5 habits that have changed my life

Simple changes are powerful

It’s the tiny changes that make all the difference.

I’ve always been interested in self-improvement. I love to challenge myself and be the best I can be.

This really started to take off later in my 20s. I found a whole new genre of books to read and devoured information to hone my productivity while still living the slow and simple life I craved.

I noticed that a lot of this literature focused on habits. Explaining that tiny changes to daily routines are a powerful and effective way to achieve those far-flung dreams we all have.

Over the years, I’ve implemented my own habits. These intentional changes mean that I am able to live the life I’ve always envisioned.

Read on to find out more, including my top tips on how you can successfully incorporate new habits into your life.

Rising early

If you told me in my early 20’s that I would willingly start getting up at 5 am, I would have scoffed.

It took me a while to develop into a morning person. This was unintentionally helped by completing early morning bird surveys as part of my job as a wildlife conservationist. Getting up at 4 am (at the latest) introduced me to a whole new type of morning. I was amazed at how much I could get done when I would normally have been sleeping.

Over time, I’ve gradually started getting up earlier so that now I am comfortable with 5 am starts.

Rising early gives me the opportunity to prioritize myself first thing in the day. I am able to complete activities to nourish my mind and body in addition to having some time to work on my side hustle, which has grown exponentially as a result.

You can watch my morning routine video on my YouTube here.

Walking daily

I’ve always been a keen walker. However, a few years ago I was more of a fair-weather walker and would happily spend whole days inside.

Now, I walk every day. This is partly because I am now a dog mum of a very energetic border collie. This means I am out in all weathers, whether I like it or not!

These walks have become essential for my mental health. I aim to be out for at least an hour every day and often go out more than once. I never get bored of our local trails and it’s a pleasure to start and end my days in nature.

My ultimate therapy and best source of inspiration.

Meditating & yoga

I’ve been an avid yogi for a good few years now.

I practice yoga most days and feel unsettled if I miss my time on my mat. It gives me the opportunity to release any tension, which has been a wonder for my physical and mental health. I hardly ever get any aches and pains and feel so much stronger and more grounded with yoga in my life.

Meditation has taken longer for me to fully integrate into my life. I’ve sporadically tried to mediate over the years but felt frustrated at how difficult I found it and never really saw it as a priority.

It’s only really been in the last couple of months that I’ve been meditating daily. I genuinely cannot believe the difference it has made.

My sleep is far better, my anxiety is lower and I feel that I am able to properly unwind. It’s still a struggle, but I’ve become reliant on my daily meditation and am excited to see where this will take me.

Meal planning & prepping

As much as I enjoy cooking, and strive to eat healthily, it can be all too easy to fall into bad eating habits when I feel rushed.

I started meal planning and prepping in earnest in the last couple of years and its made the world of difference.

I now spend time once a week to plan my upcoming meals and make note of what food prep I can get ahead on.

This means I don’t waste time deciding what I want to eat, always have all the ingredients I need, and often have meals partially prepped, so I’m much more likely to incorporate healthy food. It also means I don’t use unnecessary fuel with multiple food shops and rarely have food waste. A bonus for my bank account and the planet.

You can watch how I shop for vegan meals here and get some recipe/food prep inspo here.

Disconnecting from my phone

This has been my challenge for 2022.

Inspired by digital minimalism, I’ve slowly started incorporating habits in my life to disconnect from technology. This includes coming off most social media, muting notifications, setting app timers, and spending regular time away from my phone whilst focusing on more nourishing activities. You can read more about how I’ve embraced digital minimalism here.

This is an ongoing battle, as I’ve found it far more challenging than other healthy habits I’ve listed. However, I’m already seeing the positive impact in my life and have plans to scale this up even further next year.

Tips for incorporating new habits

I’ve included a few tips that have helped me, in case there are any new habits you want to start building in your life -

Start small

You want to make this process as pain-free as possible, so don’t try and incorporate anything radical straight away. Want to read more? Try starting with a page a night. Want to include more exercise? Start by walking 10 minutes over your lunch break. Over time, you can build on these habits, but the most important thing is to start.

Schedule in habits

New habits won’t happen on good intentions alone. Be organized and schedule these daily habits into your calendar. Make the commitment to yourself and you're more likely to stick to it.

Hook onto habits

An effective way to incorporate habits is to hook them onto behaviors you already do on a daily basis. For instance, I started doing my meditation after my morning workout and evening yoga practice, as I knew I would do these every day. I also prep my breakfast overnight oats whilst cooking my evening meal. This is a simple but powerful tip that’s worked wonders for me.

Reward yourself

Committing to new habits can be difficult at first. That’s why it’s important to reward yourself regularly. For instance, as a reward for getting up earlier, I give myself time to read a few pages of my book with a cup of tea. I’ve found this is enough motivation to get out of bed, even on the darkest and coldest of mornings!

Make sure you comment below any habits that have added value to your life or new habits you would like to try. I’d love to read about them.

Until next week

Molly xx

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