3 Habits That Have Improved My Life

Life is a constant feedback loop.

When it’s not quite working out we make a change. We gather information on what helps us to succeed and also what doesn’t.

A winning streak means our current systems and habits are serving us, moving us closer to our goals.

In the past 3 years, I’ve been diving into the world of self-development and how I can improve my quality of life.

I’ve learned the importance of making new habits small but scalable. 1% gains accumulate.

Three habits have had the highest ROI.

Training In The Morning

The most recent change on my list came through necessity.

I always trained after work because I believed I didn’t have time in the morning.

This was the limiting belief I told myself.

I got a coach and when we arranged a call for Monday at 5.30 pm, I was confused about when I would train. How would I fit the hour-long call into my day and already packed schedule? When would I work out?

I was left with one simple option.

Go to the gym in the morning.

Now, this is a staple. I rarely train in the evenings anymore purely because I’ve found this to be when I’m at my best.

I can already hear people saying “But I’m not a morning person”.

If you keep telling yourself this limiting belief you always will be.

Take the leap. Go to bed early. Get up earlier and work out.

Planning My Day The Night Before

While at university, I suffered a setback.

My grades had slipped and I wasn’t at the level I wanted to be at. I was balancing my studies, part-time work, my sports commitments and my relationship.

The ironic part was I had never been taught or shown how to manage my time efficiently.

I would know what class was when and when the deadlines were. However, I didn’t properly plan my time to study or complete coursework. I just did it in enough time for the deadline.

One night when packing my bag for the following day I did something different.

I wrote a to-do list.

It was simple. I listed out what needed to be done for each class. I picked priorities and put them down for the next day using a black pen.

I began to get tasks done quicker and, most importantly, with a better understanding. I was dedicating my time to it so made sure all my focus was on the task.

I would use a red pen to tick items on when they were completed. The dopamine hits each time I used the red pen motivated me to keep going with the system.

There’s now a myriad of apps and tools available for to-do lists. Be careful though, a lot of time can end up being spent on researching and choosing the perfect system to use rather than writing it down and doing it.

Find a planning system which is simple enough for you and stick to it.

Reading Before Bed

Sleep is the foundation for all success.

How we perform at work, in the gym and even in the bedroom can all be linked to our sleep.

The easiest way to improve your sleep is by removing screens prior to going to sleep. Instead of scrolling through Twitter or watching Netflix, get a book out.

Reading helps your drift off to sleep as it reduces your heart rate, priming the body for sleep. It also relieves muscle tension too.

After a day of working and staring at screens, giving your brain time to relax and unwind before bed improves the quality of your sleep.

I found this to have numerous benefits:

I read more books
Improved recovery through better sleep
Energetic in the morning
Learn new and interesting facts from reading

You can read whatever you want. From the latest best-seller to a thought-provoking philosophical classic. Get reading before bed.

Adding in new habits takes time. I haven’t perfected these by any means. Some nights I don’t fancy reading. Other days I’d rather not plan. Knowing the benefit these bring to my life makes them worthwhile.

Aristotle once said:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Is what you currently do leading you down the path of excellence?

Changing your habits on purpose is rewarding and enlightening. It helps you figure out yourself, your character, and your life.