Do you want to improve your life but you’re not sure where to start? Perhaps it’s time to begin focusing on new things in the New Year. Part of starting good habits means identifying your current habits, including your...

Do you want to improve your life but you’re not sure where to start? Perhaps it’s time to begin focusing on new things in the New Year. Part of starting good habits means identifying your current habits, including your bad habits and then seeing what you can change for the better. There are many good habits to start and in this post, I’ll outline some of the best good habits to start in the New Year.

In my experience, it’s not the big changes you make in life that change the way you feel, your happiness or your sense of peace. It’s the smaller actions you take consistently that add up over time and eventually create a new reality for yourself. When I think about what has helped me to find more of a sense of purpose, happiness and peace over the last five or so years, I notice how different I have become and it has shown me that my old belief that I would remain the way I was forever was untrue.

I believe it is possible to change your life and improve your life in many different aspects if you focus on what you can control and you simply keep doing those things. It’s a simple idea that can be derailed by procrastination and distractions but if you can be consistent and trust the process, you may find that your reality eventually becomes completely different. The New Year is a time when many of us try to start a New Year’s resolution so here are 102 good habits to start to give you some inspiration, broken down into different categories.

It is unrealistic to do them all so just pick a manageable handful and back yourself to keep doing them!

Good habits to start for physical health

Here are 25 different good habits to start that could help you to improve your physical health.

Start doing 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week – as recommended by The Mayo Clinic, that’s just 2.5 hours across seven days. To make it easier, you could do 36 minutes of exercise a day like going for a jog or using an exercise bike. Begin strength training 2x a week – strength training isn’t just for bodybuilders. In fact, it’s vital for all of us, especially as we age. Maintaining healthy muscle mass is important for both men and women for the many reasons described here. Stretch every day – Stretching is seriously underrated however a good stretch can make you feel like a completely different person. There are many benefits to stretching and a good idea is to start with 3x 20 minutes stretches a week. Work on your stability 2x a week – As you age you lose stability. Strength training can help with this but there are many stability exercises as outlined here that can help you to keep a good level of balance throughout your body protecting you from falls, for example. Carry your groceries – if you’re not getting a full week’s shopping, try and carry your groceries in your basket as another way to strengthen your upper body. When you’re done, carry a bag in each hand instead of a trolley. Sign up for an exercise class once a week – get out of your comfort zone and sign up for an exercise class that you wouldn’t normally do as a way to challenge yourself whilst improving your physical health. Design a new sleep schedule – whilst everyone might do well with varying hours of sleep, it might be a good idea to try and get more sleep to improve the way you feel during the day. Set a realistic bedtime and stick to it. Stop using devices an hour before bed – You might be able to get better quality sleep if you stop using your devices an hour before bed. Better still, put your devices in another room. The blue light from your device’s screen can affect the quality of your sleep as described here. Drink more water each day – it is recommended that everyone should drink between 11.5 and 15.5 cups of water a day. This is quite an easy good habit to start and you may find that if you often feel tired, you might just be hydrated so it’s worth trying! Cut back on alcohol – if you find yourself drinking alcohol throughout the week, why not try and cut back to drinking only at the weekend? You may find that you gain more energy and mental clarity. Learn new recipes – try learning some new recipes that are full of nutrition to see if they give you more energy and slim your waistline. There are many easy and relatively cheap recipes you can try here, for example. Practise cooking something every day – cooking is a good habit to start so why not try and cook something from scratch every day? It may not take as long as you think and you will be more likely to use fresh ingredients like vegetables. Practise mindful eating – take your time when eating every meal. Consider the ingredients and what they provide your body. Listen to your body and how you feel after you have eaten a particular meal. Track your health stats – there are many ways to track your sleep, calories, heart rate etc. Get yourself a fitness tracker to help making healthier decisions for yourself as an individual. There are many on Amazon at reasonable prices. Focus on real foods – focus your diet on real foods and limit processed and ultra-processed foods that contain a variety of odd-sounding ingredients. That means packing your diet with lean meats, vegetables and nuts, for example. Read every label – it might make your shopping experience longer but it could be worth it. Spend some time reading the ingredients on everything you buy. The fewer ingredients the better. Educate yourself on the substances you routinely put into your body. Drink teas and black coffee – instead of sugar-rich processed coffees and energy drinks, drink tea and black coffee and stay away from artificial sweeteners. Get outside more – if you spend a lot of your time each day in an office, try and get out for at least 10 minutes a day for a walk, not just to stretch your legs but to also get sunlight on your skin and fresh air in your lungs. Make your lunch full of nutrition – to try and avoid that mid-day slump, consider cooking a lunch that is made of nutritious foods instead of sandwiches and potato chips. You may just find your energy levels remain more stable throughout the day. Here are some recipes that won’t spike your blood sugar. Do some bodyweight exercises in the morning – consider doing some bodyweight exercises like push-ups and squats first thing in the morning so you have the rest of the day knowing you have been productive. Get up and move around more – if you work at a desk all day, try and find ways of getting up and moving your legs more whenever you can. Start a new skincare regime – Find a good moisturiser that protects your skin, especially if you live in a warm climate where sunlight can dry and age your skin easily. You can find some good examples here. Try to eat a wide variety of plants throughout the week to protect your gut microbes – a good idea is to try and get 30 different plant foods into your meals every week. Here are some easy examples you can add to your diet to improve your gut health. Increase your daily steps – one of the great things about fitness trackers is their ability to track your step count each day. Whilst step counters probably aren’t 100% accurate, step trackers give you a visual idea of your daily movement. Take care of your heart – find ways to reduce your stress levels along with upping your exercise and eating properly and you could take better care of your heart health. Stress can be unavoidable sometimes but letting go of the things out of your control might help you release some unwarranted stress.

Good habits to start for mental wellbeing

Here are 27 mental well-being good habits to start that could help you to improve your mood and stress levels.

Let go of what you cannot control – take a look at what is bothering you. If you cannot control it, let it go. If you can control it, you probably already know what you need to do. Start a daily meditation practice – this doesn’t mean you need to spend an hour each day sitting cross-legged. Just sitting in silence and observing your thoughts could be enough to de-stress and find a sense of peace during the hecticness of daily life. Do not fret over other people’s opinions – remember that everyone’s opinion is just that, not the truth. Furthermore, it is their business. You have your own opinions of yourself so all you can do is stay true to them. Don’t react with emotion – when something or someone insults you, take a moment to pause and ask yourself why they may have had that reaction. Are they already upset or stressed? Responding with anger only prolongs the anger. Lead with kindness – set an example to others and lead with kindness at the front of your mind in everything you do and with everyone that you meet. We never know what other people are going through but kindness goes further than we think. Treat yourself with respect every day – make a habit of treating yourself with respect every day. You’re just as worthy of good things as others but keep in mind you are also no better than anyone else. Just be respectful and kind to yourself as you would other people. Practise positive affirmations every day – the more you think positive thoughts, the better your mental environment becomes. Focus on the good things in all situations and little will bother you ever again. Do this by using positive affirmations. Love as if you were already dead – what would you tell your loved ones if you were already dead and desperate to send them a message? Why not tell them now whilst you’re still breathing and able to? It will make their day and make yours at the same time. Do this often through habit. Be strict with yourself and tolerant of others – you can only control yourself in this very moment, not other people, even those you love dearly. With that in mind, be kind yet strict with yourself as that is what you can ultimately control. Remind yourself many have come before you and will come after you – you are unique yet your experiences are not so much. If something seems hard to do, chances are many have done it before you and will do it after you so believe anything is possible for you too. Catch yourself when you complain – it’s easy to complain yet it might have a negative impact on your mental wellbeing. When you begin to complain to others or even yourself, ask yourself if it is really necessary. Let go of anxiety – your anxiety is not set in your bones only your perceptions, therefore, you can let go of it at any time. Change your perceptions of the world and you change the way everything appears in your life. Reflect on the beauty of life – spend some time every week, perhaps during a meditation, reflecting on how beautiful the world is even amongst all the chaos you may think there is. There is always good to see if you choose to see it. Don’t forget to live – if you spend too much time worrying, thinking or holding back you might forget to start living. When you’re old you might look back and wonder why you never pushed yourself. Start saying ‘yes’ more. Give yourself permission to smile more – give yourself permission to smile. A simple smile could completely change the way you feel and think. Find reasons to laugh at the absurdity of life. Remember you’re never finished – you were never meant to be perfect at everything. In fact, you are not the finished article and never will be. All you can do is keep learning with an open mind. Don’t let your ego lead you – your ego sometimes gets offended easily. Whilst it can push you forward, keep in mind that everyone has one and some people’s are more expressed than others. Practise mindfulness exercises – spend a moment or two taking a pause in your day to observe your surroundings. Mindfulness is a great way to break up a day when you’re in auto-pilot mode. Practise mindful writing exercises – this is another great way to take a pause in your busy day and engage your brain whilst encouraging the habit of daily writing. Decrease your time on social media – there are many good aspects to social media however there are also many negatives including avoidable drama and arguments. Reduce your time on social networks and see if you feel more positive. See your roadblocks as challenges – decide to perceive everything you deem negative as a challenge, something to overcome. Flip the switch on the things that bother you and work to conquer them. Discard toxic environments – take a look at the people you surround yourself with. Do they rub off onto you? Make an effort to spend the majority of your time with those who lift you up and inspire you rather than hold you back and keep you in a cloud of negativity. Don’t compare yourself to other people – comparing yourself to other people is never good. Everyone has unique circumstances and nothing can be gained from making comparisons with another person as we are all different with different qualities. Stay in the present, every day – because the present is all you have, take what you’ve learned from the past but don’t feel sad over it. At the same time, don’t fear the future. Whatever happens, you’ll deal with it in the same way you have managed to deal with everything you’ve ever dealt with. Give back – give back whether through general kindness or volunteering, engaging and growing a sense of community can help others and yourself at the same time. Spend more time outdoors – you may be surprised how much better you could feel if you spend more time outdoors. Go out in nature at least once a week to get some natural stimuli and experience the many other benefits. Pick up a new hobby – I often wonder if I’m really good at a particular thing but I just haven’t come across said thing yet. There are many hobbies you can pick up that you might be really good at and surprise yourself. Having an enjoyable hobby breaks up what can sometimes be a monotonous week.

Good habits to start for productivity

Here are 21 habits to start that could have a positive impact on your productivity levels.

Read a little every day – if you don’t fancy reading a full-length book and you’re only after the important concepts as a summary, why not try one of the best book summary apps around? Here’s a list of the top ten best book summary apps. Make your bed in the morning – get yourself a small win every single day before you leave the house by making your bed and tidying up. You’ll thank yourself at bedtime. Tidy something – find something every week to tidy up, organise or deep clean. Whatever that thing is that’s been nagging at you, clear it up. You’ll find a great sense of mental relief by keeping things organised. Listen to a productivity podcast – whether you work from home or you’re just sorting things out at home, put a good podcast on in the background so you make even more use of your time by learning something new. Use a focus app – using a focus app is a great way to keep your focus on your work, especially if you work from home. There are many great focus apps out there that monitor your internet usage and keep distracting apps closed in the background whilst you work. Keep a list handy – keep a list of all the most important tasks you have to complete each day whether work-wise or personal. This is a great way to keep your focus on the important things and disregard the things that are just not worth concentrating on. Focus on one thing at a time – when it comes to work, focus on one thing at a time. to get into a state of ‘deep work’. Trying to multitask can stop you from completing a job to the best of your ability. Once you’re finished, make your way down your list. Create a helpful environment – keep the space around you clear and distraction-free. This helps with anything you’re trying to do and can make you more productive. If you’re starting a new habit, for example, design your environment so it reduces the friction of you completing said habit. Just do it – don’t wait to be motivated or inspired, like the Nike slogan; “Just Do It”. Motivation comes and goes and so shouldn’t be relied upon. Instead, just begin a task and see where it takes you. Say no when you need to – whilst it can be a good idea to say ‘yes’ to experiences, it’s helpful to know when to say no too. You can’t please everyone and always live up to what they want from you. If you have something you need to do, don’t feel bad for saying no. Find healthy and easy recipes – because we all have to eat, try and find healthy and easy recipes that are easily repeatable. The more you cook them, the easier it will be to keep a healthy routine. Use up your scraps – if you have a bunch of ingredients in your fridge that you haven’t yet used or have half used, research some meal ideas with those ingredients so no produce goes to waste. Discover recipes with minimal ingredients – research some meals that require only a few ingredients. There are a whole range of tasty meals that only require 4-5 ingredients. This will save you time in the store plus time saved cooking in the kitchen. Let things go more often – don’t be bogged down with what someone says or does. Keep looking forward. There is nothing you can do to change the past and thinking about it again and again has no useful benefit. Stack habits – find ways to stack your habits on top of each other. If you already have a healthy habit you do regularly, you may find it easier to simply add a new small habit on top of it. For example, if you go to the gym, try taking a larger water bottle to increase your daily water consumption. Take a break when you’re struggling – sometimes it’s more helpful to take a break for an hour or so when you’re struggling. Staying up late to try and resolve something might have the opposite effect. Give yourself permission to walk away and clear your mind. Ask for help when you need it – we all like to think we can resolve anything that comes along but sometimes we need to put our pride to the side and ask for help from someone. If you want to learn, you have to be willing to look and feel silly from time to time. Establish a morning routine – if you’re taking on one or two of these good habits, creating a morning routine to do them might help. You’ll feel more productive having an organised morning and that productivity will put you in good stead for the rest of the day. Do the dishes right away – instead of doing the dishes in the morning or later in the same evening, take care of them straight away so you can go to bed knowing everything is clean and you haven’t got to do them in the morning or when you get in from work the following day. Start keeping a calendar – if you feel as if you’re life is messy and chaotic, a simple calendar can help. Jot down important dates and hang it up in your kitchen. That way, you’ll never feel behind and will know exactly when a birthday is or when you need to do something. Start a journal – start a journal to begin a positive daily writing habit. You could do it in the morning or evening; better still, you could do it in the bath to kill two birds with one stone!

Good habit to start for your finances

Here are 15 good habits to start for your finances that can help increase your wealth and help you save for a rainy day.

Set a budget – set yourself a budget every month. Decide what percentage of your income will go on what. For example, 50% might go on necessities, 30% on bills, 10% on wants and 10% on debts or savings. Plan your purchases – before you even go shopping, make a list of everything you need to buy. Most stores are very good at getting you to buy things you don’t need by putting them in your face and putting big discount signage on them. Go to the store and stick to your list. Keep a written list of goals – make a habit of defining your financial goals. Do you want to save? if so, how much money do you want to save in the next year? Defining your goals might help you to stick to them. Track your spending – if you haven’t already, sign up for internet banking so checking your balance is as easy as opening an app. This is a great way to stay on top of your finances and can help you easily identify the small purchases that you might be able to cut out if not needed. Pay yourself first each month – every time you get paid, put some money in your savings, even if it’s a tiny amount. You’ll always have to pay for rent and bills but it’s easy to neglect yourself. Seeing your small pot grow will motivate you to keep going. Start a side hustle – if you’re looking for ways to make extra cash, it might be worth looking into trying to make some extra cash on the side. There are many ways you can do this but of course, they will take dedication and a few hours out of your week. Don’t lend money – whilst it’s kind to lend people money, you have to be careful with who you lend to. Quite often you won’t get that money back or it will take you a long time to get it back. Focus on paying yourself as a priority and get comfortable with saying no. Reduce takeout consumption – takeouts are expensive and often not great for your health. Make a point of limiting them to only a few times a month. Do they fit into your budget? if not, cook something yourself! Make a habit of reviewing your budget – circumstances change so it’s a good idea to keep reviewing your budget. Every few months, take a look at your expenses and see how you can reduce them. For example, you might be able to find a cheaper phone contract with a new provider. Shop around often – use price comparison sites to find the best deal around. Don’t be tempted to go with the first deal you come across. There are so many options these days if you spend a little time researching. If you find a good deal, chances are someone else is doing it cheaper. Find local deals – there are many ways you can find second-hand items of good quality that are local to you. Consider looking in your local paper or on Facebook selling pages, for example. There are many things people no longer need at great prices. Be strict with yourself – take emotion out of every purchase by first asking yourself; “do I really need this?” if the answer is no, you just want it, don’t buy it. Avoid commercials – a good habit to start is to avoid watching commercials. Commercials are designed to tap into your emotions to trigger you into making emotional purchases. For example, just because something is on sale, it doesn’t mean you need it. Regularly check your inventory – make a habit of collecting everything you no longer use and put all your items on your table. You can then sell them to other people on places like Facebook or eBay. Not only will you declutter your home on a regular basis but you’ll make some extra cash on the side. Compete with a friend – make saving money fun by competing with a friend. For example, see who can save the most amount of money in 12 months. Not only will it make the experience fun and give you another reason to save but you’ll also feel as if you have an accountability buddy along the way.

Good habits to start for your relationship

Here are 14 good habits to start that could improve your relationship.

Bring your partner a warm drink in the morning – this is a simple, kind act that reminds your partner you care. It’s such a small thing to do but the small things are often appreciated more than the big ones, in my experience. Tell your partner how much you love them, every day – tell your partner how much you care for them every day, as often as you can. There will be a day when you cannot say it, so make the most of it now. Make some alone time together – when you have children it is difficult to feel the way you used to when you might have had more privacy and therefore intimacy. Set up a regular date night where you have each other’s full attention. Complement your partner often – there’s nothing quite like complimenting your partner and reminding them of their good attributes for a stronger relationship. When life feels heavy, it can be easy to forget to do this but it is a good habit because it keeps your bond strong. Message them something affectionate during the day – another small act of kindness that doesn’t take much is to message your partner during the day unexpectedly and without wanting anything else in return. Make meals with your partner – this can be a great bonding experience. Working on a dish together is a brilliant habit to get into because you get to work on a project together. Work on your positivity – working on your own positivity is a good habit to start. Doing so means you can be a better person for your partner to be around and therefore lift them up too. Show your partner gratitude every day – show your tell your partner your gratitude for them whether it be their efforts around the house or when it comes to looking after your children. This is another small habit that is, in my experience, usually hugely appreciated. Be patient with your partner – people clash when theirs a lack of patience. Even though you’re a couple, much of the time you are experiencing different emotions. Try and be patient with your partner, even when they are angry. Show them that you are there for them when they are calmer and ready to talk. Listen more – most of us aren’t listening, we’re just waiting for our turn to speak. Take a pause before you talk back to your partner. Digest their words and think about what they really mean. Sometimes you don’t need to solve their problems, you just need to be someone who will listen without judgement. Be more playful – again, when life starts to weigh you down, it’s easy to forget to be playful like you both once were when you were younger with fewer responsibilities. Even adults need playtime to unwind and a bit of fun goes a long way. Make sure you do something silly with your partner every now and again. Admit when you’re wrong – stubbornness can wreak havoc in a relationship especially when you are both stubborn. Get used to saying sorry when you’re wrong and do it in a way that shows you mean it. Do something spontaneous – you don’t have to do this all the time but doing something spontaneous can help to break up the monotonous nature of everyday life and keep things exciting for both you and your partner. Be more present – when you’re talking to your partner whether on the sofa or in bed, put your phone down to show them that you’re really listening. We’re all on our phones more than ever and sometimes it can feel like you’re half invested when you’re glued to your phone. Put it down and focus on them when they’re talking to show them you’re listening.

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