The Best List of Habits to Improve Your Life in 2024: Good Daily Habits
List of habits that uplevel our lives in a BIG way
Our lives are built on hundreds of tiny habits that we do every day. Whether we even know we’re doing them.
Those habits hurt or help us, and our worlds are a direct reflection of them.
Sure, they are often so small that you don’t notice the impact right away. But over time they make ALL the difference.
Fortunately, we have the power to change bad habits and add superb ones. So, look ahead at this list of good life-changing habits for success. And, let’s ponder the best ways to go forward.
Jot down your favorites below and brainstorm about those better habits and routines. Then, read on for WHERE to start and HOW to improve your daily habits.
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LIST OF GOOD HEALTHY HABITS
“A healthy outside starts from the inside.”
Robert Urich
Our health directly impacts our quality of life. No one wants to spend their days SICK and TIRED! Plus, we get one body in this lifetime, so let’s take care of it to the best of our ability.
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE HABITS (1-39)
1. Breathe in fresh air every day. Preferably in nature.
2. Move your body for 30 minutes every day.
3. Prioritize sleep – get those 8 hours! Develop a sleeping ritual
4. Eat a salad.
6. Take a walk at lunch.
7. Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
8. Stand at your desk. Or get a standing desk or low-cost stability ball.
9. Wear sunscreen.
10. Have a regular dance party.
11. Floss.
12. Stay OUT of the middle aisles at the store. It’s where the majority of processed food lurks! (Find more healthy budget ideas)
13. Drink a glass of water when you wake up. Keep it on your nightstand.
14. Cook at home more often (instead of eating out).
15. Take a multi-vitamin or supplements you’re lacking.
16. Reduce or give up soda.
17. Go on a regular evening walk with your pets or family.
18. Park your vehicle farther away.
19. Set up “walk meetings” at work.
20. Join a new workout class for a month.
21. Plan your meals a week in advance. Use this free meal planner printable.
22. Buy smaller plates to eat from (to control portion sizes).
23. Read food labels, and aim for ingredients you can pronounce.
24. Stop eating after dinner.
25. Drink a glass of water before eating.
26. Drink green or herbal tea. Check out fabulous tea options HERE.
27. Try easy substitutions (milk chocolate to dark chocolate, ranch to olive oil dressings, etc.)
28. Cut back or eliminate alcohol and caffeine.
29. Try a new natural beauty product. I LOVE THIS gentle face wash for women.
30. Use essential oils instead of products with artificial ingredients.
*Read this article for 9 basic cleaning recipes using oils.
31. Drink chamomile tea before bed.
32. Find a low sugar smoothie recipe you love.
33. Quit smoking.
34. Make one healthy snack or meal ahead every week.
35. Aim for one extra vegetable in your meal.
36. Straighten your posture.
37. Eat less meat. Try meatless Mondays!
38. Include strength training in your exercise. Building your muscles burns calories while you sit!
39. Make healthy freezer meals for emergencies.
Want more healthy ideas? Check out 23 Crazy Easy Ways to be Healthier in 2023.
DAILY HABITS TO BE HAPPY
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
Charles R. Swindoll
No matter what else we do in our lives, if we’re not happy, what’s the point?!
Plus, fulfillment and contentment are completely within our control. So, let’s cultivate those habits that help us enjoy life to the fullest.
BE HAPPY HABITS LIST (40-68)
40. Wake up with gratitude. Find easy ways to be grateful.
41. Set a timer for your phone and social media time, or unplug for an hour daily.
42. Limit your news consumption.
43. Journal and write down those thoughts.
*In my mind, NOTHING compares to the simplicity of my five-minute journal. It’s pre-determined sections make daily practice a no-brainer!
44. Listen to people and media that empower you. Read inspirational quotes.
45. Listen to music that lifts you up.
46. Get outside regularly and open your shades daily.
47. Take care of yourself. Read Self Care Ideas for Mental Health, or Grab access HERE to ideas and a checklist!
48. Work to let go of what you can’t change.
49. Give yourself a compliment every day. Or finish this sentence “I love myself because __________.”
50. Meditate.
51. Look on the bright side. Practice finding the silver lining daily.
52. Schedule regular date nights and time together with your partner.
53. Be playful daily with your kids. Let your hair down!
54. Find a church or spiritual place that resonates with you.
55. Declutter your personal space regularly
56. Say no to what doesn’t excite you.
57. Invest in experiences.
58. Establish meaningful traditions with friends and family!
Check out my ebook HERE for HUNDREDS of tradition ideas to gain quality time with those you love.
59. Smile at yourself in the mirror.
60. Eat one meal a day with others (family, friends, etc).
61. Make your bedroom a sanctuary.
62. Have more sex. Schedule it if you need to!
63. Invest regularly in things that make you feel confident and great about yourself.
Habit examples include:
- clothes that make you feel amazing
- workout classes
- courses, classes, seminars, and workshops to learn new skills
- healthy whole foods
- a coach or mentor (health, lifestyle, finance etc.)
64. Pray.
65. Watch less tv.
66. Ask for help. Often.
67. Laugh often. Watch a funny show, tell jokes, or be with friends.
68. Set up a reoccurring date with your friends.
LIST OF GOOD HABITS TO MAKE AN IMPACT
“Focus on impact. Not Approval.”
Tim Ferriss
The following life habits focus on two objectives.
First, make your life better, more productive, and more successful. And second, make the lives of those around you better, whether it be your family, friends, or a larger reach.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE EXAMPLES (69-99)
69. Go first. Be the first to smile and say hi to everyone.
70. Fill your home with real plants and greenery.
71. Prioritize your to-do list. Do the most difficult thing FIRST.
72. Save money regularly with an automatic transfer.
73. Read for 10 minutes a day from a book. See great personal growth books.
74. Invest your money regularly (in yourself, investment vehicles, or something that leads to your brighter future).
75. Set up your money to automatically transfer into a giving fund.
76. Do something that scares you every day. Find ways to get outside of that comfort zone!
77. Compliment a stranger.
78. Befriend someone that makes you want to be better.
79. Make a 5 year plan and review it regularly.
80. Develop a nourishing morning routine. (Read: How to Get Up Early)
81. Try a spending freeze.
82. Visualize your ideal day/future. If it was your last day on Earth, what would you do?
*Learn more about visualization and how to make a vision board.
83. Write down your personal goals.
84. Read to your kids.
85. Call a friend or family member to check up on them.
86. Make your nights count! Set up a night routine.
87. Hang out with smart and open-minded people.
88. Volunteer your time.
89. Track your finances weekly.
90. Don’t be afraid of failing. In fact, fail often. Then reflect and learn. Failures = critical feedback
91. Plan your day.
I LOVE the productivity planner. It includes easy sections for prioritizing, and it has improved my efficiency by an unbelievable amount.
92. Set goals.
93. Keep track of your progress towards habits and goals.
94. Make family dinners happen.
95. Practice a growth mindset. How did I fail today? How did I stretch myself?
96. Implement the Pareto Principle (the 80/20 rule).
20% of your actions give you 80% of your results. IN ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE. Work on that which makes the highest impact.
97. Review and reflect often.
98. Learn something every day – through blogs, books, youtube videos, podcasts, TedTalks…the sky’s the limit.
99. Start. Right now. Pick 2-3 habits and just do it.
WHERE to Start With the Examples List
This is a pretty big habits list though right? So, what if we don’t know where to start?
Well, here are the top 5 daily habits that will improve your life the most and/or make all the other habits on this list easier.
1. DAILY EXERCISE
When you exercise, you have more energy to take on your day. Studies show you’re better focused, less stressed, and can more easily stay at a healthy weight.
This one habit benefits us in countless ways!
2. ENOUGH SLEEP
Sleep impacts almost all of your daily choices. As with exercise, good sleep will help you have more energy, but it will also be easier to make better decisions and learn new things.
See How to Get the Best Sleep of Your Life for more tips on this!
3. REPLACE ONE MEAL A DAY
With just one healthy meal replacement like a salad, vegetable soup, or smoothie you’ll be giving yourself more energy and protection against future disease and cancer.
Isn’t your body worth it? NONE of the other habits will happen if you’re sick.
4. MEDITATE
The truth is, I wish I’d learned to meditate years earlier.
If you sit for long enough, it’s like a tranquilizer dart hit just the right spot. Meditation lowers stress, anxiety, and depression. And improves focus and memory function. Making all the other habits on the list much more doable.
Related Post: How to Meditate for Beginners (and why I HAD to start)
5. ESTABLISH SUCCESSFUL ROUTINES
Finally, good morning and night routines will include several of the amazing habits above, therefore making it ten times easier to do the right things.
These posts will help you transform your routines:
Next up, learn HOW to get these habits to work!
HOW to Practice Good Habits
Now, building better habits takes time and requires consistent work. Unfortunately, there’s no magical quick fix.
But, here are 8 easy tips for how to make your habits STICK in 2023.
START SMALL
Like tiny. One of the biggest mistakes we make with new habits is that we go too grand. Then, we get discouraged and give up.
Dr. Danielle Kelvas, MD, recommends making small, little changes over time. She suggests choosing one thing and doing this one thing consistently for 1-3 months.
Want to exercise more often? Start with just getting on your workout clothes. Want to floss daily? Aim for just getting the floss out, or flossing one tooth. It’s about developing the consistent habit FIRST. Then, you build on it.
BE INTENTIONAL
Without a plan, we’re destined to fail. So, write out when, where, and how long you will do your new great habit before you take that first step.
USE EXISTING HABITS
Habits that are already ingrained in us are great triggers for a new habit.
So, think about what you already habitually do.
For example, my sister started the habit of drinking a glass of water every morning by telling herself she had to before she got her cup of coffee. Simple, but effective.
MAKE THE HABIT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE
Set up your environment so that doing the right thing is the path of least resistance.
Set your floss out on the counter, hide that junk food, or place your journals and pen on your bed. Make the good habit as easy and obvious as possible. Decide what makes it easy to follow through and set it up.
FIND YOUR PEOPLE
Truly, we average out to be the people we spend the most time with. So, if you want healthier habits, hang out with healthy and fit people.
The same goes for any other good daily habits you want to have in 2023.
AUTOMATE
The best thing about automation is that it’s one and done.
Smaller plates help us eat less. Automatic transfers make saving and giving painless. And standing desks get us up.
Figure out if there’s anything you can do to automatically be better, and you’ll naturally adapt.
REWARD YOURSELF
Great habits often don’t give us immediate rewards. Many times, the benefits take time to accumulate. In the meantime, give yourself a reward with something that makes you feel great.
TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
Finally, track what you’re doing! Whether through a habit tracker, diary, or an accountability partner.
How will you know if you’re improving if you don’t see your progress?
Grab this Free Habit Tracker Printable to start!
Want these 99 daily habits as a handy printable?
Finally, Watch This Video From the Habit Expert
To Consider With Daily Habits Examples
Who doesn’t want to be healthy, happy, and impactful? These are at the core of our being!
And it takes one small step at a time to get there. NOW, is a great time to evaluate where we are headed, and what we can focus on in the future.
So, cheers to a bright future!
Of this big list of habits, what are the small practices that you’re going to work? I’d love to know below!
Want to remember this?
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Other better habit posts you may enjoy…
- How to Motivate Yourself When It Gets Tough – we all have to push through bad days, here’s how!
- Smart Things to Do When Stuck Inside – Simple ways to boost your energy and productivity!
- Best Hobby Ideas For Women
Love this list! So many great ideas! Thank you!
Rachel I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This is a wonderful post! I feel so inspired! I’m trying to improve on what I’m already doing, but it’s not always easy. Intentionality and motivation are key. I just may have to work up to removing soda from my life though 😉 Thanks!
Carolyn, I completely understand! The habits are simple, but not necessarily easy to be consistent with. Keep working at it! It’s worth it!
Wonderful. Such important things on this list. After my cancer diagnosis, I was determined to develop healthy habits. Thanks for reminding me of some I forgot or didn’t think about.
Patricia thank you so much for sharing! May I ask, what healthy habits have you found to be most impactful after your diagnosis? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
This is so helpful to have! Thank you for this list!
I’m glad you enjoyed the list of habits!
I can already feel 2020 will be the year of self-care—and I can’t wait! This massive list has given me so many ideas on how to be better for myself in the coming years. Thanks so much for sharing!
I LOVE that 2020 is your year of self-care! It’s going to be a great year for you then!
What great tips thanks for sharing these
I want to print the original compact list, please!
Hi Tammy! I’m not sure I know what you mean, but you should be able to copy and paste the list into a word document and print it out. 🙂