5 Habits That Changed My Life

The habits we develop in our lives shape how our days are structured and can reinforce positive or negative behavioural patterns.

First things first, let's talk about habits. Defined simply, habits are developed behavioural patterns that are followed until the behaviour becomes almost involuntary.

For example, if you have woken up each morning for the last month and made a coffee straight away, you will likely perform that same action the following morning with very little conscious decision-making.

To develop yourself with little conscious effort, build good habits.

Ever since I began picking up healthy daily habits, I have seen incredible progress in my own self-development. While I will leave the "how to build" habits for another time, these are the top 5 habits that I have built over the last 12 months.

1. Reading books

I heard this quote a while ago and can't remember the origin, but it always stuck with me - "You spend 100% of your time inside your own head. Make it a nice place to be". I believe the quote was based on self-care and mental health (check out @Web3MHC, by the way), but I took it differently.

Instead of filling my head with aimless social media content, I picked up some books and began researching thought-provoking ideas (I highly recommend @blinkist for those getting started). I found that by doing this, I was able to have more fulfilling and intellectual conversations with those around me and also had more to think about when I was alone. I credit reading as a core pillar for my progress in business and will continue it moving forward.

2. Exercising

I know this appears on EVERY habits list, but it is for a very good reason. Daily exercise has an interesting effect, playing into every aspect of your life. With good exercise habits, I found myself feeling more confident and having far more mental clarity.

I get to take time away from my work each day and challenge myself physically while also working through my thoughts. It almost feels like you are waking from a meditative state on the way home from the gym sometimes. Before anything else, take care of your health.

3. Putting things in place to minimise social media use (youtube blocker, deleted apps from phone)

This was a massive stepping stone for me in reclaiming my time and giving more focus to my goals. Spending hours of your day mindlessly scrolling will get you NOWHERE.

Social media is an incredible tool for connecting with people and finding valuable content, but for the majority of people, it is worth taking a full social media detox before even attempting to curate your social media experience.

Personally, I deleted Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube from my phone entirely. I kept up with all my friends using messages and spent less than 45 minutes a day on my phone.

On top of this, I installed a blocker on my desktop to curate my YouTube usage (check out https://unhook.app).

While this was one of the hardest habits to develop and maintain (weird, I know), it was definitely one of the most impactful.

4. Taking time each day to meditate

Over the last 6 months, meditation has become a key part of my daily routine. While it feels odd at first to sit each day and be inactive for 30 minutes, you'll very quickly notice how it affects how you approach the rest of your day.

Personally, meditation has helped me lower my stress, approach difficult situations with a sense of calm, make better decisions (without emotion) and, most importantly, increase my contentment and gratitude with my current situation rather than holding out for a faraway future.

Meditation looks completely different for everyone who tries it, but I would recommend taking 15 minutes to simply breathe and remove all external stressors from your mind (allow thoughts to come and go but return your focus to the breath).

Once your 15-minute timer goes off, open your eyes and take time to feel. Notice the visuals, sounds, and smells of your environment, and take time to be PRESENT. Once you first feel the effects of meditation, you'll never want to go another day without it.

5. Blocking out time to spend on relationships

This is a less common habit to discuss, but it has dramatically changed how I connect with people and maintain existing relationships. It simply involves setting aside a block of time daily to message people intentionally.

Check up on your friends, contribute to a community discussion, compliment a colleague, or message someone new!

Simply take the time to strengthen bonds with people. Your network is an asset, and you'll find more general fulfillment with healthy relationships in your life.

This was a fun article to write, as I have never really shared my personal endeavours online before.

I would absolutely LOVE to hear what you thought of this thread in the comments below and maybe even chat about some of your own habits! Thank you so much for reading.

*This article was adapted from a Twitter thread by vFalcon*