Start Your Own Good Habits List
What good habit would you like to begin this month?
Our daily decisions and habits have a huge impact upon both our levels of happiness and success.
Shawn Actor
Quite often when we think of habits, we tend to think of our ‘bad’ habits and our hope, intention or struggles that one day we will be able to give them up. But, whilst it’s useful to think of giving up our bad habits, I also believe it’s more enjoyable to instil good habits, which may eventually squeeze out the bad habits.
Cultivate Good Habits
So, looking at things this way, instead of forcing or depriving yourself, instead, actively cultivate a good habit you’d like to develop and ignore your bad habit. Of course, the bad habit will crop up, it’s inevitable, since by definition it’s something that you often do without even realising that you’re doing it. But, over time, the aim would be to supersede the old bad habit with something more enjoyable, meaningful or healthy.
So how about starting your own Good Habits List? Try to make the list positively focused, aimed at the ‘good’ things you’re going to do.
To help you along, I’ve devised a list of 15 good habits below, split into different life categories. Why not pick off a few or use it as inspiration to create your own Good Habits List!
Good Habits List – Personal Principles
1 If you don’t want to do something (attend a social event, help out at the school event etc), always decline promptly.
2 Respond, rather than react. There is a difference.
3 Follow through on your promises, both to others and yourself.
Good Habits List – Work/Home/Productivity
4 When a new task comes in, assign it a diary slot and then put it in the file for that day (paper or electronic).
5 Set yourself ‘theme’ days to work on things. Decide what are the important themes of your week, and then decide which days of the week they’ll be assigned to. Make them a priority on that day.
6 Tidy up at the end of the day to give yourself a clutter free start to tomorrow. Make it a 5-minute challenge!
Related Post: 25 Simple Time Management Tips
Good Habits List – Self Care
7 Write up a list of things you enjoy and do at least one each day.
8 Take up yoga or practice meditation to help your mind quiet down.
9 Treat yourself to a weekly manicure or pedicure. If cost is an issue, do this with a friend and reciprocate.
Good Habits List – Finances
10 Set up regular automated savings and then forget about them.
11 Choose to live within your means.
12 Celebrate the fact that you use a budget…you do, don’t you?
Related Post: How to Set Up A Personal Budget – A Step by Step Guide
Good Habits List – Personal Development
13 Read a few non-fiction books every year (set yourself a target) related to a field that interests you.
14 Learn a new skill or hobby to keep yourself interested and interesting!
15 Keep abreast of developments in your specialism by regularly networking.
The only proper way to eliminate bad habits is to replace them with good ones.
Jerome Hines
So have these quick lists of good habits helped or inspired you to think of a few of your own? It surely is infinitely more enjoyable to concentrate on the positives in life than the (our) negatives, so I hope this method of habit creation is something that you will try! Good luck!
These are some great ideas for good habits! One habit I need to get into is drinking as much water on the weekends as I do d uring the week. It’s easy during the week because I’m sitting at my desk all day and, like you, I take infrequent breaks – I try to force myself to take at least a short break in the middle of the morning, and again in the middle of the afternoon, as well as my half-hour lunch break, but other than that that’s usually all I get during the week. But I do keep my water next to me at my desk during the week. When I’m at my desk on the weekends though I’m not on the phone, so I don’t drink as much water. And when I’m out I tend to be more slack about drinking water. There are some other good ones on this list I need to work on too…