you have if you shop at a store that does not accept credit or debit cards.
Not having enough cash for a purchase can cause you to use your credit card, which often results in making a larger purchase than intended. You’ll also have to pay interest on your purchase unless you pay it off immediately.
Action:
Collect all the cash you have for the day from your pockets, purse, etc. Count it and put it all into your wallet, or set some aside if you need it for a specific expense (e.g., lunch money, paying bills).
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#37. Unsubscribe from Junk Email and Catalogs
Receiving emails and print catalogs with discounts and promotions often leads to unnecessary
spending. Saving 20 percent on a purchase isn’t saving any money at all if you have to spend $100 to save $20. Getting rid of these communications can help you avoid impulse buys and save money.
Action:
Look through your inbox and unsubscribe from one retail email list. By law, there must be an
unsubscribe button at the bottom of every email, but it might take a minute to find it. All you have to do is click the button and confirm. You should also look around your house for catalogs you no longer wish to receive. Call or email each company to have your name removed from their mailing lists. Use services like Catalog Choice and UnRoll.me to streamline the entire process.
Time required:
Five minutes to eliminate a few unwanted subscriptions. .
#38. Find Coupons for Necessities
There are some products that you are going to need no matter what they cost, so don’t pay more than you have to for each item. Using coupons for necessities such as dish soap and napkins can save you a lot of money.
Action:
Look through your daily newspaper or browse the Web for coupons for necessary items like toilet paper, garbage bags or paper towels. Cut the coupons (or print them from the Internet), then put them in your wallet so you have them next time you buy these necessities.
Time required:
Three minutes. .
#39. Pack a Meal, Coffee or Snack
Making your lunch at home and bringing it to work or making coffee at home instead of buying it at the drive-through is not only healthier for you, but cheaper as well. Going out for lunch or coffee each day quickly adds up, costing you hundreds of dollars, when you can make lunch and coffee for a fraction of that cost at home.
Action:
Check your kitchen for what you could bring as a snack or for lunch. Place it with your purse or car keys so you don’t forget it when you leave. Or, make coffee at home and use a travel mug to take it with you.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#40. Find Something Free to Do
It’s possible to get out of the house and enjoy yourself without spending any money, but many people often overlook this tactic. Dinner and a movie can end up costing a couple more than $100, which is
money that could be better spent on groceries or paying off credit card bills. Enjoying free activities in your area allows you to use your extra income for more important things that can greatly benefit your personal finances.
Action:
Check your local paper or search local websites for listings of free activities you can enjoy. Look for nearby parks, free concerts and movies, and special community events. Choose one you would like to do and write it down in your calendar so you don’t forget about it.
Time required:
Three minutes. .
#41. Set a Daily Spending Limit
It’s important to set a spending limit each day when you are trying to improve your financial situation. Spending limits allow you to save money and avoid overspending on impulse purchases.
Action:
Decide how much money you will realistically need to spend today. If you have payments due for bills, take that into account. Choose an amount that doesn’t allow for impulse buys or excessive spending.
Time required:
One minute. .
#42. Plan Your Daily Errands
Planning your errands for the day is just like planning your budget for the day—it keeps you on track and in control. Plan your errands to avoid the places where you tend to overspend and visit the places you need to go in the most logical order. This planning will save you time, gas and money.
Action:
Write a list of errands you need to complete. Then re-write the list in the order you will complete each task. Make sure you stick to the list so you don’t go somewhere you didn’t intend to go and spend money you didn’t plan on spending.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#43. Turn off Lights and Appliances
This is one of the easiest ways to save money. Turning off the lights and appliances in your home, office or apartment can save you a significant amount of money when it comes to your monthly electric bill. It’s important to save money this way because it is simple, saves you money and helps
the environment.
Action:
Take one lap around your home, office or apartment. Turn off all the lights and appliances that are not being used.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#44. Do Comparison Shopping Online
Comparison shopping is one way to make sure you don’t overpay for anything you need to buy. The bigger and more expensive the purchase, the more important it is to comparison shop. This will help you save money and make a better-educated purchasing decision.
Action:
Choose an item you want or need to buy. Look for the item on at least three different retail websites. Check the features, details, availability and price of the item to see which website has the best deal.
Time required:
Organization (Small Changes #45 to #60)
Never underestimate the benefits of being organized. To be honest, I’m naturally a bit of a slob, but I found that completing a few daily de-cluttering actions helps me stay organized and better focused on the important things. Plus, it’s nice to know where my shoes are before my regular runs.
You don’t really need to go overboard with organization. All that’s required is 15 to 30 minutes per day to create a living/working environment that’s free from clutter. Here are a number of habits to help you started.
#45. Fix Your Broken Windows
You may not have any broken windows, but you probably have a number of small things that add to your stress levels if you don’t address them early on. Some common “broken windows” include: ** Dishes in the sink
** Cluttered mail ** Unsorted laundry ** Messy kitchen
** Trash that needs to be taken out
Action:
When you do this action depends on how you want to feel afterward. If you want to start your day with an organized mind, make this one of the first items on your to-do list. Do this at the end of the day if you want to go to bed feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Think of the parts of your home that make you feel stressed or full of anxiety. Most of these can be fixed in a matter of minutes, yet we allow ourselves to ignore them and let them sit in the back of our minds all day. Take care of your broken windows and you’ll see a dramatic decrease in your stress level. Check out this link for more broken window ideas.
Time Required:
Five minutes. .
#46. Make the Bed
Starting off your day by making the bed sets a great tone for the whole day. This is an important habit because a nicely made bed instantly makes a bedroom look more organized. Plus, it’s also rewarding and relaxing to get into a clean bed at night instead of struggling to find blankets and pillows and get them in order when you’re tired.
Remove the sheets, comforter and pillows from your bed. If there are any loose items lying around, put them away. Put your sheets and comforter back on the bed, making sure each piece lies flat on the surface of the mattress. Finally, put your pillows back where they belong.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#47. Clear off a Countertop (or the Top of Your Dresser)
A clean countertop or dresser top means less clutter and less stress. It’s important to clear off these spaces because we all have a tendency to throw clothes, magazines and other items on top of them and forget to put them away.
Action:
Pick one countertop or dresser top in your home. If an item doesn’t belong there, return it to where it does belong. If any item there is trash, throw it in the garbage. If the item can be recycled, add it to your recycling bin. Repeat these steps until the surface is completely cleared.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#48. Put Away Three Things
Putting away a few things per day is a great way to keep your home or office clutter-free and avoid becoming overwhelmed by weekly or monthly cleaning tasks. One of the best ways to stay organized is to make sure every item in your home or office has a designated place and that it is returned to that place each time you are finished with it.
Action:
Find three things that are out of place and return them to where they belong. If you have not designated a place for these items, store them somewhere out of the way until you make a decision.
Time required:
Three minutes. .
#49. Find Something to Sell (or Give Away)
This is a great way to save or even make money. Selling an item brings in more money for you to use to pay bills or buy groceries. Trading an item eliminates the need to pay for something, saving you money and helping you get rid of things you don’t need. Giving items away will free up space in your home and help you feel good about helping others. The less cluttered your house is, the more likely you are to want to keep it that way and avoid buying anything that would cause more clutter.
Designate a box or bin for items you wish to sell, trade or give away. Each day, find one thing that fits into one of these three categories and put it in the box. Keep an eye out for opportunities to sell, trade and give throughout the day.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#50. File Receipts, Mail or Bills
Filing loose paperwork such as receipts, mail and bills helps stop paper clutter while also improving your personal organization. Filing these items each day keeps them off of countertops and other
surfaces. It also makes it easy to find important documents if you need to access them in the future.
Action:
Collect any loose receipts, mail and bills. Sort through them and decide what needs to be kept and what needs to be recycled. After that, file the documents you want to keep by sender or date received. Shred or recycle the documents you no longer need.
Time required:
Four minutes. .
#51. Throw Something Away
Clutter often comes from items that we no longer use but refuse to throw away. Some items would be better off in the garbage than on your desk or countertop. Items that are broken, torn or extremely worn are just taking up valuable space that could be used for something new or cleared off to create free space.
Action:
Find an item that is no longer useful to you. Items that are broken and irreparable or all worn out can be thrown right into the garbage or recycling can. A good rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used the item in the last six months, then you probably won’t use it in the next six months.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#52. Organize Digital Clutter
Clutter doesn’t only exist in your home or office—it also exists on your computer. Digital clutter can be just as distracting and frustrating as traditional clutter. That’s why it’s important to recognize and address this issue as well.
Log on to your computer. Move desktops icons, organize documents in folders or move one file that you no longer need to the recycling bin. Don’t forget to empty the recycling bin to fully complete this action.
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#53. Check for Expired Food or Coupons
Expired food and coupons are no longer valuable to you and are just taking up space. Getting rid of these items frees up space and prevents you from using something that’s expired. This will save you some frustration if it’s an expired coupon or even sickness if it’s an expired food item.
Action:
Check your fridge, pantry and cabinets for expired food. Any food that is past the expiration date should be thrown away. Then, check your purse, folder or binders for expired coupons. If it has not been six months since they expired, send the coupons to military families overseas. Visit
http://www.ocpnet.org/ to learn how to package your expired coupons and send them to a military base. If the coupons are more than six months past their expiration dates, throw them away.
Time required:
Four minutes. .
#54. Clean One Thing
When your home or workspace is clean, you are less likely to add clutter to it. Cleaning one item at a time is an efficient and easy way to slowly but surely clean your entire home or office. It’s important to make a habit out of cleaning things because it helps you stay organized and improves your overall cleanliness.
Action:
Choose one item in your home or office to clean. It could be a drawer, piece of furniture or even litter box. Grab the cleaning supplies you need to accomplish the job and get to it!
Time required:
Five minutes. .
#55. Collect Dirty Laundry
Dirty laundry thrown about the house can make it look more disorganized than it really is. It’s
important to collect dirty laundry so it is all in one place for when you decide to throw a load into the washer. You are way more likely to throw a load of clothes into the washer when it is all collected
and waiting in a basket than when it is all over the house.
Action:
Take one lap around the house collecting any loose or dirty clothing. Put it all in a hamper or basket and place it next to your washing machine.
Time required:
Three minutes. .
#56. Check for Items to Replace or Replenish
To help you stay organized, it’s important to know which household items need to be replaced. Because seriously, is there a worse situation than realizing—too late—that you need toilet paper?
Action:
Check all of your home’s necessities: toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, garbage bags and light bulbs, just to name a few. Make sure there is enough to get you through until your next scheduled shopping day. If there is not, write it on your list of things to buy while you are out of the house that day.
Time required:
Four minutes. .
#57. Wipe off One Surface
Dust and dirt are clutter too. Wiping off one surface at a time gets rids of this clutter and makes every surface look better. You are also less likely to add clutter to a clean surface.
Action:
Choose a dresser top, desktop or tabletop to clean. Wipe the surface using your choice of all-purpose cleaner and a rag or paper towel. Make sure you wipe the edges of the surface so residual dust or dirt isn’t left behind.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#58. Sign up for One Paperless Initiative
The less paper that comes to your home or office, the less clutter you’ll have, which means you won’t have as many things to organize. And as an added bonus, less paper helps the environment greatly.
Compile a list of companies that send you bills or statements on a monthly basis. Call or visit each company’s website to request paperless communication.
Time required:
Three minutes. .
#59. Add to the Recycling Bin
The more things there are in your recycling bin, the less clutter there is in your home or office. Continually adding to your recycling bin gets paper out of your way and helps the environment. Recycling is important because it can help you reduce the amount of paper clutter in your life, stay organized and contribute less garbage to landfills.
Action:
Find papers in your home or office that you no longer need. Add them to your recycling bin. Things that can also go into your recycling bin include broken-down boxes, empty soup or vegetable cans, and plastic trays.
Time required:
Two minutes. .
#60. Practice a “Getting in the Door” Routine
Disorganization often happens because we don’t have a system for where to put things when walking through the door. A great way to keep a house free from clutter is to create a designated spot where you put specific objects the moment you get home.
Action:
Think of everything you take with you to work, the gym and other activities. Then designate a specific spot where you put every object that’s taken out of the house. This includes items such as your car keys, wallet, purse, laptop, briefcase, shoes, books, coins, cell phone and gym clothes. Simply take a few minutes to put these items in their designated spot.
Time required:
Spirituality and Mental Well-being (Small
Changes #61 to #75)
Some people are very religious, while others like to focus on their overall mental health. Regardless of what you “believe,” you can develop a number of habits that can make you feel energized and in touch with the world around you. The following are a few small changes you can add to a habit stacking routine.
#61. Speak Words of Affirmation
If you start your day right, it can do wonders for your general attitude as the day goes by. Start the day by speaking words of affirmation in the mirror each morning to boost your confidence and leave you feeling empowered. Just a few good thoughts can change the entire course of your day for the better. I’ll admit that some people find this habit to be a bit hokey. However, if you’re having problems with confidence, then this could be a simple solution for feeling happier about the upcoming day.
Action:
Make eye contact with the mirror as soon as you wake up in the morning. Repeat mantras or positive sentences out loud.
For example:
“I am in control of my life.” “People love and adore me.”
“I can make a change in this world.” “I am a generous person.”
“I will accomplish my goals today.” Time required:
Five minutes.
.
#62. Compile a Gratitude List
Our actions are derived from our thoughts, so it is only natural to act on the things you think. Writing down the things you are grateful for or what makes you happy is known to be highly beneficial. Your list will serve as a visual affirmation of the positive things in your life, leading to positive thoughts and actions.
Action:
Practice this habit by keeping a gratitude journal next to your bed. Every day, write down three things you are grateful for or three things that make you happy.