7 Habits to improve your life in 2022

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Are you struggling to achieve a goal, a new year resolution, or hitting a gym but every time you make up your mind you’re either overwhelmed or simply procrastinate till the last minute?

It’s time to take a charge of your life and hit the driver’s seat.

What are habits?

Habits are the tiny decisions you make and actions you perform every day. According to researchers at duke university our habits, account for about 40 percent of our behaviors on any given day.

What you repeatedly do ( i.e what you spend time thinking about and doing each day) ultimately forms the person you are, the things you believe, and the personality that you portray. when you learn to transform your habits, you can transform your life.

How do habits work, the science behind habits?

Researchers at MIT discovered a neurological loop, at the core of every habit, a loop that consists of three parts, A cue, a routine, and a reward.

7 Habits to improve your life in 2022

Image from Power of habit by Charles Duhig

To understand your habit you need to understand the components of your loops. Once you have diagnosed the habit loop of a particular behavior, you can look for ways to substitute old habits with newer routines.

Habits that can improve your life!

1. Maintaining a sleep-wake cycle

Sleeping at waking up at the same time works best for the body it's backed up by the research that shows disruption in a circadian rhythm may lead to sleep deprivation, obesity, and mental health disorders.

No matter whether you are a night owl or an early bird a nighttime routine is a must for anyone looking for a happy and healthy life.

2. Practice Meditation

I swear by this habit and therefore tell everyone this habit has changed my whole life.

why? well! there are numerous reasons but I would like to highlight here is it gives you a sense of connectedness to your surroundings. you start seeing a bigger picture. what’s your purpose, your path, all these questions pop into your head. And all in all, it makes you a calmer and a happy being.

3. Physical activity

Anything from playing football to badminton, from skipping to gardening. Do what you love. dedicate good 30 -40 minutes out in the open every day. This can help boost your energy and performance in all spheres of your life.

pro tip - depend less on machines and get yourself moving, ditch that elevator and use stairs, in a habit of a motorbike, scooter? use a bicycle instead or just walk.

4. Read, Read, Read.

Want to expand your horizon, knowledge, or improve your vocabulary? make it a habit of reading daily.

Read everything from personal development to novels, AI, computing, poetry, and crypto. The early you start the better.

I started reading 3 years back and this habit has made me write this blog. Once you start reading you will develop a flair for writing as well.

5. Journalling every day

As lame as it sounds this habit alone has made my life simpler. how?

Start a gratitude journal, feel free to write what all you are grateful for or write as part of relaxation, or therapy. empty your thoughts on a piece of paper and see the magic, your mind becomes clearer. Research shows that journaling every day can reduce depression and anxiety, and help boost immune function.

6. Managing your finances

“No matter what your current income is”, if you can't manage your finances you are getting nowhere.

Starting investing at an early age helps you reap the benefits of compounding it surely is the eighth wonder of the world.

According to a budgeting principle (50–30–20 rule), you should save 20% of your current income, 30% should be spent on desires, and 50% of your income should be spent on necessities.

7. Developing a high-income skillset

Focus less on the career and more on building assets, skills like graphic design, coding, writing ebooks, courses, Public speaking, a newsletter, and youtube videos. All this is a monetizable value that will bring people to you and create long-term stability.

You can start as a side hustle alongside your mainstream 9–5 job.

Once you get good at it you can make your side hustle a full-time job. Freedom and long-term happiness must be a priority.

Conclusion

I want you to sit down and take a moment to reflect on your day from the moment you wake up, analyze your pattern, and ask yourself what is that habit that is so ingrained in your system that you spend no time taking an action. who doesn't want to perform well in exams, want a fat paycheck, a dream body, or a dream job? Well! we all do, what stands ahead of us is our self-created pits, habits which sway us and create an illusion that we have all the time in the world!

The time is now! start building habits that work for you and not against you.

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you want to become”- James Clear