We all want to be better persons. You can want better health and happiness and increased productivity alongside some basic life development. There’s always an endless list of tasks that keep us busy that we never seem to be able to complete. You have set your alarm for 5 in the morning, and you also want to keep up with your gym goals, reading goals, your side business and streaming Netflix in the same time. Exhausting, right? There's happy news about self enhancement because you don't have to make it overwhelming. You don’t need to change your whole lifestyle for this to begin today. Each of those multiple small basic daily habits will keep building upon itself to create continuous progress in your life. There is a method to ensure that these improvements are achieved without the discomforts of fatigue or the sense that you run forever without a finish.
1. Get Small – As Small As You Possibly Can
The first mistake that people make is that they want to overhaul their lives at once. It’s like trading from eating pizza daily to sleeping and waking up to salad It really is a change from pizza to salads. Not fun. And probably not sustainable.
Instead, focus on tiny improvements. If you want to get through 100 pages a day, you begin with one page a day first. If you intend on exercising, then do five pushups instead of going out for a full workout. The thing is that it has to be this simple that it seems like there isn’t an effort made at all. In the long run, such small changes peak at different tendencies which gradually transform into behaviors.
Example 1: They do not consider changing their goal so that rather than spending two hours in the gym, they first take 5 minutes of stretch in the morning.
Example 2: So, to increase the water intake start with one additional glass of water in a day.
Example 3: Want to write a book? My advice is to begin with a single sentence in a day.
2. Set Realistic Goals
Goals are good; big goals are great… but sometimes big goals seem to feel overwhelming. If your aim is actually “get fit,” that’s too broad. Take it apart into little specific steps. Instead of saying, "I want to lose weight" say instead, " I will take a walk for 15 minutes every day.”
Realistic goals are motivated because you believe you’re actually making progress. Goals are not necessarily curves, and when goals are too big it’s common to feel like you’re failing even though you’re progressing.
Example 1: Instead of saying ‘I wanna’ become a millionaire, say ‘I’ll’ save $10 a week.
Example 2: Instead of saying ‘I’ll read 50 books this year,’ why not say ‘I’ll read for 10 minutes a day’.
Example 3: Instead of “I’ll eat healthy forever”; try “I’ll add one extra veggie each day to my meals.”
3. Be Consistent, Not Perfect
Newsflash: You will mess up. You can skip a workout, eat that extra slice of cake, or forget to meditate. And that’s okay. Being perfect isn’t progress; it’s about being consistent.
Imagine brushing your teeth. If you miss one day, you don’t stop brushing forever. The next day you just start again. Improvement works the same way. Don’t give up when you make a mistake.
Example 1: If you skip a day of journaling, don’t give up. Just write the next day.
Example 2: If you get sneaky and ignore your skipped workout, though, do a 2-minute stretch instead of not doing anything.
Example 3: If you don’t automatically drink water when you remember, set a reminder and then drink water later.
4. Make It Fun (Or Enjoy The Process)
Self-improvement feels like torture, you will quit. Find ways to make it fun. Want to exercise? Dance to your favorite song. Want to read more? Pick books that you’re excited about, not just because they’re supposed to be what you have to read.
Example 1: If you hate running, don’t run! Go try a sport, hiking or even walk and listen to a podcast.
Example 2: Want to learn a new skill? App like Duolingo or habit tracker, gamify it.
Example 3: Instead of eating salad, why not try new, exciting recipes so you can make healthy eating fun?
5. Surround Yourself with Positive Influences
You become as close to the people you spend time with as is possible. If your friends will always complain, then yours will also. Let’s surround you with people that will inspire you and support you. If you don’t have have those people in real life, then follow them online. Read their books, watch their videos, listen to their podcasts.
Example 1: Instead of scrolling through negative news, motivational pages, or even personal growth podcasts.
Example 2: Start hanging out with people who want what you want.
Example 3: Get rid of social media accounts that psyche you out.
6. Track Your Progress
What gets measured gets improved. Make sure you write down your small victories. Progress, even the smallest of it, keeps you moving.
Just use a simple notebook, an app, or even a checklist. The trick is to realize how far you’ve come. You grow by looking back seeing you were consistent, it pushes you to keep going.
Example 1: If you do even for 2 minutes, mark an ‘X’ on a calendar for each day you do meditate. Keep up with it and you’ll have a streak you don’t want to break.
Example 2: See your small wins build up by tracking a habit with an app.
Example 3: Keep track of one positive thing you did each day that got you closer to your goal.
7. You’re Not a Robot; Take Breaks
Improvement doesn’t mean working non-stop. Effort is just as important as rest. Ultimately, you’ll burn yourself out and stop entirely. Make time to relax, not do anything, and recharge.
Example 1: An entire day a week where you take one day and just enjoy life, you know, you don’t have any goals, you don’t have any stress, just fun.
Example 2: When you do feel overwhelmed take a short 10-minute walk to reset your mind.
Example 3: Without guilt let yourself have a “cheat day’ in any habit.
8. Be Kind to Yourself
You’re not in a race. It is a lifelong journey, there is no sprint. Don’t compare yourself to others and celebrate small wins. If you’re just trying to drink more water, that’s fine: there are some people who wake up at 4 AM and run marathons.
Example 1: If you only wrote a whole chapter, but too much will make the Skeleton fart. It’s still progress.
Example 2: If instead of meditating for 10 minutes you meditated for 1 minute, give yourself credit!
Example 3: Acknowledge yourself as a winning streak if you have some time to rest instead of overdoing it too.
Conclusion
That doesn’t mean you have to be crushing yourself every day to improve yourself. The idea is to maintain simplicity, fun, and manageability. Small constant action adds up to the big ones over time.
Keeping that in mind, instead of attempting to overhaul your entire life on the first go, start small. Instead, pick one tiny thing that you can improve today. It could be drinking an additional glass of water. Maybe it’s reading one page. Whatever it is, start now. Let’s enjoy the journey, and most importantly.
You got this!
