Josh O'Neill

5 Small Habits To Have A Better Day (And A Better Life)

Josh O'Neill -

Have you ever felt like each day you’re simply spinning the wheel?

It feels like there’s no end goal in sight or no outcome within reach.

You can be reassured by the fact everyone has days like this.

At this point, I believe there are two options:

  1. Continue as you are, changing nothing but expecting the negative feelings to pass.
  2. Make positive changes focusing on your health, mental and physical.

I’m aware this is easier said than done.

My Job Has Taught Me This

As an engineer, I often make changes to systems or run a split test with a predicted outcome. Sometimes it’s right, other times it’s not quite what I’m looking for. I go back and make the necessary adjustments until I get the result.

This methodology has taught me one of life’s greatest lessons:

We live in a constant feedback loop

We make small changes to our lives every day, often without realising and to our detriment.

The Gratification Issue

As a society, we’ve lost our perception of delayed gratification. We look for a quick fix. Whether it’s the latest “diet” trend promising to shed body fat or get rich quick schemes.

These ultimately leave us unfilled.

They encourage a secondary feedback loop of highs and lows — high when we see initial results and lows when they don’t materialise in the long run.

For example, someone who loses a lot of body fat only to regain it. They’re unable to maintain their lower body weight.

How Do We Address This?

Firstly, you have to make a commitment to yourself and to long-term change.

You also have to trust the process.

The 5 Habits

1. Read Fiction

Constantly ploughing your way through non-fiction books can become tiring and monotonous at times — especially the self-help books only containing one useful chapter.

You don’t always need to be trying to retain information or read X number of books per year.

Alternatively, allocate time for novels.

Step into a fantasy world or become engrossed in a crime thriller. Reading non-fiction relaxes your brain, You can drift off into a far-off world. The problems of everyday life are on pause while you immerse yourself in a good story.

Recommendation: Red Rising series by Pierce Brown

2. Walking Flow

This is my personal favourite.

Get a walking buddy and go to the beautiful outdoors.

Whether you’re hiking up a mountain, through the trails or simply chatting with a coffee through the local park, you can generate walking flow.

A conversation without distraction.

There’s total presence in each moment.

If I’m on my own, I like to listen to a podcast or audiobook.

I’ve found myself going out on a walk and not wanting to go home because I don’t want to stop listening. I’m fully engaged in what I’m listening to.

I’m present.

Another recommendation is listening to music which doesn’t contain any words.

3. A Key Part Of Your Morning Routine

You’ve been asleep for (hopefully) 7–9 hours.

You haven’t drank anything in that time either.

Most likely you need to pee.

You need to replenish the fluids.

Start off your morning with a large glass of water — I aim for roughly 700ml.

This is also a perfect time to take your supplements too. I take a multivitamin, vitamin D3 and omega-3. I add my creatine to my water.

Starting your day with water ensures you’re well on your way to achieving your daily target. The rule of thumb I follow is roughly 1 litre for every 20kg of body mass.

If you weigh 60kg then 3 litres.

Recommendation: use a pint glass to easily track water intake.

4. Don’t Neglect Your Body

You’re putting the right fluids into your body and with the right food, it’s time to utilise it.

Move your body as much as possible.

I’ve already mentioned walking however there’s an endless number of ways you can exercise:

The benefits of exercising are not only physical but mental too. Exercising is a natural anti-anxiety treatment.

It also boosts your overall mood and promotes longevity.

Start off small and see where it leads you.

5. Practice Gratitude

Life is pretty fast-paced.

We face a constant stream of content, emails, notifications and literally everything fighting for our attention.

Slowing down for a few moments each day can help preserve your energy for when you need it most.

In those moments we have to ourselves, we can practice gratitude.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others — Marcus Tullius Cicero

It doesn’t take long either.

You can type them out on your notes app on your phone or take a note of them in a journal.

Gratitude practice has been shown to make you sleep better — we all know sleeping more will give us a greater quality of life.

It doesn’t matter how small it is. If it matters to you that’s all that matters.

I’ll start you off — I’m grateful for you reading these words.

We all want to have a better day and better lives — unless you’re living in line with your highest values already.

If not, then there’s no need to panic.

Implementing some of the habits above into your own lifestyle will have positive effects on you.

My own goal is to include more gratitude in my daily life. It’s often something I miss out on and is the first thing I drop when times get busy.

These habits are small individually but powerful when combined and commit to over the long term.

Enjoyed this? Subscribe to get notified with each newsletter.

Know someone who would enjoy this? Share with them.

Feel free to drop me a reply or a DM and start the conversation.