Habits That Have Improved My Life

Hey everyone. Today I'm going to be sharing Habits That Have Improved My Life. And I mean genuinely improved my life. If it wasn't for these habits, I don't think I'd be able to accomplish my goals for the day or do what I really want to do. I hope these habits help some of you who are looking to improve the quality of your life, get things done or work on what's important to you. 

There's a quote by Will Durant that's been playing on my mind recently. He says "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit". I'm able to tick things off my to-do list because I've built the right habits and most importantly, followed through with them. I don't have to think twice about these habits anymore, they're just part of my daily routine. And now, they can be part of yours too. 

1. Waking Up Early

Waking up early is something I've been doing since I was at university. It is what helped me submit my assignments early and get work done. This habit has continued with me years later and is definitely something I will never change. Yes, it requires discipline but after a while, you get used to it. I wake up between 8-8:30am every single morning (including weekends) and this helps me get so much more done in a day. I mention this in my Morning Habits That Will Change Your Day blog post so check that out for more info ^ Waking up early has allowed me to blog and do cool things I've never done before. This wouldn't be possible if I was not waking up early. So start waking up earlier and see what happens. 

2. Doing What I Love

I will say this time and time again. Doing what you love is so important and is something that's often overlooked. I make time for doing the things I love (i.e. by waking up early) and prioritize these activities because that's what makes me happy and gives me purpose. It's what fuels my curiosity and sparks a fire in me. I'm genuinely a happier and more positive person when I do the things I love. So find out what you love and go after it. Life is too short. 

3. Adopting a Minimalist Mindset 

I stumbled upon Minimalism by YouTuber Matt D'Avella and through his videos, learned what Minimalism is. So what is Minimalism? It's a life philosophy discovered by The Minimalists Joshua Fields & Ryan Nicodemus: Where you intentionally live with only the things you really need - items that support your purpose or bring you joy. It's not only limited to physical things either. This mindset really helped me remove access clutter in my life i.e. with friendships, surroundings, finances. This also allowed me to focus on my goals and go after the things I really want. Check out The Minimalists here, listen to their podcast, or watch their Netflix Documentaries. 

4. Spending Less Time On My Phone

According to research from RescueTime, people generally spend an average of 3 hours + 15 minutes on their phone every day, with the top 20% of smartphone users spending up to 4 and a half hours. Scary right? I started off by not checking my phone first thing in the morning (please try this if you haven't!) and then made it a habit to only check my phone every 3-4 hours. This is a life-changer. I have so much more time to do daily tasks and manage to tick off everything on my to-do list for the day. Most importantly, being present. Still not convinced? Check out my blog post on How To Spend Less Time On Your Phone or watch Matt D'Avella's YouTube Video on Break Your Phone Addiction 👍

5. Not Spending Excess Money

This habit has helped me save more money than I intended on saving. I used to spend money on excess things like ordering food every week, buying extra clothes, purchasing random products from Amazon that YouTubers recommended (we've all been there). I now think twice before I make a purchase and ask myself "Is this a want or a need?". I also have a blog post on How To Stop Spending And Start Saving In Your 20s which you can read here. I'm able to spend money on the things I really want or for experiences. 

6. Reacting To Situations Calmly

I used to react to situations either a) straight away or b) in an angry manner. It resulted in situations getting worse and caused me nothing but stress. So, I asked myself "Why am I allowing myself to feel upset?" "Is there a way I can feel calmer about this?". And there was. I started to take a step back and allowed myself to calm down for 10 minutes before responding to a situation, not reacting to a situation. This really helped. I had more time to think. I identified triggers. I Identified solutions. And by the time I knew it, I was back to my normal self.

There are habits out there for everyone. It just depends on your goals, what you need to spend more time on and what kind of person you are. Let me know if you have a favorite habit, if you will adopt any of these habits, or any habits you can share.

Adeeba x