There are lots of healthy habits to acquire; walking outdoors, saving money, and cooking meals at home are all great ideas. But I have a list of eight non-negotiable daily habits that everyone benefits from. Identify the ones you’d like to start, and use our Practical Tips to Start a New Habit to incorporate them into your life!
8 Non-Negotiable Daily Habits
1. Get up at the same time each day. When you wake up at the same time each day, you train yourself to sleep better. Having a daily wakeup time helps start your day off right.
2. Practice self care. This includes your physical, mental, and spiritual health. For instance, meditation offers lots of benefits, and exercise gives you the stamina to get through your day.
3. Make your bed. Mom was right! Making your bed in the morning helps keep your bedroom neat, and is a simple task that will make you feel accomplished first thing in the morning.
4. Eat well. We all have to eat, but eating habits can be positive and negative. Make sure you’re incorporating healthy foods into your diet, and eating the right amount for you throughout the day.
5. Express love to the people in your life. Every day, tell the people you love you love them. It makes everybody feel good, and strengthens your relationships. It can be easy to fall out of this habit, and think your loved ones assume you love them. Even if they do, it’s still nice to hear it!
6. Clear the decks before the end of the day. Putting things in order before you sleep will help you sleep better, and avoid the rush of fixing everything in the morning. Pack lunches, select clothes, and load the dishwasher before you go to bed, and you’ll have a much better morning.
7. Relax into a bedtime ritual. Bedtime rituals and routines genuinely help you get to sleep faster, and sleep better through the night. For example, maybe a cup of tea and a book help you feel relaxed. Maybe you’re a nighttime showerer. Your bedtime routine is as unique as you are, but doing the same relaxing activity every night is great for your sleep hygiene.
8. Sleep 7-8 hours a night. Sleeping less than 7 hours a night negatively impacts every aspect of your life. If you don’t get enough sleep, then you could experience daytime sleepiness, worse memory, and an increase in the likelihood of car accidents. Chronic undersleepers suffer from many more health issues, including depression, diabetes, and heart attack. Get your Z’s!
Use non-negotiable language
Telling yourself, “I’m gonna try to eat better” is a great sentiment, but lacks the power to see you through the actual challenge, so use words like “must,” “get to,” and “have to” to give your promises more oomph. Just like Yoda says, “Do, or do not, there is no try!”
Use accountability
Accountability helps us stick to our habits a lot better. You can be accountable to yourself through a journal or habit tracker, or you can be accountable to others. Friends, family members, and coaches can all support you as you incorporate a habit into your life.
