21 Micro Habits to Change Your Life in the Next 6 Months
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit. — Will Durant
#1. Make Your Bed
Making your bed immediately after waking up sets you up for the day.
It may sound too basic, but it can bring a significant change in your life.
As William McRaven mentions in his bestseller book Make Your Bed: "If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed."
Remember, everything starts with a small step, that initial step or urge to grow yourself.
#2. Take an Internal Shower
Taking an internal shower simply means drinking enough water in a day.
Multiple researches have shown that our human body is made up of 50-60% water.
Studies have also found that drinking enough water improves our brain function.
As when you’re dehydrated, your brain cells lose water, which can cause them to shrink and function less efficiently.
So drinking enough water keeps your brain cells hydrated, which can improve your memory and attention span.
#3. Jump Rope for 5 Mins
I've been practising jumping rope for the past 6 months and to be honest, it is one of the best cardio exercises out there.
If you just start with 5 mins a day, it can completely change everything around you.
You’ll get leaner, healthier and more focused.
#4. Go Outside
Taking a walk outside instantly freshens up your mind.
As, since the pandemic period, we’ve a habit of sitting down in one place. We are too lazy to go out, which is very harmful for our health in the long-term.
So going out can be extremely beneficial for both your physical and mental health.
#5. Review Your Goals
Regularly reviewing your goals makes you aware of the progress you've made and how to move forward from here.
I have designed a Free Habit Tracker Notion template for you. There, I’ve added a progress section to find out how much progress you’ve made.
You can use it as a goal tracker to track your progress. Download that template from here.
#6. Read 10 Mins Daily
We are living in the digital revolution. We have books in digital format.
People use Kindles, listen to audiobooks, read summaries through Blinkist and Shortform.
Times have changed. Now you don’t need to read physical books. You can simply buy ebooks on Kindle at a cheap price or listen to books through an Audible subscription.
This makes it even easier to read more and more books. There’s really no excuse — if you want to be a reader, simply take out 10 mins from your day to read a book.
#7. Water a Plant
Learn to take care of something other than yourself.
This makes you grateful and stay grounded to the earth.
This act looks simple but trust me, since I am practicing this I am feeling more connected to nature, so do try out.
#8. Take a Cold Shower for 2 Mins
Taking a cold shower is immensely beneficial to our health.
Try lowering the water temperature to 60 degrees for 2-3 minutes — or you can just take a bath from running tap water.
In the winter and rainy season, it may be difficult to take these showers as the water will be very cold. But in summers you can’t live without them.
Multiple researchers have proven that taking cold showers can relieve pain, enhance your mood and even boost your immune system.
So do give cold showers a try.
#9. Hide Your Phone
The best mode on your phone is "Airplane Mode". Turn it on.
Hide the phone whenever you’re working. Don’t do any kind of shallow work, work for limited time but with complete focus.
#10. Listen to Music
Music is the best mood enhancer.
Whether you’re sad, depressed or facing any kind of issue, music instantly enhances it.
One step forward I’ll suggest to you is to listen to inspirational or motivational songs. It instantly lifts your mood and makes you happy.
#11. Drink Water Before Meals
Very underrated habit.
Drinking a glass of water just before your meals makes you full at the right time and avoid overeating.
This simple habit can help you stay in proper shape throughout your life.
#12. Chew Food 32 Times
This habit is a compliment to our previous habit "drinking a glass of water just before your meals".
According to Healthline, people who don’t chew their food properly often develop digestive problems.
Chewing food 32 times makes you conscious of what you’re eating and how much you need to eat.
Otherwise, you just keep eating until you satisfy your mind, which in the long-term causes serious health issues.
#13. Create Your Next Day’s Plan a Day Before
On average, humans spend most of their time thinking rather than taking action because of a lack of planning.
Planning a day before gives you clarity about your time. You become conscious of how to complete those tasks in a particular time period.
#14. Have a Shutdown Ritual
We have a ritual to start the day and start our work, but we forget to keep a ritual for shutdown.
Having a shutdown ritual separates you from work and tells you it’s time to relax.
It can be even as small as cleaning up your desk or switching off your devices. But everyone should have a shutdown ritual for better productivity.
#15. Journal About Your 1 Beautiful Moment of the Day
There are various moments in our day that are precious and noteworthy.
So maintain a gratitude journal and note down those precious moments that you’re thankful for.
It can be having dinner with your loved ones, meeting an old friend after a long time, etc.
#16. Prepare Tomorrow’s Clothes a Day Before
When your alarm rings in the morning, you have a ton of things to think about.
If you woke up early, then you may not face a difficulty, but if you woke up late, then choosing what to wear is an annoying distraction.
That’s when this simple habit will work wonders for you.
#17. Learn a New Skill for 20 Minutes
One who adapts a lifetime learning approach never gets old.
The world is changing and so are you. To survive in this changing world, you’ve to learn things that are relevant today.
Skills that are relevant today have also changed. To keep yourself up to the mark in this world, develop the habit of learning a new skill at least for 20 minutes daily.
#18. Eat Healthy Food
By healthy food, I don’t mean you should buy those expensive protein shakes and maintain a calorie diet.
Instead, try to eat homemade food as much as you can. Homemade food with less oil and salt is always healthy for us. You can also add some fruits to add variety to your diet.
#19. Practice 4-7-8 Breathing
If you don’t like meditation, then go to donothingfor2minutes.com and practice 4-7-8 breathing.
It means taking a deep breath for 4 seconds, holding it for 7 seconds and then slowly releasing it in 8 seconds.
#20. Give Your Mind An Overnight Task
While sleeping at night, give your mind an overnight task, whether it is earning an extra 1000 dollars or finding a solution to a complicated problem.
Your mind will work on it overnight and somehow give you answers in the morning. Only thing you have to do is immediately note them down.
#21. Capture 3 Big Ideas in a Day
I surf twitter and LinkedIn for the best ideas in a day and trust me it works amazingly.
You can use the second brain technique to capture ideas effectively. I’ve discussed this in my building a second brain article. Checkout that later.
These were those 21 habits to change your life in the next 6 months.
I refer to some of the habits from System Sunday owner Ben Meer on Twitter. You can check his profile for more insights.
I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading.
Which habit you’re going to apply from today itself?
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