Self-Improvement
We live in a day and age where not everything is about us. When it comes to self improvement, seek to improve not only our lives, but the lives of others as well.
The challenge is to stay in this mindset and not return to old habits. Old habits and patterns are sometimes hard to break. Even though we want things to change we can’t just wish them away or how things will be different.
Without practical tips and advice about developing new habits, it’s easy to remain stuck dreaming about change but not creating change.
If you’re looking to become a better version of you the following 30 self improvement tips will give you some ideas for creating new positive habits.
Choose what appeals to you and is in alignment with the changes you want to create in your life
30 Self Improvement Ideas
One: Take Time for You – While you might associate being a better person with doing more for others, the truth is you need to take time for yourself and keep your energy charged up.
If you’re burned out and stressed, you won’t be a positive contribution to anyone. Taking time out for yourself is not selfish.
It gives you the opportunity to refresh your own wellbeing so that your actions come from a better place.
Two: Create Daily “Me Time” – Once you understand that taking time out for yourself is necessary then it’s time to schedule it. It’s important to keep your commitment to yourself when declaring your “me” time.
Set aside some time daily. If you’re like most people, this may seem near impossible but the truth is you can find 15 – 20 minutes every day.
Three: Be Dedicated to Your Personal Time Now – If you don’t respect your personal time, no one else will.
Take your 15 minute meditation time in the morning or your daily time out just listening to nature, read an inspiring book or something else that will take you a short amount of time every day that really is just for you.
Four: Let Others Know You’re Serious about Your Personal Time – Once you have decided on how long you will take for yourself and when that time will be, let everyone know you have a big, “Do Not Disturb” sign on your back.
It’s fifteen – twenty minutes a day, don’t worry! Everyone will survive without you for a while.
Five: Choose How You Start Your Day – You can choose to start your day grumpy and irritable or you can choose to start your day with gratitude. The choice is always yours.
Six: Start a Gratitude Journal – When you’re feeling overwhelmed, grab a journal and write down your feelings – even if they are negative. Then, give reframe it into a positive statement.
For example, even though I didn’t get the promotion I wanted, I now know what the process is and what I need to work on to better my chances before I put in for the next promotion.
I am exactly where I am supposed to be in this moment and I know good things are coming my way.
Self Improvement Resource to look At: The Gratitude Journal
Self Improvement Resources For You
The Positive Habits Tracker & Planner
The Positive Habits Tracker & Planner is designed to review each area of your life so you can create new habits to replace the old habits.
81 pages of self-reflection, goal setting, planning, tracking, challenges and exercises designed to create the outcomes you want to have with your health, fitness, finances, career, relationships and everything in between.
Seven: Practice Journaling Randomly – Journaling releases negativity and toxicity from your body, soul and mind. Journaling also resets your mindframe.
Don’t just fill a journal with negative stuff. If your partner makes you smile or performs a kind gesture, write it down.
Keeping a journal of good things that have happened allows you to relive these memories in the future when you want to feel good.
Read: 7 Benefits of Journalling for Mental Health
Eight: Surround Yourself With Positive People – Your attitude will directly affect your day. If you’re being negative your day will generally continue going down that path. You’ll attract more negativity.
Surrounding yourself with positive people will teach you a positive attitude and keep you solution focused.
Don’t be ashamed of your moods, just take responsibility for them. Grab a friend, talk about it and then let it go.
Nine: Keep Negative People out of Your Bubble – You’ll never rid yourself of all the negative people in your life. After all, some of them are your employers, co-workers and family members.
But you can, keep them at a distance. You can choose how much time you want to spend with them. States are contagious and that means you will catch their negative state or they will catch your state.
That’s why you want to choose carefully who you spend the most time with.
Ten: Choose Information Wisely – If you read negative stories, watch the news and get involved in gossip, you’ll most likely end up with negative thoughts.
After all, negative stories are what so much of these things focuses on. Fear is a powerful motivator.
Choose what books, music and tv shows you watch and absorb into your unconscious mind. Stop ‘hanging out’ on social networking gossip sites and choose better information to process.
Eleven: Listen to the Right Kinds of Music – Uplifting music will change your brain waves and fast music will give you a boost of adrenaline.
If you’re feeling down, put on some dance tunes and watch how quickly your mood begins to change. In NLP we call this an anchor.
An anchor helps you recall a specific emotional state. So choose the music that will make you feel positive, happy and gives you movement.
Twelve: Start Your Day the Right Way – Start your day the right way with a positive thought, affirmation or conversation. Affirmations are powerful tools for giving you a positive and uplifting mindset.
Thirteen: Laugh it Off – Have you ever started your day by tripping over something or losing your car keys? Rather than get upset, laugh it off as Shit happens. You’ll be glad you did. Take control of your state of mind and let go of the small stuff.
Fourteen: Smile More – Smiling releases serotonin. You can always find something to smile about. Take a look on Pinterest at cute animal memes or go on Youtube and search for funny videos. You’ll instantly feel better.
Fifteen: Be the Person You Envision – If you’re seeking a partner in life or even if you want to attract more success – be the person that you envision successfully reaching those goals.
Be someone who sets goals, takes risks and faces challenges with grace. While hard at first, the more you practice, the closer you’ll be to becoming that successful person.
Sixteen: Get Organized – Set up a filing system, use a calendar to organise appointments and things you need to do.
Declutter your office and home, throw out your unnecessary junk. The more you are organised in life the more clear your mind is. Clarity leads to making better decisions and saves time.
Seventeen: Time Chunk – Chunk your time into sections and give yourself an allotted time frame for whatever you’re doing and stick to it.
There are lots of apps that will help you set time frames to achieve certain tasks.
I like to use the Pomodoro App or a manual timer. I chunk things into 20-30 minute lots. The time pressure helps me achieve so much. Make sure you finish one task before starting another.
Eighteen: Use Your Phone – Use your timer on your phone to time your tasks whether it’s running errands, cleaning or making phone calls.
Knowing how long you generally spend on these tasks can help you be more prouductive.
Nineteen: Use Technology – Use your phone for reminders on your calendar. Set up your bills to be automatically paid each month.
We call this strategy “set and forget.” You don’t need to remember everything with a little planning ahead everything will be taken care of for you.
Twenty: Use Apps – There is an app for everything from traveling to banking. When you’re waiting in line at the store, you can use that time to get other things done.
Being able to accomplish more during these wait times will give you more free time for yourself.
Twenty One: Unplug – As much as technology is great for saving time and organising things you really do need to take regular breaks from it. If you want to be a better you, you need connections – real life connections.
You need to see faces, hear voices and so do other people. Instead of sending a text organise a coffee date. Meet people in person. You’ll make a difference for yourself and for someone else.
Twenty Two: Pick and Choose Your Time – Only you can schedule your time productively. If you choose to scroll Facebook or to stay up late and oversleep in the morning, the results will be an unfocused and unproductive life.
Choose and schedule your time carefully and reap the positive benefits. Aim to balance your time with work, personal and your social life. Self improvement starts by refocusing your priorities on what’s most important in your life.
Twenty Three: Setting Goals. When you set goals be sure to set long term goals and short term goals. Then you can break down those goals into actionable bite size tasks.
Completing smaller goals will keep you motivated no matter how long it takes you to reach the final bigger goals. It will help you build upon your success.
Twenty Four: Choose an Accountability Partner – When you set a new goal, it’s important to let people know about it. It’s also important to choose an accountability partner.
When you know you have to answer to your accountability partner and that others are watching your progress, you’ll work that much harder.
You also have that person cheering you on from the sidelines and someone you can talk to if you feel stuck.
Twenty Five: Learn to say No – Learn how to say no more often. This is a good strategy for self improvement. It may seem hard at first but it gets easier. Saying no frees you up to do what is necessary for a healthy, productive life.
Sometimes when we say yes to others we are saying no to ourselves and we need to stop doing that.
Twenty Six: Develop Healthy Routines – Never forget the importance of healthy routines. Keeping fit is your responsibility.
Taking care of your body is a wise investment of your time and attention. It doesn’t have to be 2 hours of cardio or 50 kilos of weightlifting.
A simple 20 minute power walk is a good start , but do it daily and stick to it. You can always build from there.
Twenty Seven: Pay Attention to What You Eat – You only have one body. How you feed it is up to you. A healthy body needs the proper nutrients which only comes from eating the right foods.
Take-away food and packaged food does nothing to maintain our health or energy levels. When you eat right, you feel great so choose foods rich in vitamins and minerals to fuel your body with good energy.
Twenty Eight: Pay Attention to How You Eat – It’s just as important to pay attention to how you eat as it is to what you eat. Take your time, slow down and eat sitting down. Try not to talk while eating.
Take a few minutes after eating your meal to allow for proper digestion before you start moving around.
Twenty Nine: Take a Time Out – Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths a few times a day, even if you have to go out to your car or take a bathroom break.
A few minutes of deep breathing and relaxation can reset your mindset for the rest of the day and calm your mind and body.
Thirty: Get Enough Sleep – Lack of sleep can make you feel over tired and stressed. When you sleep your body begins the healing process so it’s important to give your body the time it needs to do this.
If you’re not getting enough sleep at night consider taking a power nap during the day. Even 15 minutes can reset you mood, creativity and your focus. Set your alarm for 15 minutes and watch how energized you feel afterward.
Also drink a glass of water before bedtime to hydrate your body and help it flush toxins. Drink another glass first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything else to help hydrate your organs.
Conclusion on Self Improvement
Everyone wants to be the best they can be. By following these tips you’re well on your way to a more balanced, focused and energized life.
All you need to do is choose what you want to implement first. Track it and notice what is working and what needs tweaking.
Once you’re feeling good about that change you can add in other. Change takes time. Be patient with yourself and reward yourself along the way. Motivation will get you going but discipline will keep you moving forward.
(Read: 10 Tips To Boost Your Motivation)
If you need help click here to make an appointment to talk about your lifestyle habits and I can help you in person or over Skype/Zoom.
