Positive Habits That Will Improve Your Life

Positive habits are the secret to your happiness and your success. From being in my late teens to now being in my late twenties I can see how much my life has changed and how the small but positive habits which I’ve developed have improved my life dramatically. With each positive habit I’ve developed, I’ve started getting rid of everything that’s not aligning with the person I want to be and the life I want to live.

Here are 9 positive habits that will improve your life!

1. Morning Pages

One of the positive habits which I started at the beginning of 2019 is writing morning pages. This year I’m making a conscious effort to make morning pages part of my everyday routine and so far, it’s having a positive impact on my life. Journaling every day is allowing me to clear my mind and get rid of any negative thoughts and feelings building up inside.

It gives me a clear sense of direction and allows my mind to feel less messy. I love giving myself 15 to 30 minutes every morning to journal and write my morning pages, it’s my dedicated time for self-reflection.

If you haven’t heard of morning pages before, they are basically three pages of writing done every morning. The idea is to allow your pages to be messy as you write down anything and everything which you’re feeling and thinking. Doing this allows your mind to become a lot clearer and for you to be much more focused.

2. Affirmations

Another habit which I’ve recently developed is writing an affirmation once a day. I’ve incorporated this habit into my morning routine by writing out my daily affirmation at the end of my morning pages. Some days I write out the same affirmation if I’m working towards a specific goal. While other days I write down an affirmation which resonates well with my morning pages and how I’m currently feeling.

If you haven’t heard of affirmations before, they are positive statements which you repeat to yourself in a way to support your success. Affirmations are a perfect way to develop a more positive perception of yourself and your life. They can influence the way you think and behave. Because unfortunately most of us will think more negative thoughts about ourselves. Such as, “I can’t do (insert your goal here)” or “I could never be (insert your ambition here)”. Affirmations can help undo the damage caused by negative statements which we have repeatedly told ourselves.

3. Decluttering

Doing regular decluttering of my space is another positive habit which I’ve developed and would highly recommend. Developing the habit of decluttering on a regular basis can help reduce clutter in your mind as well as your space. Because once you get into the habit of decluttering your space you will start applying the same concept to other areas of your life such as your to-do list. You will start to become more focused on what is important and what isn’t. When developing a decluttering habit I suggest using the KonMari method from the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying* by Marie Kondo. 

• Check out my post on how to spring-clean your life

4. Planning

Another positive habit which I’ve developed over the years is planning my time. I started getting into the habit of reviewing my calendar and planning my time at least once a week when I got serious about turning my blog into a full-time income, as I needed to make sure I wasn’t procrastinating and using my time wisely.

When planning your time I suggest you choose a time and day when you will review and update your calendar for the upcoming week. Try to do it on the same day every week, as this will help form the habit.

Next, I suggest adding in your non-negotiable items such as work or school, then add in items such as seeing your friends, and family, exercise and self-care. Finally, add tasks from your to-do list, or any projects and goals you want to work on. When doing this habit, remember to not pack too much into your schedule and always allow time for rest.

5. Having a bedtime routine

Creating and sticking to a bedtime routine has been another positive habit which I’ve developed over the last couple of years. My typical bedtime routine looks like this:

• Switch off all electronics by 9 PM (excluding my kindle)
• Prepare for work the next day (layout work clothes, pack gym kit, make overnight oats)
• Pamper (washing, brushing, flossing, removing makeup, applying moisturiser)
• Read in bed

As you can see, my bedtime routine is pretty simple and very relaxing and it doesn’t take a long time at all. It seems like we are all, always so busy, we are constantly rushing through life and have little time to ourselves and when we do have time, we binge on Netflix and lose ourselves as mindlessly scroll through our phones. Having a bedtime routine means you have dedicated time to yourself, to relax, unwind, as well as prepare yourself for the next day.

6. Waking up earlier

Having a morning routine goes perfectly with having a bedtime routine. If you set your alarm before the rest of the house wakes up and before you need to start your day, you can set time aside to do the things you love.

Whether that be blogging, swimming, going to the gym, going to an early yoga class or just having a slow morning so you don’t start every day feeling stressed and rushed.  Even just waking up 15-30 minutes earlier every morning has made such a positive impact on my life.

It’s not something which I can do consistently, because let’s face it, some days we need those extra minutes in bed. But if you can into a habit of waking up earlier most of the time, you will notice the benefits.

• If you struggle to wake up earlier, check out this post!

7. Writing monthly goals

Another positive habit which I’ve recently developed is writing my monthly goals. By having monthly goals you will have a clearer focus on what’s important to you and more clarity and direction when making life decisions. When setting monthly goals you’re able to review your goals more often without becoming overwhelmed. You can reflect on what you’ve done so far and where you’re heading and focus your attention on what’s important to you. Start setting monthly goals with the Positivity Planner.

8. Exercising regularly

Working out regularly can massively improve your life, as it allows you to reset your mind, and take care of your body and during your workout, you will release endorphins which will make you feel happier. Sometimes I really don’t feel like working out but after I force myself to get out of the house and take care of my body, I always feel great afterwards

9. Remembering where you started

It’s so easy to forget about how far we’ve come and instead focus on how far we have to go. Especially if you’re the type of person is always striving for more and who is constantly moving their goal to something more challenging.

One of the positive habits which I’ve developed is remembering to look back on how much I’ve achieved so far. It’s good to aim for bigger and better things, just don’t forget where you started. A good exercise for this is to write a reverse bucket list, when writing a reverse bucket list, you need to write down all of the things you have achieved so far. What are you proud of? What goals have you accomplished?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and found some positive habits to incorporate into your own life! Before you go, let me know in the comments what are some positive habits that have improved your life? 

Laura x