The new year represents a new beginning and with that comes all the changes you want to make to improve your life. Whether that’s physically or mentally, the start of a new year helps motivate you to be a better version of yourself. Below are the TOP 5 habits you should defitenly be doing this year.
Most likely though, after a few short weeks, all those new year resolutions you’ve written down and been adamant about are falling to the wayside.
Studies show that within the first month of the year, only 64% of people are sticking to their resolutions. Part of the reason these resolutions fail within the first 6 weeks is that you take the GO BIG or GO HOME approach and that can quickly become overwhelming. Especially if you aren’t seeing results like you thought you would be.
Last year, I read Atomic Habits by James Clear and let me tell you, it was a game-changer for me. I learned so much about the process of making changes to my lifestyle. Admittedly, I did not stick to any of the new things I wanted to put in place so this year is a year of change for me.
“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision.”
James clear – atomic habits
Like learning any new skill, you have to walk before you can run. Starting out small may seem like you’re not doing enough but trust me, the small wins are what build up to even bigger successes.
The easiest way to start is by making small changes in your daily life. If you do then within the first 2 months of the year, you’ll feel like a completely different person. Starting out with these little changes will make such a huge difference, and give you the confidence to go for the bigger changes.
Something else that has also helped get my ish together this year is following and implementing the pure nuggets of wisdom from Jessica Massey. Jess is a productivity expert and her Hustle Sanely vision has helped me get clear on what I want and how to execute it. I use one of her products every day (see below) but a lot of what I’ve done to help myself feel less overwhelmed is from her and her process. I mention a few of her products below but definitely check her out at her website here.
5 Habits to Start Doing in 2022
Drink at least 64 oz. of Water
Start your day with a cold glass of water (at least 8 oz.). This helps your entire self (body and mind) wake up for the day. Then work your way up to a gallon of water each day. Use this awesome HydroMate Water Bottle.
Keeping yourself hydrated has so many benefits, like clearer skin, you’ll wonder why it took you so long to start.
Wake Up Early
Give yourself enough time in the mornings to get your routine done without feeling rushed. Try setting your alarm for 15-20 minutes before you normally wake up and then work backward until you hit the time you want. To avoid hitting snooze place your alarm (phone or otherwise) across the room.
If you can start by going all in, you rock! However, if you can’t, no biggie, just gradually work up to the ideal time. Something to make this new habit fun is a new alarm clock, like this Hatch Restore or the budget friendly Wake Up Light. They both mimic sunrise and will gradually increase the light source/sound and slowly wake you up.
Start Each Day with Gratitude
Grab a gratitude journal like this 5 Minute Journal from Amazon or check out my girl Jessica Massey at www.jessicamassey.com. Her line of planners and journals is AMAZING, she offers both digital and paper products. Her Peacefully Productive Journal is a quarterly/daily journal with pages for both morning and evening routines. It is the perfect addition for anyone starting out or even for the practiced individual.
This can be as quick or as long as you’d like. You can meditate for a few minutes before writing something down or using the prompts found in the Peacefully Productive Journal. But starting your day with gratitude helps set yourself up productive day.
Move Your Body
Whether it’s in the morning, evening, or hell, in the middle of the day, try and move your body for at least 15 minutes a day. This doesn’t even need to be a vigorous workout, it can be as easy as taking a walk. The point of this is just to get that body moving. If you’re up to it, absolutely do a workout but it’s not necessary.
There are benefits to doing this in each part of the day, so you just have to pick the right time of day for yourself. Maybe you need that 15-minute movement to wake your body up for the day, or you need a little refresher in the middle of the day so you take a 15-minute walk outside (weather permitting).
Clean/Tidy for 15-20 Minutes
This is actually a tip I got from jess Massey’s HS5 system. One of the 5 things is to clean/tidy for 15 minutes each day. Now as a working mama to an overactive toddler, this is extremely key for me. I try and tackle an area each night before heading to bed. That could mean wiping counters, quick wiping down of the bathroom, etc.
The main living area gets picked up, for the most part, every night so I’ll pick another area as well to give some love too. This helps the weekend cleaning routine go a little quicker since the mess hasn’t built up.
“Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”
james clear – atomic habits
Goals are the roadmap for your life…
Take a look back at your vision board (check out how I created mine here). From there you can create the goals you’d like to reach. Break them down into quarterly goals, that way they don’t seem so overwhelming.
Every decision you make should take you 1 step closer to reaching that goal. Building good habits now will help you create systems that align with the goals you have. Each choice you make is a positive reinforcement for the person that you want to become.
Success doesn’t happen overnight, it is gained by little wins that amount to the overall bigger picture. No one is perfect, give yourself some grace while implementing these little changes into your routine. If you forget 1 day, that’s ok. Jump right back into in the next day and soon enough those changes will become so ingrained in your routine you won’t even realize you are doing them.
Let’s kick some ass in 2022!
