Habits to Change Your Life

As I write this post, it's the 6th September – a time I love to use to re-organise my life, refocus on my work and create some better daily habits.

With the end of year fast approaching, New Year Resolutions may be on your mind, but why wait?! Remove the pressure of New Year, and get yourself into a solid routine so you can enter the new year in a better place than you are right now!

If you're reading this in February and you feel it's too late – it's not! Don't wait for the next quarter, the next week or the next Monday – commit to making those changes today.

In this post, I’ll share 110 habit ideas across different areas of your life. Read through them and see if any jump out to you. Remember though, less is more when you're introducing change into your life.

Stick to simple ones to begin with until they're grounded, once they are, introduce more, or increase the intensity.

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*Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something via the link, I may receive a small commission. This doesn't affect the price you pay.

If you have any questions, reach out for a chat [email protected] or check out my other blogs

Habits for Productivity

1. Use the 1-3-5 technique to prioritise and limit overwhelm.
2. Use time-blocking to create focused hours.
3. Take regular 5-10 minute breaks to reset and refocus.
4. Write tomorrow’s to-do list before you finish for the day.
5. Track your tasks in a printable or digital planner. (see Etsy planners)
6. Celebrate one tiny win each day.
7. Close tabs and switch off notifications during your set focus times.
8. Avoid multitasking, each time you switch tasks you reset your flow, costing your time and energy.
9. Batch similar tasks to save energy. Task batching can help you stay focused and save time.
10. Write down your daily goals. Repeat them daily to reinforce your purpose, focus and direction.
    

Habits for Mental Health

1. Begin each day with a journaling practice. Include gratitude to help you notice the good things in your life.
2. Try mindful journaling for five minutes. (Daily CBT Journal Page)
3. Step outside daily for fresh air, if you are able to, go for a walk in nature.
4. Say an affirmation each morning while cleaning your teeth, looking in the mirror.
5. Limit doom-scrolling and set yourself time away from your devices.
6. Practise grounding exercises when you're feeling stressed, worried or anxious.
7. Check in with your energy levels daily and create a plan based around this.
8. Create a calm morning routine to help you start the day without overwhelm.
9. Begin to notice and gently reframe your inner critic with daily journaling. (CBT Daily Journaling)
10. Prioritise sleep and nourishment.
    

Habits for a Calmer Home

1. Declutter a space weekly.
2. Create a Sunday reset routine, so you can step into Monday mornings feeling calm.
3. Tidy as you go, or each evening before bed, and encourage children to do the same in their rooms.
4. Spend 10 minutes a day with a calming candle or diffuser while you read or relax.
5. Plan simple meals ahead, and batch cook where possible to help on busy days.
6. Open your curtains and let in natural light and open windows for fresh air every morning.
7. Create a calm evening / bedtime routine with children (and yourself!).
8. Get up before the children to remove the morning rush and have some time for yourself.
9. Set boundaries around work and home, especially if you work from home / home school.
10. Set aside family time each day to talk through their day, share positive experiences or worries.
    

Habits for Intentional Living

1. Clarify your values, and use these to reflect on how aligned your life currently is.
2. Set daily intentions as you journal.
3. Visualise your future self for a few minutes daily.
4. Create space for down time each day. Use this time to read, listen to a podcast or go for a walk.
5. Journal each morning / evening to focus your mind and reflect on the day.
6. Review monthly goals and check that your goals are still aligned.
7. Prioritise the things that will help you become who you want to be.
8. Disconnect from all screens for one hour per day.
9. Begin your mornings with a short pause.
10. Celebrate small wins daily. These don't have to only be about achievements (e.g. being more present, pausing before reacting).
    

Habits for Entrepreneurs

1. Begin your week with a planning / admin session.
2. Keep a notebook of content ideas so they're not taking up space in your mind.
3. Do one visibility action daily.
4. Limit social media to set times, and define personal / professional time.
5. Start and end of day ritual. Help you move smoothly into the working day, and allow your mind to switch off at the end of the day. Especially key if you work from home and don't have a physical disconnect.
6. Track business metrics weekly.
7. Learn one new thing each month. E.g. listen to a podcast, complete a course, or attend some training.
8. Block out creative time weekly. Use this time to work on ideas or create products / training etc.
9. Set weekly daily and non-negotiables. Block time out for them in your planner to help you prioritise.
10. Track your progress each day, and then follow up weekly / monthly. The earlier you identify things that aren't working, the less time and energy you waste.
    

Habits for Small Business Owners

1. Spend 5/10 minutes before you finish each day planning tasks for the next day to remove decision fatigue.
2. Use templates to save time and energy. Create a weekly template session to edit and personalise templates to use / sell online (e.g. on Etsy)
3. Use time-blocking to increase focus each day.
4. Create a weekly marketing ritual for emails / Newsletters etc.
5. Batch-create social media content, and batch-schedule on a different day.
6. Daily client / member check-in. So you don't miss notifications. Spend 15 minutes per day in your community or following up on emails / messages.
7. Organise your digital files. Each day check you have labelled / saved new documents in the right place.
8. Regular breaks. Take a 10-minute walk each day, or do a grounding exercise to rest and reset your mind.
9. Track daily and review weekly. Check what’s working and what’s not. Review and make changes you need to for the following week.
10. Connect with others. Create a co-working group, or spend some time in a community to learn from others or share your own ideas. Limit this so it doesn't distract you for too long though.
    

Habits for Wellness

1. Drink water before coffee each morning.
2. Journal as you have your breakfast.
3. Do a minute of gentle stretches before you go downstairs each morning.
4. Practise mindful eating.
5. Focus on creating a good sleep routine. More sleep is great for mental and physical well-being.
6. Rest without guilt. You don't need to be doing something all of the time. Rest before you have to for increased energy and better focus.
7. Introduce a weekly self-care habit. For example, a long bath, a walk in nature, an afternoon of reading in a comfy chair, or a day out with friends!
8. Morning gratitude journaling. Whether you write in a journal or take a moment with your thoughts, finding gratitude – even during those difficult times – can help stop overwhelm from taking over.
9. Practice mindfulness. Guided meditations, or a few minutes of breathing exercises each day.
10. Nourish your body, focus on fresh, unprocessed food as much as possible.
    

Habits for Better Energy

1. Track your energy daily. Identify the times / days when your energy is higher and lower, and use this to plan your weekly activities. Time Audit
2. Journal to help you manage stress or overwhelm. Creating space in your mind helps lessen the mental load.
3. Rest before exhaustion hits. Make rest part of your daily routine. Create more balance to keep your energy high and focus strong.
4. Take short movement breaks between tasks. Get up and stretch, or gently move your body and shake off any stuck energy.
5. Spend time outdoors daily. A quick 10-15 minute walk is a great starting point. Use your lunch break to get up and get outside.
6. Limit caffeine after 2pm. Avoid feeling too wired in the evenings, or feeling sluggish in the mornings by limiting caffeine intake, and supporting a better nights sleep.
7. Eat energy-balancing snacks. Avoid sugar crashes in the afternoon by eating snacks that protect your energy and sugar levels.
8. Create time away from work each week. Use this to recharge your batteries. For example, meeting with friends, spending time enjoying your hobbies.
9. Create a gentle morning routine to set you up for the day ahead. Calm Mornings
10. Review your activities across the week and identify any energy drains. Can you limit these activities or spread them out across your day / week to limit their impact?
    

Habits for Creativity

1. Keep a notebook or use an app to keep a note of any new ideas. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, or becoming too distracted by shiny new things, making a note will allow you to stay focused on the task in hand without forgetting these golden nuggets as they arise!
2. Do one creative action daily. Make time in your day for creativity. Add it into your planner and keep it blocked out as you would do a meeting or client call.
3. Practice morning pages or free writing each day. Use the time to unload what your mind is holding on to. Great for processing thoughts, finding clarity and freeing up space for creativity.
4. Screen time break. Limit screen time each day. Choose to switch on / off at certain times only.
5. Daily walk outside. Let nature inspire your creativity.
6. Commit to experimenting with a new project and avoid looking for completion perfection. Giving yourself permission to work in a ‘draft' mindset will free you of pressure and help you get back to enjoying the creative process.
7. Try something new. Either make this a weekly or monthly habit, but use it to challenge yourself and expand your skills.
8. Prioritise your tasks each day. Create a clear plan with your top priorities and limit multitasking when you're working on a project.
9. Batch your time / tasks when in creative mode. This helps you stay focused and in flow.
10. Create something every day. Big or small – it's up to you and what your day-to-day life looks like.
    

Habits for Self-Confidence

1. Gratitude and Affirmation journaling. Write 3 things you're grateful for, and write 3 affirmations down each morning to reinforce self-positivity. Daily Journal Page
2. Keep a “wins” list in your journal or planner. Become comfortable with celebrating and seeing the value in yourself and your life.
3. Practise speaking kindly to yourself. Challenge negative thoughts as they arise, replacing them with more positive and supportive ones.
4. Focus on progress, not perfection. Set yourself realistic goals each day. Base these on your current reality. (Your energy / time / commitments).
5. Be intentional with your time online. If things do not leave you feeling good – limit them. Prioritise the things that do help you feel good instead.
6. Celebrate effort as much as results. When you review each day, don't just write down what you did / didn't achieve. Give context to your notes to help you understand, and celebrate any kind of progress you've made.
7. Reduce comparison triggers. As #5, limit the things that make you compare yourself with others. Journal when you feel this has happened.
8. Use grounding each day to help you regulate your emotions.
9. Create a weekly reflection session that isn't just based on task progress. Weekly Journal Page
10. Get up each day, get dressed in some nice clothes, spray of your favourite perfume – even if you work from home! This can give you a real boost to how you feel in yourself each day, and how you show up.
    

Habits for Low Energy Days

1. Create a “bare minimum plan” for lower energy days. Tackle only what you know you can cope with, the rest can wait.
2. Break tasks into micro-steps. Go smaller, even if you only give 5 minutes per task. The fact you showed up can help you feel good, and that you have made some progress.
3. Schedule more rest the normal days. Instead of hourly breaks, work for 10 / 15 / 20 minute sessions and rest in between. Start later or finish earlier, whatever fits best with your energy cycle.
4. Use an energy tracker to help you identify patterns. This can help you lessen the boom/ bust cycle as you begin to work with your energy over a longer period of time.
5. Focus on low energy tasks on these days, and spread out any medium / higher energy things.
6. Nourish your body and limit sugar spiking.
7. Focus on just one priority, and be flexible with your approach. If you need to stop, then stop without guilt or shame.
8. Celebrate tiny wins. Regardless of the quantity, you made progress on days when you your energy is low – that is a huge win in itself.
9. Review your overall goals during low energy days. Use the time to reflect on projects, goals and tasks.
10. Do a morning check-in. Use this to guide your choices for the day.

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If you're looking for a way to create more balance in your life, this Life Balance Wheel worksheet is a great way to get a better idea of what's currently working (or not), and how to make life feel better.

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Tools, Resources & Support

Take a look at these tools & resources that will help you with your intentional planning, seasonal goals and personal growth:

Quit Unhelpful Habits Create and stick to your new habits with ease and confidence

90-Day Planner – This printable 90-Day planner is the perfect companion for you as you set your focus for the next 3 months. Use it every 90 days to help build consistent habits and achieve your goals with ease. With a focus on intentional planning and moving forward at your own space, it's the perfect companion to see you through to the end of the year.

Canva Pro – Upgrade your content design with Canva Pro. Explore the enhanced features available in Pro. Grab your free trial here.

Impact Stationery – Have you ever dreamed of creating your own high-end stationery products? The brilliant Laura has an amazing course & community designed to help you create premium printed products (planners, journals, decks etc.), that you can market on Amazon, or your own website. It's not KDP, these are not print on demand. The quality of the products produced within the community are incredible, with many seeing incredible returns already.

Notion Navigators – If you want to learn how to use Notion and grab some AMAZING dashboards, I highly recommend joining Jakolien. As someone who was scared of Notion and found it too complicated, I now use it daily thanks to the best daily planner system I've ever used. I cannot recommend it enough – my ND brain feels settled, goals are clear, tasks are right there for me to see – so no more decision fatigue, and a much calmer mind.

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Final Thoughts

Introducing and building new habits can help you to make significant changes over time. They key is to keep it simple. Whether you're looking to improve your productivity, create more balance, or feel calmer, small habits, repeated consistently (not perfectly!), will bring the change you're looking for.

Remember, you don't have to do too much – it's actually better if you focus on small goals, and then gradually increase over time. Long-term change isn't about doing it all right away, or never missing a day. It's about gently changing the way you do things.

Whether it's January, March or November – you can choose to build new habits and begin creating a balanced, healthier lifestyle.

What habit are you planning to introduce? What difference will it make to your life?

I'd love to hear from you – Share below ⬇️

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Coming Soon – Inspired Notes. A community on Skool dedicated to daily inspiration for wherever you are in life. Here's the link to the community. Request to join and I will accept you once the group is ready! This will be a low-key, chilled group focused on inspiring growth, gentle change and motivation when you need it the most. No pressure to show up in the community if you prefer to be a quiet member – you are very welcome.

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Meet Lynsey

Hey there! I'm Lynsey, a counsellor, coach and mentor for women who want to create change, but are feeling lost, uncertain and exhausted. With over 7 years’ experience of training, running businesses, and over a decade as a tutor and adult trainer, I've learned the value of a gentle and intentional approach to work and life that energises you without draining all of your energy.

I've lived with ME/CFS since 2011, and since then re-trained as a counsellor, and achieved a distinction for my Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice; all while running 4 businesses!

How? Improving your mindset, finding acceptance in yourself, and developing a gentle, but solution-focused approach to achieving goals is key. Knowing that it's not about how fast you move, but finding your own pace and trusting that you can achieve your goals in your own way, one step at a time.

If you'd like to know more about working with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on socials (links in the menu)

Have you seen my online store Quietly Conquer – Find DFY templates, downloads and more!