30 Habits that Will Change your Life
Developing good habits is the basic of personal development and growth. Everything we do is the result of a habit that was previously taught to us. Unfortunately, not all the habits that we have are good, that’s why we are constantly trying to improve.
The following is a list of 30 practical habits that can make a huge difference in your life.
You should treat this list as a reference, and implement just one habit per month. This way you will have the time to fully absorb each of them, while still seeing significant improvements each month.
- Exercise 30 minutes every day. Especially if you don’t do much movement while working, it’s essential that you get some daily exercise. 30 minutes every day are the minimum recommended for optimal health.
- Eat breakfast every day. Breakfast is the more important meal of the day, yet so many people skip it. Personally, I like to eat a couple of toasts in the morning along with a fruit beverage.
- Sleep 8 hours. Sleep deprivation is never a good idea. You may think that you are gaining time by sleeping less, when in reality you are only gaining stress and tiredness. 8 hours are a good number of hours for most people, along with an optional 20 minutes nap after lunch.
- Avoid snacking between meals. Snacking between meals is the best way to gain weight. If you are hungry, eat something concrete. Otherwise don’t. Update: for clarification, I mean don’t eat junk food between meals, but eating real food it’s ok.
- Eat five portions of fruits and vegetables every day. Our body and brain loves getting vegetables and fruit, so I highly recommend eating as much of them as possible. Five portions is the dose that’s usually recommended by many health associations.
- Eat fish. Fish is rich of omega 3 and other healthy elements. At least one meal per week of fish should be enough for getting all these nutrients.
- Drink one glass of water when you wake up. When you wake up, your body is dehydrated and needs liquid. Make the habit of drinking one glass of water after you wake up in the morning. Also, drink more during the day.
- Avoid soda. Soda is often one of the most unhealthy beverage you can find. Limit your consumption of soda as much as possible and you’re body will be grateful for that.
- Keep your body clean. I don’t advise spending your day in front of the mirror, but a minimum of personal care does never hurt.
- If you smoke, stop it. There’s no reason to smoke anymore, and quitting is easy.
- If you drink, stop it. Same as above. Don’t think that alcohol will solve your problems. It never does. The only exception is one glass of wine per day during meals.
- Take the stairs. This is just a hack that forces you to do a minimum of exercise. Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs.
- Use an inbox system. Make the habit of keeping track of all the ideas and things that comes to mind. You can use a notebook to do this, and then sync everything on your computer.
- Prioritize. If you have a list of things to do, where do you start? One way is to prioritize your list. If you are in doubt, ask yourself: “If I could only accomplish one thing today, what would it be?”
- Plan, but not too much. Planning is important, and you should decide in advance what you are going to do today or this week. However, planning for more than a few weeks is usually inefficient, so I would not worry too much about that.
- Wake up early. Waking up early in the morning is a great way to gain extra time. I personally like to wake up at 5 am, so that by 9 am I have already accomplished what otherwise would have taken me many days..
- Check your email only twice per day. Email can easily become an addiction, but it’s usually unnecessary to check it every 10 minutes. Make an effort and check your email only once or twice per day, see if the world will still rotate as before after you try this.
- Eliminate unimportant tasks. Being busy all day does not mean you are doing important stuff. Eliminate every activity that’s not important, and focus on what really matters.
- Clean off your desk and room. Having a clear room and desk is important to maintain focus and creativity.
- Automate. There are a lot of tasks that you need to perform every day or every week. Try to automate them as much as possible.
- Set strict deadlines. When you do something, decide in advance when you’re going to stop. There’s a rule that states that you will fulfill all the time you have available for completing a task, so make an habit of setting strict deadlines for maximizing your productivity.
- Take one day off per week. Instead of working every day, take one day off per week (for example sunday) where you are not going to turn on your computer. Use that time for doing recreational activities like going for a walk.
Personal Development habits
- Read 1 book per week. Reading is a good way to keep your brain active. With just 30 minutes per day you should be able to read one book per week, or more than 50 books per year.
- Solve puzzles. Quizzes, word games, etc. are all good ways to exercise your brain.
- Think positively. You are what you think, all the time.
- Make fast decisions. Instead of thinking for one hour wherever you are going to do something, make your decisions as fast as possible (usually less than 1 minute).
- Wait before buying. Waiting 48 hours before buying anything is a tremendous money saver, try it.
- Meditate 30 minutes per day. A great way to gain clearness and peace is through meditation. 30 minutes are not a lot, but enough to get you started with meditation.
- Start a blog. Blogging is one of the best way to put your word out. It doesn’t have to be around a specific topic, even a personal blog will do.
- Build a portfolio. If your job is creating stuff, building a portfolio is a great way to show what you are capable of. You can also contribute stuff for free if that applies to your work.
What do you think? What are the habits that changed your life?
Posted on March 19 2010
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Here are all the comments for this post. I'd love to hear your opinion too.
- Daniel Says:March 19 2010 at 13:29
I’m just gonna go make 8 hrs a day sleep a consistent habit. Terrible having 5 to 6 hours each day.
- Srinivas Rao Says:March 19 2010 at 16:12
I love this post. I’m sure I do a good amount of these already, but just by adding a few to the list I’m sure I could create some dramatic changes in my life.
- Sid Savara Says:March 19 2010 at 17:21
I think the key is making all these changes as you characterized them – habits. It doesn’t help to only work out occasionally, sleep 8 hours when it’s convenient etc
Like you, when I implement changes in my life, I shake up my whole routine so these new changes become habits and stick with me.
- Ryan Says:March 19 2010 at 17:51
Awesome insight Oscar.
I practice most of your tips. I’ve bumped up the meditation to 60 minutes a day. A 30 minute session morning and night. I notice more things, which enables me to be more productive while enjoying the ride.
Meditation and at least 30 minutes of exercise would be #1 and #1a on my list.
- Pete Burden Says:March 19 2010 at 18:31
I wonder whether creating new habits to replace old is really the answer?
Why not, instead, consider being more flexible and able to break out of habits more quickly.
I’d refer you to the work of psychologist Professor Ben Fletcher and his colleagues on habit breaking and the benefits of that.
“I have developed what is called a DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT (DSD) technique to facilitate change (basically changes in the persons’ behavioural flexibility are used to lever changes of mind and the greater deployment of willpower and effort).”
- March 19 2010 at 20:41
Hi Pete and thanks for your comment. I agree that being flexible is very important and being able to switch from one habit to another very quickly is a nice skill to develop. But I still think most of the habits I listed here are not a replacement for something else, but rather a way of living perhaps. Maybe the ones under productivity can be more subjective.
- Jen Says:March 19 2010 at 20:01
A great list you have here Oscar. I do most of these already and they all have made a big difference to my life (especially regular exercise). One I need to get back in the habit of doing regularly is meditating. I love it when I do it and feel so great afterwards but somehow let it go by the wayside. Also I am vegetarian so don’t eat fish but do take veggie frinedly omega 3 to get my quota of that.
- Darby O'Connor Says:March 19 2010 at 21:36
The Weekly Review has been a key habit. I know that Excersising daily is sure to spawn off many positive new habits. I would recommend this one to anyone who does not know where to begin personal development!
Great summary of many effective habits!
- Ben Weston Says:March 20 2010 at 02:12
I’m a particular fan of waking up early and only checking email twice a day. Your experiment in waking up at 5am actually inspired me to do the same, well 6am actually. I love it! I get an incredible amount of work done, all before lunch. Thank you
- Renelda Says:March 20 2010 at 05:27
I think i have sleep deprivation or insomnia. I do not recall sleeping for 8 hours. normally 4. I know it is bad but my mind is not at rest. I work 60 hours a week. I tried to think that if I am doing not doing nothing for personal development that I am wasting my life away.
- tudza Says:March 20 2010 at 10:04
There is no reason to smoke anymore? Obviously you do not smoke a pipe.
Quitting is certainly easy enough. I feel no compulsion to smoke when I am on family vacations or I am sick.
- marius Says:March 20 2010 at 10:18
Health habits: Avoid snacking between meals.
This is the worst suggestion ever. It’s proven that eating between meals increases your metabolism, so it’s good to snack, but it really depends what your are snacking on, if it’s a jar of cookies, than probably better not to snack at all :)
- March 22 2010 at 09:48
I wanted to add a note about this, but forgot at the end. You see, outside of america snacking between meals is very infrequent, and for a good reason. In my post I said eat something concrete because it’s ok to eat a sandwich or something real at any time of the day, the problem is when you snack with junk food. Maybe I should have been more clear about this.
- Sudhir Khanger Says:March 20 2010 at 11:19
A student definitely need about 8 hours of sleep but after School, Job and self study you don’t really get enough time and then you do need entertainment.
- Mostafa Says:March 20 2010 at 11:49
I just stumbled upon this post and i find it to be extremely useful. I am an engineering student and a lot of these habits could turn my life around 180 degrees. I am a smoker, I sleep around 3 to 5 hours a day, I never have breakfast and i also have poor planning schemes.The only thing i do is solve puzzles(since i am a computer engineer). I will start by doing the easy tasks, like having breakfast, and getting enough sleep. As for smoking, I have made a decision today that i am never smoking again, I just hope i stick to it. Developing good planning schemes may take some time but i am willing to give it a shot, that will definitely pay off. Again thanks for this nice post Oscar.
- Andrew Says:March 22 2010 at 12:44
Very nice post Oscar.
@Mostafa: if u wanna quit smoke easy just read the book Easyway to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr. I did it (from 2 packs/day) and a lot of friends too. Instantly. It’s great now. I can practice sport with pleasure, breath and think better. Good luck ;)
- Mauricio vargas Says:March 20 2010 at 15:22
awesome text, every single point is surely important to everyone.
- brian Says:March 20 2010 at 15:36
thanks for the good habits. I’m starting tomorrow.
- Sam89 Says:March 20 2010 at 18:49
Just discovered this blog and must say that I LOVE the tight, concrete/specific advices you just gave. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to reading the RSS :)
- Tom Says:March 20 2010 at 19:58
Go to hell, Mom.
- tt Says:March 21 2010 at 06:57
Stumbled across this and remembered, after a bit of self doubt, you, though likely a very nice person, probably don’t actually know very much about success, or how everyone should achieve it. Should you actually be “advising” anyone? Should I listen because you posted a list on the tubes?
- Tilia Says:March 21 2010 at 10:57
Hi, very good post you made. Most of the things I already do luckily.
Only one point I really disagree with and that’s with eating fish. I do agree you need omega 3, but fish is about the unhealthiest choice to get it from. Are you aware that 100% of the fish in US streams is contaminated with Mercury? Mercury is a highly poisonous toxin. http://www.naturalnews.com/028284_fish_mercury.html
- Anastasiya Says:March 21 2010 at 20:54
Hi Oscar, that’s a great list! You’ve dome a great job at compiling so many important habits into one list. I could probably add some more, but I have actually already done that on my blog :-) (so I won’t repeat myself)
Thanks again for a great list!
- Christine Says:March 22 2010 at 02:04
One habit that changed my life was a new year’s resolution: In 2009, I will not turn down any more social invitations. And by 2010, I wasn’t lonely anymore. I have lots of new and intelligent friends. Definitely changed my life.
- ilsa Says:March 22 2010 at 03:34
I have had a 10 oz glass of waster by my bed side and to drink down before my body temp changes from the sleep zone into awake and running all my conscious life. I have good skin… and more… hummmm
- Dean Jackson Says:March 22 2010 at 04:27
Snacking is actually good for you.
The foods that folks choose to snack on, and the amounts of those foods people wind up eating? That’s the bad part.
Stop eating junk. Stop overeating. Easy to say, but either hard or uninteresting to actually do for most folks.
- March 22 2010 at 08:56
Excellent list! I guess I knew some of them already, but receiving them in the form of a well thought of list will enforce them and drive me to follow them.
However, one point I am slightly dubious about. Devoting just 30 min a day and reading a book a week. Is it really possible?
- March 22 2010 at 10:12
Hey Saurabh, there’s only one way to discover that ;)
- March 22 2010 at 17:12
If you don’t mind, could you please share some techniques you follow? On an average, for a book that you find of an average grasping level, how many pages can you read an hour?
Please excuse such mathematical curiosity, I am an engineer by heart and study. :)
- March 22 2010 at 22:56
I average 1 page per minute, so with 30 pages per day I can read 210 pages. Most book I read are between 200 and 300 pages, but more on the 200 side. When I read technical books tough, things changes. There I can read for months the same book, but then again I have different goals with them. I tried many speed reading techniques but they are not worth for me.
P.S. I read in english which is not my primary tongue so you might perform better.
- March 23 2010 at 02:06
Thanks Oscar for the insight.
You are doing a great job through this blog! Congratulations.
- Jim Says:March 22 2010 at 15:05
Good suggestions for the most part. The one I question though is geting up early.
Morning people love t preach this like it’s the gospel, and they say you gain so much time, but I don’t see how you gain any time at all. You just shift your day. Assuming you want to get the same amount of sleep, gettingup earlier means going to bed earlier. Thus,you just shift your day forward, you still have the same amount of time.
I work in a job where I support other people – accodingly, most days I need to be here from 9am to 5pm – during normal business hours. All getting up early would do for me is mean I work more (because I need to stay at work until 5ish regardless) and have less free time. Evening is when I socialize, spend time with friends, and relax. Morning = go to work. Why would I want to get up earlier??
Plus, in my age group (young professional) going to bed at 9pm every night would totally destroy my social life. For example, I am on the board of a volunteer organization and our meetings often run past 9pm.
Now, if you are married with kids and work from home, I see how getting up early could be great. You get time to work while the wife and kids sleep, and you’re done working by the time your kids finish school. But it isn’t a one size fits all. I think, really, the key is to go to bed on time whenever that is. Night owls tend to stay up late and sacrifice sleep to do it, which is always a bad idea.
- March 22 2010 at 15:32
Hey Jim, of course one fit all lists are never going to happen, you have to try out what works for yourself in all cases, despite what statistics are saying. Regarding this exact topic, I’m going to post later today my results of waking up at 5 am experiment. Thanks for your comment.
- Dave Says:March 22 2010 at 21:35
1. 30 minutes exercise 5 days a week is recommended levels.
3. People who sleep 7 hours a night have a better life expectance than those who sleep 8. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1928-seven-hours-sleep-the-safest.html
4. You’ve updated this one, but its still wrong.
11. Wrong, “One found that men drinking between 21 and 30 units of alcohol a week had the lowest mortality rate in Britain. Another concluded that a man would have to drink 63 units a week, or a bottle of wine a day, to face the same risk of death as a teetotaller.”
- March 22 2010 at 22:53
Hi Dave, thanks for pointing out that I’m wrong, I’m sure you have your reasons and of course everyone is different. Anyway I just wanted to say that it’s more than being right or right, it’s about trying something new and discover what works for you, that’s what it’s all about. Even quitting smoking and drinking is (in my opinion) something that enables you to try different things, regardless of health benefits.
- Dave Says:March 22 2010 at 23:53
If you’re going to give advice, then you have to be prepared for it to stand up to scrutiny.
You are neither an expert (correct me if I’m wrong) nor do you cite your sources. I did not give you my opinion, I showed you places where you could get correct information.
Based on current research, if everyone followed your advice, you would reduce life expectancy.
- March 23 2010 at 07:54
Of course I don’t expect everyone to agree with what I say, and I appreciate different feedbacks like your. Regarding sleep, we know very little about it and you have to see what works for you (ad it also depends on your age). The point of habits is to enable you to try something new, but you are free to try them or not, this is just a place where I share my experiences.
- John Q Says:March 23 2010 at 17:25
I feel your comments coming across like that person who wants to get attention on a American Idol contest. They know they don’t stand a chance but they hope that if they make enough noise they will get noticed.
I disagree with some points that Oscar has made but I’m not here to make him tweak his post to my liking, I am here to read his comments and make the best of it. You made your point, he listened and then you moved on. The citations about only needing 7 hours of sleep at night is from a study conducted in 1988 and it is almost a common knowledge that you need at least 8 hours of sleep at night. Of course some of these studies are made just to “prove” wrong but at the end of the day take your time and sleep some days 7 hours at night while others 8 hours at night and let me know how you feel. You can’t make a rule that because some study made years ago is going to work for everyone and now we have to change our sleeping patterns.
Another wrong citation "Wrong, “One found that men drinking between 21 and 30 units of alcohol a week had the lowest mortality rate in Britain. " Come on, you are not going to use the rule the world with a research done in Britain, If I say that a research done in Britain says that people who ate 10 jalapeños a day lived longer, you are going to do the same? We know by common sense that less alcohol is better, did you know that in 1988 there 51% of alcohol-related fatalities (http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html) there are your statistics. Great benefit from drinking alcohol huh?
Finally, if I was asked who’s advice I wanted to follow by just looking at your Avatar picture, I would say that I would rather look like Oscar than you. He looks healthier over all and he is being kind enough to gather his knowledge and put it on a blog post.
I apologize if I wasn’t nice but I tried my best.
- Angela Says:March 24 2010 at 09:12
Thank you for systemizing these habits and publishing them here. It’s a good reminder for everybody. I have about 10 of them already and will try to buid more.
I just want to ask you and the others to help me with the meditation – never new how to do it :-(
And a small suggestion for a habit – "Keep in touch with friends, even just to say Hi. Ask them “How are you?” and listen for the answer"
- March 24 2010 at 10:25
Hey Angela, thanks for your suggestion, that’s really a good habit to have. Regarding meditation you’re coming at the right time, in fact I’m starting a 30 days challenge on friday which will be all about meditation and visualization. I already did meditation before but I want to get back to the habit of doing it every day and I’ll write about the process here on the blog.
- Jason Says:March 24 2010 at 17:02
Bossy little thing, aren’t you?
- Dale Says:March 24 2010 at 18:05
Thanks for this list, Oscar. Perhaps it comes under the “Puzzles” category but learning to read a new language, however casually you approach it, is the ultimate brain workout. Better than a crossword puzzle. :-)
- Farnoosh Says:March 25 2010 at 02:12
I am supposed to do all this AND meditate 30 minutes a day? :)
Just kidding – fantastic list! I am pleased with myself to see and know I do heaps of these already but there is always more ways to improve, enhance, and become better at things to live a better life. Excellent list. The healthy living habit is great, and for reading (especially the literary classics), a big thumbs up!
- March 26 2010 at 15:43
Drinking that first cup of water in the morning is essential and you then realise that you. It really gives you an amazing boost for the rest of the day. Great post Oscar
- Arsene Hodali Says:March 28 2010 at 01:18
Agree with all your points. Except for the 8-hour sleep and eating fish ones.
I’m a vegan and dymaxion polyphasic sleeper (2 hours sleep per day) so…
- Mike Says:March 28 2010 at 22:16
Great list. This weekend I reduced a ton of clutter and excess “Stuff” in order to help me prioritize what is important and let my mind relax.
It is amazing what getting rid of clutter does for the mind.
- Andrew Says:March 29 2010 at 22:24
Time saving tip — one great thing about yoga is that you get exercise + meditation at the same time
- Jo Says:March 30 2010 at 18:49
Hi Oscar, and who with recyling? and sex?
are two good practices, everything is very interesting.
- Webme1 Says:March 30 2010 at 20:32
What is refreshing about this article page is that you are taking the time to respond to so many people’s comments.
Quite often you read an article and read comments that have little or no responses and to read your responses gives the whole page more life and interest.
I will definitely be reading more of your articles.
- Taylor Says:March 31 2010 at 23:54
How about we add these to the list of life improving habits for any given situation:
1. Check and adjust your breath
2. Check and adjust your posture
3. Answer the question: “what’s the right thing to do here?”
4. Strive towards doing that “right thing”
- shari storm Says:April 01 2010 at 15:43
You had me until “start a blog”.
I LOVE this post. As a matter of fact, I booked marked and tagged it ‘read often’.
However, the mathematics don’t quite work.
If I wake up at 5 and need 8 hours of sleep, then I’m in bed by 9 pm.
Assuming I’m at work by 8 am, home by 6 pm, how do I work out for 30 minutes, meditate for 30 minutes, read for 30 minutes (assuming I need to do that to finish a book a week), spend a few minutes every day cleaning my desk and do a puzzle? When will I have time to blog (or clean the house, pay my bills, grocery shop, or go to church for that matter)? Especially if I take off one day each week.
These are great things to aspire to. But I don’t think one should feel bad if they don’t reach all goals every day (especially if you have children).
I have a love / hate relationship with lists like these. I love reading them, but then they immediately make me feel guilty. As a working mom, I’m lucky if I can do these things once each week! Truly.
But thank you for the reminders. Always good.
- José Carlos Maguiña Says:April 01 2010 at 16:52
Cómo así llegaste a estas 30 recomendaciones?
Pues si las practicas… o eres un santo; o no eres de este mundo!
Un abrazo; JC.
PS: Lo voy a postear en mi blog: http://micerebrum.blogspot.com/
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