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21 Life Changing Habits To Set in 2021



Are you looking for life changing habits you can set this 2021?


In this post, I will be sharing 21 different habits that can help improve your overall life this 2021.


Last year I feel like I’ve been really good in terms of my habits. I made a post before on the different habits I’ve been keeping since the quarantine began and I had the opportunity to work from home.


There are more habits I’d like to set, especially now that a new year has begun. So I made a list of the best life changing habits I found on the internet coupled with some I am aiming to establish as part of my routine.


Let’s begin.


   

1. Become an early riser


One of the best habits I’m thankful I successfully adopted over the years is becoming an early. In the past I loved to hit the snooze button on my alarm but now, I will normally wake up even before my alarm rings. And that’s no matter what time I sleep the night before.


Becoming an early riser is a great habit to set in 2021. Here are some tips that will help you establish this goal. 


  • Start slowly. If you are used to waking up at 10am, it would be difficult to drastically change your goal to 5am wake up time. Start by waking up at least 30mins. to an hour earlier than what you used to do.

  • Plan your day in advance. It’s best if you already know what activities you will be doing as soon as you wake up. This is where establishing a good morning routine will come handy. How do you wish to spend that extra hour/s you have in the morning?

  • Wake up on a consistent time. From my experience this has been the reason why I was able to become an early riser. Choose your wake up time and practice waking up consistently on that alarm. 


2. Make your bed


Naval Admiral William McRaven, the commander of U.S. Special Operations shared in 2014 commencement speech at University of Texas at Austin how important making your bed first thing in the morning is. 


“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another," he said. "By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.”


Those powerful words alone will give you enough reason to make your bed in the morning a habit to set this year.





3. Spend quality time with God


It is a constant battle to choose God over matters arising. But when I am reminded of how faithful He is in my life even when I was still a sinner, I can’t help but surrender. 


One life changing habit you can do this year is to spend quality time with God. This is whether in the form of prayer or a 15min. communication with Him, a topical bible study, reading a devotional book, or all of the above. 


Daily Quiet Time is a great way to grow spiritually. It is here that we experience intimacy with God by reading His very words. We begin to get to know Him, His promises, His commands, His warnings, His ways, and more. Almost every person in the Bible who was used by God has spent time with Him from Noah, Abraham, Daniel, Paul). Personal alone time with God proves to be a great source of strength making sure you are fully nourished by His Words.


Related read - 6 Ways to Start Your Day with Jesus


4. Journal


Journaling is one of the best ways to unwind and let go of anything that happens throughout your day. Take a moment to reflect on the day and jot down a couple of things you are grateful for. 


Now more than ever, we need to express more gratitude towards life. We’ve witnessed how in a snap of a finger everything can change. Find time to record your thoughts even with the little things.


Your journal can be a form of diary where you just jot down what happened on your day and how you’re feeling. It could also be a gratitude journal or a list of things you’re thankful for the day. You can also use this life changing habit to set your intentions for tomorrow. How do you want to feel tomorrow? Any personal goals you want to accomplish or make some progress on? 


   

5. Exercise regularly


Find time to be active every day. Exercise regularly. This habit doesn’t only promote a healthier body, it is also proven to make you feel happier and more accomplished throughout the day. Make a plan to work out 3x a week or more. Other things you can do aside from exercise is to simply go for a long walk or achieve 5000 steps daily.


6. Drink more water


Another way you can promote a healthier body is to drink more water. Remember that staying hydrated on the inside is just as important as the outside. Incorporate more water in your day this 2021.


7. Wear sunscreen


I think one forgotten step on a good skincare routine is wearing sunscreen. Sunscreen does not only protect our skin from the harmful UV rays, it also lowers the risks of us getting skin cancer. Even if you are just staying at home, you should still wear sunscreen. Make it part of your skincare routine.





8. Practice self-care

 

One of the powerful weekend habits you shouldn’t miss is to practice self-care. It’s very much OK to reward yourself with some self-love and self-care for the accomplishments of the week. 

 

Small pleasures such as a pamper night skincare routine, reading a good book, journaling, and/or treating yourself to a nice meal works a lot. It provides you with something to look forward to during a stressful week. 

 

Read next - Glow Up Routine Ideas in Time of Coronavirus


9. Lessen your screen time


How much of your time every single day do you spend scrolling on your phone? I bet the average would answer 5 hours. Imagine spending 7 hours of your precious 24 hours a day, just browsing aimlessly on your phone?


Find a way to limit your screen time. Social media has its pros and cons. Yes, staying connected is something we all need at the moment. However, too much screen time can be unhealthy as well. 


Check your phone if you can set a limit to your screen time.


   

10. Physical Declutter


Having a clear space will also lead to having a clear mind. Make sure to spend time to tidy up your workspace or bedside before sleeping. This will amplify your productivity so much. 


You don’t need to do massive cleaning, just put things together in the place that you wanted them to be. Clear out your work space with paperwork and free yourself from things that will remind you of work itself. 


11. Digital Declutter


Another life changing habit you can set this 2021 is to regularly do a digital declutter. Sort out your computer’s folders, rename files, constantly deleted duplicates or unwanted files, and backup your files every now and then. Keep your digital files organized.


12. Establish your own routines


Another life changing habit you can do this year is to establish your own routines. It all starts with a list of what you’ll do step-by-step on different time frames or areas of your life.


Here are some of the routines I have a list of:

 

  1. Morning Routine – includes activities I should be doing upon waking up on a work day.

  2. Evening Routine – includes activities I should be doing as soon as I get home.

  3. Weekly Routine – includes the specific to do list for each day of the week. Like every Saturday I should be taking photos for my blog and my Instagram. Or every Tuesday I should be attending the church service and Victory Group.

  4. Monthly Routine – includes the specific to do list for each week of the month. Like every second week of the month I should be paying for my phone bills and adding funds to my investments.

  5. AM Skincare Routine - includes my step-by-step skincare routine in the morning as I get ready to work and the products I use for each step.

  6. PM Skincare Routine - includes my step-by-step skincare routine in the evening as I get home from work and the products I use for each step.



13. Learn something new


Maximize your free time by learning something new. Select a skill you want to develop and make it a habit to spend a portion of your day becoming better at it. It can be playing an instrument, taking a short course related to your work, learning how to cook, etc.  



14. Plan your day, week, and month in advance


Planning your day, week, and/or month in advance is a great habit to adopt. Doing this allows you to make a game plan ahead of time. If you constantly suffer from anxiety on deadlines and responsibilities you need to do the next morning, then try planning in advance. 


Make it part of your routine to create your to do list and set your goals or intentions way before the actual day, week, and/or month.


15. Follow the Pomodoro Technique


The Pomodoro Technique is a time management technique that was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.  It is a well-known technique in accomplishing any to-do list wherein you set an amount of time, commonly 25 minutes, of continuous deep work. 


Procrastination has always been a struggle for me. It takes me time getting started on tasks, especially on the more important  ones. I have a number of excuses for not doing them on time - “I’m too tired” or “I can do it at a later time”.


Managing two blogs with a full time job is not easy so I am always looking for ways to make tasks easier, to get started and to take action now.


The Pomodoro Technique is one of the most useful tools I have used lately.


16. Read a book


Reading is a great mental exercise. 


According to this post by Huffington Post, the one habit ultra-successful people have in common is that they read. A lot.

 

And these famous personalities are not only successful in their own respective careers, they are also surely busy building their own empire. Yet, they find time to read a book, multiple books. 

So carve time on your day to read books. Whether it be fiction or nonfiction and no matter how slow or fast you can finish reading one. 



17. Budget every month


A budget works as an itemized overview of your income and expenses done for a certain period of time.

This is done mostly every end of the month in preparation for the coming month but can either be weekly, quarterly and/or yearly too.

A budget keeps track of your spending patterns, records your income and determines whether you are spending more than you should be. 

If there’s one life changing habit in the area of finances you need to do this year, it would be creating and following a budget every month. Having a budget as a habit will enable you to understand your spending habits or how much you are making and spending.


   

18. Track your expenses

 

Budget is step one, tracking your expenses is step two. I never understood the value of tracking your expenses until I made one for myself.

  • It helps identify your spending habits. Where your money usually goes, is it vices? Is it food? Is it on important items?

  • You are less likely to make impulsive purchases or spend beyond your budget. Because you have been keeping an eye of how much you spend on specific things, you can notice firsthand when you spend more than the amount you intended to spend.

  • Helps you build a better budget next time. This is where a lot is missing when it comes to budgeting – it is a constant trial and error. There is always a room for improvement every single time. If you track your expenses and find that you are overspending on food/lunch at work from a budget of Php 100 a day, you 15 out 20 times spend Php 120, you can now adjust this on your next month’s budget. You can either allocate more money on food and cut back on the “wants” category or you can set a goal of bring lunch to work instead or finding food within the budget. This is something a budget alone cannot do because you don’t have a record of where your money goes.


19. Save and Invest every month


Making saving and investing your money a habit! One way you can better prepare for your tomorrow is to save and invest as much money as you can today. Instead of wasting your money on lifestyle purchases that does not accumulate in value, try either opening an account in an investment vehicle that suits your risk appetite or building your emergency fund.


Related read:


All about budgeting

All about saving money

All about investing


20. Schedule a call with family and friend

With times like this when we realize how precious life is, we have to be more appreciative of the people around us. 


Weekends are a great way to reconnect with friends and family members. The work week can easily get pretty hectic that we don’t have that much time spent with family and friends. 


21. Take time to pause, breathe, and meditate


Lastly is to put time on your day where you can simply take a pause, breathe, and meditate.


Make sure that you spend time to clear your mind from all the to do lists, all the worries, and all the overthinking. Even a five-minute pause is valuable.


That's it for this post.


What of the life changing habits above are you currently doing?



   

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