Are you tired of articles telling you to start exercising, eat healthier, reach all your goals, or become a super-human? Those are no easy tasks.

Building habits is hard. It takes time and determination. What if you aren’t in a position to start big, life-changing events right now?

Start small instead.

It’s an eye-opener to see how some easy to implement micro-habits, can make you feel better instantly.

A micro habit requires little, but the return of investment is incredible.

1. Drink more water

You are most likely not drinking enough water.

Multiple sources, like BBC Future, tell us to drink between two and four liters of water per day depending on your sex and body type. We do get some of our liquid consumption covered by other beverages and food, but water is our go-to source to stay hydrated.

It has zero calories, no added sugar, or other substances your body doesn’t like.

Don’t worry, coffee is a valid source of water intake and the caffeine does not affect your hydration.

Why is it so hard to drink the suggested amount of water per day? Most people I talk to say there is no way they can drink this much per day.

How to easily implement this micro-habit:

Instead of going to the water source, bring the source to you. By keeping a bottle that can hold around 0.5 liters of water, you can continuously cover the need to stay hydrated.

A bottle will make water available so you don’t have to refill your glass all the time. This size however forces you to get up to get more water, which relates to the next point on our list. It’s all about balance.

Drinking a couple of glasses of water before a meal will also help you lose weight

2. Take a walk

We sit too much.

Have you felt that you are turning into an unhealthy rock because you sit all day? You’re not alone.

You don’t have to do heavy exercise to make your body feel better. Any motion will help your body. We weren’t designed to sit still for hours and hours.

Research shows that walking can reduce disease and rising health costs. Something as simple as walking can help prevent premature mortality.

As a bonus, your brain can benefit from a walk.

How to easily implement this micro-habit:

Walking is one of the most natural motions of a human. When was the last time you even thought about what foot you were going to put in front of the other?

One of the reasons you won’t go for a walk is because you are tied down to your computer or is busy with something else.

To make sure you do short walks so you don’t die too early, schedule them in. If you only do a ten-minute walk, that is a hundred times better than nothing.

If you don't have time to do a ten-minute walk, try to combine it with another activity. Phone meetings are perfect opportunities for a walk.

By getting up ten minutes earlier, you can do a morning walk which will kickstart the rest of your day.

If you need gamification and motivation, getting a step counter can help you reach your daily walking goal.

3. Hang from a bar

There’s a reason you stretch when you wake up. Your body has most likely been in one position for a long time.

Stretching will help you welcome the day.

While football players use stretching to avoid injuries and prepare for playing, you can use stretching to prepare your body for your hunched over workday.

How to easily implement this micro-habit:

In your home, you probably have something to hang from. If not, you can hang some gym gear in your door openings.

The task itself is to grab hold of something and hang, just hang.

We installed a wooden hanger used by rock climbers to train their finger strength. A 30-second hang going out of the bedroom is a quick wake up routine.

4. Take breaks

If you don’t have a job where you move around, chances are that your body hates you a bit.

Taking breaks is good for your blood circulation and gives your body a tiny reboot.

You don’t want your brain to suffer because you sit too much, do you?

It can be hard to remember to take breaks. Two-hour meetings, writing an essay, studies, or simply working on your tasks, can make you forget about breaks. How often do you look up and go “Shoot, it’s 2 pm already?”

How to easily implement this micro-habit:

You need a reminder.

You will not remember to take breaks yourself, but today there are millions of ways to be reminded. An alarm clock, your phone, online apps, or standalone apps can all serve the same purpose.

A quick search on the AppStore lists a variety of reminder apps.

If you feel extra brave, you can also look into using the Pomodoro Technique to help you separate work from breaks. Using the Pomodoro Technique, you work for 25 minutes and you take a short 5-minute break or a 15-minute break.

5. Get inspired by listening to others

Getting inspired by other people is a great feeling. Someone’s success story or story about how they failed and what they did about it, can get your mind thinking.

Getting motivational help is nothing new, but in 2021 it is easier than ever.

You can get a mental boost by listening to what others have to say. With billions of people walking the earth, there are so many stories being told.

How to easily implement this micro-habit:

TED collects many stories in many categories.

Their goal is to inspire you, help you find your potential, and broaden your horizon. That sounds like a win in my book.

You can either go to their website or download their app. If you set up an account, you can let the algorithm choose what to watch after it learns more about you.

6. Read

Our brains are taking in tons of information every day, but reading e-mails is not the same as reading a good book or research papers.

Reading can help your creativity, learn new skills, and even help you live longer.

Reading helps you take a break from reality and into another universe.

How to easily implement this micro habit:

Picking up a big book and start reading is not an easy task. What if you are not an avid reader?

There are topics you are interested in out there. You don’t have to read a fantasy book if you don’t like the genre.

Get a book that you are genuinely interested in and read small chunks. You don’t have to read full chapters even, just read something and after a while, you have read the whole book.

Stephen Duneier used this technique to read 50 books in one year.

7. Alone time

If you are in a relationship with or without kids, chances are that you facilitate for others most of the day.

Do you remember to take care of yourself?

Setting aside some time to yourself can give you balance in life. After all, if you don’t feel well, it will be hard to not transfer this to those around you.

How to easily implement this micro-habit:

This one might be the hardest on the list depending on your partner.

If you are in a good relationship, asking for alone time should not cause any issues. Tell your partner that you need some alone time to rewind and reset.

Remember that you have to return the favor.

By actively returning the favor, your partner knows you value their time and you wish him/her to be able to take a break from regular life for a second.

What you do during your alone time is up to you.

Final thoughts

The main reason people fail to build new and amazing habits is that it takes a lot of work and effort — more than they bargained for.

Some habits can be big and life-changing.

Why don't you start small with micro-habits that are easier to implement? If a five-minute walk can make you live longer, you owe yourself to go for a walk.

Give it a try. The worst thing that can happen is that you fail all of it and are set back to where you are today. If that happens, break it down and learn why — Just as those inspirational people you watched on TED Talk did.

I hope your life gets a little bit better after reading this.