Are you’re a busy bee or a laid-back sloth?
No matter the category you fall into, building a solid foundation of personal growth is worth going all out for. Because prioritizing your well-being means investing in activities that will benefit you in the long run.
Whether you want to cultivate self-awareness, managing stress like a pro, or perfecting your time-management skills—learning these skills will help you find equilibrium between work, relationships, and overall health.
And without further ado, here are 10 life-changing actions you can take right now to get your self-improvement efforts right.
01
Find Out and Practice What Works for You
Just as authors have a long list of plots to choose from, you too have a plethora of options to shape your own story. The trick is to recognize what you’re passionate about and stick to it.
Want to become a writer? Good. But how does one become an exceptional writer? Well, it’s simple – just keep practicing and never stop writing until you’re a wordsmith wizard.
There’s no magic formula, no secret shortcut, just the good old-fashioned hard work and dedication. Find your voice, your style, your passion, and let it guide you to greatness.
For example, your story may involve going to bed early and hitting the gym early, instead of staying up late for yet another Netflix binge.
Or maybe you want to stop blowing your hard-earned cash on things you don’t really need.
Or you want to curb your addiction to social media and reconnect with the real world.
Whatever it may be, the first step to improving your life is to tackle those pesky bad habits that are holding you back. So grab that pen, or keyboard, and start crafting your own epic tale.
02
Do This When You Feel Stuck
Regardless of circumstance, it’s normal to feel stuck one way or another. And this feels and looks different for everyone.
Are there events, people, or tasks that might be sucking the energy and focus from you?
It’s time to find out what that means to you.
Maybe yours is an endless circle of procrastination, feeling lonely, or going back to your old habit, whatever it is. Usually, it’s a blind spot. Exploring this zone can you make aware. (Awareness is a must for a change, you can’t fight your enemy if you don’t know who or what they’re).
The next line of action is to look around you and reflect on where this blind spot touches you;
at home, or work?
Then listen to your inner thoughts (very important) and what it tells you, as this will help you know what needs to be fixed.
03
Live in The Moment
No, not that kind of live in the moment where you break the bank or live recklessly. What I mean is right now, the world is moving ridiculously fast-paced, sometimes, we can’t even keep up. Living in a world where you are required to be ever available, impressive, and connected at work, living in the moment can be asking for too much.
It’s easy to get trapped in past mistakes and get distracted at work, or with family and friends, when you’re endlessly obsessing over how you screwed up at work yesterday, how you failed to show up for a friend’s birthday party, how you are disgusted with yourself, how you…
Stop it… you’re being too hard on yourself
Stop dwelling on the mistakes of the past or become too anxious about tomorrow. We are humans, it’s impossible not to make mistakes but it’s possible to be better. That’s why it doesn’t matter how many mistakes you’ve made, you must learn to forgive your past so that you can move on to the next phase of your life—now that is a way to move forward.
04
Practice Time Management
Improving your time management skills can increase your productivity, especially if you weren’t good at one, it helps you stay motivated, get things done faster, and improve your mental health.
Here are 7 quick tips to help you start:
- Get Rid of Time-Wasters: As I said earlier, starting off on the right foot, the first successful step to take is forgoing habits or activities that waste your time, such as procrastination or constantly checking your phone. So that you can focus on the task at hand. An easy way to do is to;
- Set Priorities: Make a list of your top priorities and focus on those tasks first. This will help you stay focused and avoid getting bogged down with unimportant tasks or stalling.
- Create a Schedule: The next step is to plan out how to tick those priorities on your list, what you want to achieve for the day, week, or month in advance to help you stay organized and, remember, don’t overschedule at first to avoid overwhelming yourself.
- Use Time Blocking: another practical way is to divide your day into blocks of time dedicated to specific tasks, this way you can focus on one thing at a time, without distractions.
- Take Breaks: of course you’re not a robot, you need regular breaks to maintain focus and avoid burnout. Take a quick walk, do some stretching, or simply take a few deep breaths to refresh your mind and body.
- Reflect and Re-evaluate: from time to time, reflect on how you’re spending your time and re-evaluate your priorities and goals. This helps you stay on track and make the most of every moment.
- Stay Flexible: Be open to adjusting your schedule as needed. Life is unpredictable, and sometimes things don’t go as planned. Stay flexible and be willing to make changes as needed.
Learning time management requires discipline, focus, and willingness to adapt. But with the right approach and a little effort, you can make the most of every moment and achieve your goals.
05
A Quick Reflection on Your Goals
It’s great that you are ambitious and set goals—if you can get the most daunting task done first, before tackling the lesser ones—then you’ll have no problem getting things done.
But if you are impatient, you should go for the less daunting task, before working your way up to the biggest task on your list. You don’t want to burn out before you can make it to the most important ones, putting your productivity at risk, right.
Plus, when you are able to achieve the smallest goals first, it boosts your dopamine levels and motivates you to keep going.
06
Spice Things Up With Your Spouse
If there’s anything that can keep two people happy long-term in a relationship, or marriage, it would be—the excitement that brought them together in the first place.
The ‘thrills’ or the lack of thereof is what kills so many relationships today, and that’s why so much research points consistently to how important this means to us.
If you’ve been feeling out of sorts lately with your spouse, think of the things you could do together to reignite the thrills in your relationship.
Go to your favorite places, anywhere that make you happy, a nice dinner treat at your favorite restaurant, or do things that stimulate and improve your sex time.
There’s a 10-week research conducted, comparing couples engaged in ‘exciting’ activities vs ‘pleasant’ activities. Exciting won.
07
Don’t Forget to Destress from Time to Time
Whatever gets your mind and body off work is good for your mental and physical health.
There are many ways to do that when it comes to doing things you love. Whether it’s cooking, spending time with friends and family, spending time in nature, a day at the spa, or whatever you have in mind can help you relax.
08
Encourage Yourself to Create New, Good Habits
As hinted earlier, the easiest way to create new, good habits is to kill old, bad habits. We all need a little nudge here and there to start something anyway.
Maybe what you need to start getting things done is revamping or decluttering your surroundings (home/office). That also includes a careful selection of people around you who are worthy of your time. (you can’t be available for everyone, only make time for people who are worth it).
When you make adjustments to your environment and the people involved, you’re not only making things align with your plans, your life will be easier. And you’ll feel like you finally know what you’re doing.
09
You Need a Vacation
There’s no better way to de-stress from our busy schedules other than taking a vacation to renew our body and mind.
A recent survey surmised on People on mid-length holidays of between 1-3 weeks tends to report more positive moods than those on shorter or longer trips. Possibly a two- to six-day holiday trip is long enough to enjoy (unlike a two-day trip), but short enough to minimize arguments with partner, family, or friends.
Vacations serve as a much-needed break from the daily grind, both to your physical and mental health.
Vacation makes us happy and creative, lowers the risk of heart disease, motivates us to achieve our goals, and better yet, helps us reshape our outlook on life for the better.
Plan that next trip, book that ticket, and let your worries fade away as you enjoy a much deserved vacation. Your mind and body will thank you.
10
Keep a Daily Journal
Daily journaling has been a popular practice for centuries, and for good reason. You might be stunned by what you’ll find out about yourself just by taking a few minutes each day to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. You can write anything from your daily to-do list to your deepest thoughts and feelings.
One of the biggest benefits of daily journaling is what it does to your mental health. Writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you process and better understand them, reducing stress and anxiety. improve physical health, including reducing symptoms of chronic pain and boosting the immune system. Journaling creates a space for self-reflection and growth, helping you gain a better understanding of yourself and what’s important to you.
Sounds like something you might give a try?
Easy, it’s as simple as setting aside a few minutes each day to write—that includes finding a journaling method that works for you. Whether it’s free writing, prompt-based, or even incorporating artwork, the key is to make it a daily habit in your routine.
