7 Habits You Should Develop Now to Radically Change Your Life in 2020

Francis R.
Nov 8 · 7 min read

2019 is about to wrap up. We have about 50 days left until the New Year. And that means it's almost time to evaluate our life for this year.

Do you feel like 2019 flew by so fast, and you couldn't accomplish all the goals you set out?

Do you feel like you need to change many areas of your life to avoid wasting another year?

Do you feel like you can still do more for the rest of 2019?

If you answered yes to any or all of the above, then I have some good news for you. You can still take advantage of what's left in 2019 to lay a great foundation for 2020, and improve your life.

Truth be told, I'm not ready to say goodbye to 2019 yet. I know I can accomplish more. I want to write more articles here on Medium. I still have many books on my reading list.

In this article, I will share with you 7 habits that can transform your life. They are simple and easy to implement. You only need to be consistent for them to become a part of your life.


#1. Sleep 7–8 hours a day

I used to think that I can do more by sleeping less.

It almost makes sense, right? The less time I dedicate to sleeping, the more time I can devote to doing something else.

But I noticed that I am easily irritated when I don't sleep enough. I feel tired throughout the day. And I'm not as productive as I'd like to.

The reverse is also true. I am efficient and productive when I sleep by 9:00pm and wake up at 5:00am. I focus more. I write faster. I feel good.

Try sleeping for at least 7 hours a day (and thank me later). The most important part is to be consistent. Sleep around the same time every day, even on weekends.

I sleep at 9:00pm because after many trials I found out that I get deep sleep between 10pm-2am. When I sleep at a time later than 10:00pm I don't feel refreshed.

Your sleep pattern might be different. Try sleeping at different times, and observe how you feel the next day. Choose the time that makes you feel good.


#2. Move your body

Exercises are important in our life. They keep us healthy, increase our energy levels, and prevent many health issues such as stroke, high blood pressure, etc.

My dad, who is 63 years old, has been running every morning for 30 minutes, and he is as healthy as a 40-year old person.

You don't need to spend 3 hours in the gym to see the benefit of exercise. You can even stay within the comfort of your home. There are many at-home exercises that can increase your mobility and strengthen your muscle.

But if you want to go to the gym, I recommend lifting weights at least 3 times a week. If you just start out, focus on compound exercises. You can find more information in Thinner, Leaner, Stronger and Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Michael Matthews.

Remember that you need to be consistent. If you decide to exercise 3 times a week, then block a specific time in your calendar for that.


#3. Learn one high-income skill

If you want to improve your financial life, you need to acquire one high-income skill.

You can choose between:

  • digital marketing;

There are many benefits to learning any of these skills. The most obvious one is that if you start today, you can already earn some money in 2020. And if you become an expert at any of them, you will never have to worry about money or about being fired anymore.

Moreover, becoming good at any of them doesn't cost you as much as a college degree, and doesn't take as much time either. And you don't need a degree to be an expert in them. You only need a commitment and a willingness to study.

Spend at least one hour a day learning your chosen high-income skill. You can buy online courses, read blog posts and books, or follow Youtube videos. But the most important part of your journey is to apply what you just learned. My ideal execution/learning ratio is 3:1. For every 1 hour of learning, dedicate at least 3 hours to implementation.


#4. Read books

What if I told you that you can get all the knowledge in the world at your fingertips? Would you want to have that?

Well, you can acquire all the knowledge you need by reading books.

Non-fiction books contain the wisdom of past and current generations. You can learn about history with books. You can study psychology, marketing, and finance by reading books. You get to understand how successful people lived through autobiographies. Every little thing that you want information on has been written by someone.

Fiction books are also important for your mind. They stretch your imagination. They can transport you to a whole different world where you can escape from your stress for a short period of time. They entertain and make you laugh.

You might complain about lack of time when it comes to reading books. And here is my answer to you. Instead of watching TV, read books. When you're in traffic, you can listen to an audio book instead of cursing at every driver that cuts you off.

Spend at least 30-minute a day reading, or read at least 15 pages.

If you don't have an idea of what to read, here are my favorite non-fiction books:

  • Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown

#5. Write every day

Many people hate writing. I used to be one of them. I used to not see its benefit. I mean it takes time. And I thought that only people such as Stephen King should write. But I was wrong. I now believe that everyone should take a time to write every day because it has many benefits.

Writing is therapeutic. For example writing journals increases your self-awareness. You get to the bottom of your feeling. You understand yourself better. You know what makes you angry, sad, and happy in any day. You get to discover yourself.

By sharing your struggle and how you overcame it through blogs or publications such as Medium, you may help another human being with their life.

To build a habit of writing, start small with something you love. It can be a journal, a blog, a tweet, etc.


#6. Pay yourself first

One life-changing area you should pay attention to is your finance.

The statistics are scary. According to Experian, credit card debt reached more than $800 billion in 2018. Auto loan balances totaled $1.27 trillion.

When you have too much consumer debt, all you think about is how to pay them. You become anxious at the beginning of every month because of the amount of money you have to pay. That interest, you thought to yourself, could have been used to buy an online course that can boost your career.

So avoid consumer debt like a plague. But more importantly, save money. Your saving rate should increase with your income.

People put in place budget to control their finances. It never worked for me. It's too much energy to enter every expense line item in a spreadsheet. It's also exhausting to look at the spreadsheet and realize that I am near my allocated budget but it's still the middle of the month.

What worked for me was to pay myself first. I set a savings account. And every time my paycheck hits my debit account, an automatic transfer to my savings also takes place. That way I don't have to worry about budget and money allocation. I can buy whatever I want, but at the same time I am able to save money.

Aim for a saving rate of 30–50% of your income. It's ok if you can't do that the first time around. You can start with 5% of your income, or with whatever number comfortable for you. Then you can slowly increase that rate over time until it reaches 30–50%.


#7. Give back

Most people live in a scarcity mindset. They think that they don't have enough to give to the world. They say to themselves that they'll give back to their community when they are rich. They will help others when they become this or that.

I'd like you to try to live differently. You need to develop an abundance mindset. Successful people always give first, without thinking about what they can get in return. When you start giving a lot of doors will open to you. Opportunities will come to you.

Moreover you have plenty of things to give this world. You can gift your time. You can give love to others. Love is free and abundant.

It won't cost you anything to share love, but it's important for the other person who receives it.

Spend some time doing charity work. Go to elderly home care. Talk to old people there , play with them, laugh together. Even if they are old, they're still humans and long for human connections. Ask them about their life and their regrets. That can boost your motivation to do more things in life.

Other ways you can give back are donating to charities, serving meals to homeless people, voluntary work, etc.

In conclusion

If you want to radically change your life in 2020, you need to be doing things differently.

You need to be financially stable, feel good in your body, improve your way of thinking, and help others. The 7 habits I shared above should be a good start.

Francis R.

Written by

I write about productivity, personal finance, and success.

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