This is a list of actionable self improvement tips to help you create better habits and get on the right path towards personal growth.
So if you’ve been looking to make changes in your life and are overwhelmed as to where to start, then you’ll love this list of actionable tips.
Let’s get started.
- Eliminate Brain Fog and Unnecessary Stress with Short, Guided Meditations
- Walk For 30 Minutes A Day
- Track and Measure Your Finances With a Budget
- Create Better Habits by Recording What You Do In A Day
- Read or Listen To A Book Related To The Area You Want To Improve
- Schedule Technology Breaks
- Learn A New Money Making Skill
- Declutter The Mess
- Get Your Thoughts Out On Paper – Morning Pages
- Wake up Early
- Therapy – Sit On Someone’s Couch
- Schedule Mindless, Fun Time
- Develop Better Eating Habits
- Become “Team Sleep”
- Pull Your Credit Report
- Cut Out Toxic People
- Practice Consistency
1. Eliminate Brain Fog and Unnecessary Stress with Short, Guided Meditations
Short, guided meditations can be a great way to get out of your head. By taking just a few minutes out of your day to focus on your breath and relax your mind, you can quickly clear your mind and reduce stress levels.
There are many different types of guided meditations available nowadays. One of the best meditation apps to find some great meditations to start with is Insight Timer.
Insight timer has a wide variety of meditations to choose from and it’s free to create an account. All you need to do is click the signup button to get started:
Once you’re in, you can go to the Guided Meditations section and choose the one you have time for.
You can sort by shortest, so if this is new for you, start with a 5 to 10-minute meditation. Just pick one and get started.
2. Walk For 30 Minutes A Day
We all have these big plans and goals about hitting the gym every day and getting fit. But when it comes time to take action on that plan, it seems overwhelming.
If you want to work on getting back in shape, start by taking micro steps. A great way to start doing this is by simply walking for 30 minutes each day.
This can also be a great way to clear your head and get some fresh air. If it’s a rainy day, go to the gym just to use the treadmill.
If you don’t have access to the gym, walk around the house. Just get up and get moving. Take action.
Also, if you’re not used to walking for long periods of time, start with 5 or 10 minutes and gradually increase the amount of time. Challenge yourself.
The biggest thing here is that you just start.
3. Track and Measure Your Finances With a Budget
When it comes to improving our lives, one of the most important things we can do is get our finances in order. This means tracking, measuring, and understanding what you are spending your money on.
What doesn’t get measured cannot be improved which therefore doesn’t leave much room for you to grow and flourish.
Once you have an idea of your spending, you can start to get a clear picture of your financial situation. This will allow you to make better decisions with your money and help you reach your financial goals.
There are many different budget software out there such as Personal Capital, Mint, and PocketGuard.
The one that I highly recommend and personally use is YNAB. This one is not free, unfortunately, but it is super intuitive and very simple to use, even if you hate dealing with budgets, numbers, calculations, etc.
YNAB comes with a free 34-day trial. So during this time, you can try it out and see if it will be a good fit for you.
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Signing up is quick and easy and they even have this Youtube playlist to help you get up and running with creating your first budget.
With the help of their tutorials, you can have your first budget setup in less than 30 minutes.
4. Create Better Habits by Recording What You Do In A Day
It can be really helpful to track and measure your life habits. This way, you can start to see where you may need to make some changes and improvements.
One way to do this is by recording what you do in a day. This could be anything from writing down what you eat, to tracking how long you spend on different activities such as watching Netflix and browsing social media.
There are many ways to do this, but one simple way is to just use a pen and notebook and write down everything you do throughout the day and how much time you spent doing those things.
Alternatively, you can use an app like Momentum or Fabulous to track your days. But to keep in simple, a pen and paper works just fine.
Don’t change anything you’ve been doing. The only thing you’ll be changing is writing it down.
Do this for 5 days. At the end of the 5th day, review your notebook and see where you spent the most time.
From there, figure out what activities can be switched out for something to better yourself.
For example, if you spent 5 hours one day watching tv, can you switch this up to spending 3 of these hours working on a business idea, or 30 minutes going for a walk?
The point of doing this is learning how to find pockets of time to work on the things that will progress you forward. Even if its stealing a small piece of that time.
Remember, small incremental steps is better than none at all.
5. Read or Listen To A Book Related To The Area You Want To Improve
Reading or listening to a book related to the area you want to improve can be very helpful. It can give you some great insights and tips on how to get started.
There are many different books out there on different topics such as health, fitness, finance, self-improvement, etc. The list could go on and on.
To find a good book, you can ask friends or family for recommendations or look online.
If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few books that I would recommend:
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen. R. Covey
- Perfect Health Diet by Paul Jaminet & Shou-Ching Jaminet
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
These are just a few examples, but there are many great self improvement books out there that can help you in different areas of your life.
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Take the time to find just one for starters that speaks to you and will help you in the area you want to improve.
You can easily purchase these books on Amazon or use apps like Scribd. One little-known tip would be to check out your local public library.
You can get a free membership and check out many of these type of books for free as well.
6. Schedule Technology Breaks
Pick a day out of the week when you will turn off all electronic devices. Yep, that means no smartphones, computers, tv, nothing.
Just you, your thoughts, and maybe a good book or a blank canvas with some paint.
This may sound really challenging at first, but it’s important to disconnect from technology every now and then. It can help you reset and recharge.
Not to mention, it can also be helpful in developing better focus and concentration.
If you find that you absolutely cannot live without your electronic devices, then schedule at least 2-3 hours per day where you will not use them.
This way, you can still stay connected, but you’re also giving yourself some time to disconnect as well.
7. Learn A New Money Making Skill
One way to improve oneself is by learning a new money making skill. This could be anything from learning how to code to photography to baking.
The point is to find something that you’re interested in and can see yourself doing long-term.
It doesn’t have to be something that you’re an expert in right away, but something that you can learn and progress in.
There are many ways to learn new skills these days. You can find free resources online, take courses at your local community college, or even watch YouTube videos.
One of the biggest resources online is Udemy.
They have a large selection of courses that you can take to level up your skills in any particular area.
The key is to just get started and keep learning. The more you know in a given area, the more valuable you will be and the more money you can make.
8. Declutter The Mess
The more organized you are, the easier it will be to improve upon yourself. One way to start decluttering your life is by starting with your physical space.
Get rid of all the things you don’t need or use and organize the things that you do. This can be a daunting task, but it’s definitely worth it in the long run.
Not only will it make your space more pleasant to be in, but it will also declutter your mind.
Once you have a physical space that is organized, it will be much easier to focus on other areas of your life that you want to improve.
Start by decluttering and organizing something or somewhere you spend the most time. Some of the biggest areas would be:
- Your office or desk
- The kitchen refrigerator – yes the fridge! You wouldn’t believe how great you would feel when your fridge is cleaned and organized.
- Your bed or room
- Your closet
Just pick one area to declutter and get started.
9. Get Your Thoughts Out On Paper – Morning Pages
When it comes to improving oneself, one of the best things you can do is get your thoughts out on paper.
This is in the form of morning pages, which is a practice where you write three pages of content (stream of consciousness) every morning.
This can help you to clear your mind and get your day started off right. The best thing about morning pages is that there are no rules.
You can write about whatever you want, and it doesn’t have to make sense. It’s like a big brain dump.
Got a business idea? Write it down.
Something stressed you out and it’s still on your mind? Get it out by writing it down.
The point is to just get your thoughts out of your mind and onto the paper. This can be a great way to start your day and help you to focus on what’s important.
Not only that, but it can also help you develop better writing skills and improve your creativity.
10. Wake up Early
One of the best ways to improve oneself is by waking up early. This allows you to start your day with plenty of time to get things done.
Not only that, but waking up early can also help you to get in a better mood and be more productive throughout the day.
There are many benefits to waking up which include:
- Having time to enjoy the peace and quiet in the morning.
- Getting things done that you wouldn’t normally have time for.
- Using this time to do some light exercising.
- Avoiding the morning rush.
- Write your morning pages.
If you’re not a “morning person” right now, it’s ok!
Overtime, you’ll realize that not being a ‘morning person’ is just a label you’ve given yourself, but it doesn’t have to define who you are forever.
This can change. YOU can change.
Just start by waking up 15 minutes earlier than you normally would. Try it tonight by setting your alarm 15 minutes early.
Once you get used to that, you can gradually start waking up earlier and earlier.
The key is to just get started and be consistent. The more you do it, the easier it will become.
11. Therapy – Sit On Someone’s Couch
Therapy is a great way to improve oneself. It can help you to deal with different issues that you may be facing and can also help you to develop better coping mechanisms.
Some of the most successful people attribute their success to going to therapy.
If you’re feeling stuck and don’t know how to improve yourself, therapy may be a good option for you.
A few great resources for finding therapists are:
- GoodTherapy.org
- Zencare.co
No matter what type of therapy you choose, it can be a great way to learn more about yourself and how to deal with different situations.
12. Schedule Mindless, Fun Time
Everything can’t be serious all the time.
It’s important to schedule some mindless, fun time into your day. This can help to take your mind off of things and can also be a great way to relax.
Some ideas for mindless fun include:
- Watching a movie or TV show.
- Playing video games.
- Listening to music.
- Hanging out with friends.
- Exploring a local market.
Head over to Facebook and take a look at upcoming events in your area in the event section.
Or Google the “top things to do this weekend” near you.
13. Develop Better Eating Habits
What you put into your body can have a big impact on how you feel both physically and mentally.
Developing better eating habits can improve your mood and focus.
A couple big tips that I can give you is to:
- Cut out processed foods and refined sugars.
- Eat real, whole foods.
- Limit your alcohol intake.
Processed foods are often high in sugar and unhealthy fats, which can lead to weight gain, diabetes, and a bunch of other illnesses.
So it’s super important to pay attention to the ingredients in the foods you buy. This can help you be more informed and aware of the things you’re putting in your body.
If the label has a bunch of added junk, put it back on the shelf. You’ll start to notice that many foods have a bunch of added sugars that your body don’t need.
Making even small changes to your diet can have a big impact on how you feel each day.
So be mindful of what you’re eating and make sure that you’re fueling your body with the right nutrients.
Try switching out your sugar for a more natural sweetener such as:
- Organic agave
- Raw, unfiltered honey
- Date sugar
- Coconut palm sugar
Or you can even challenge yourself by eliminating sugar completely for the next 5 days.
14. Become “Team Sleep”
Getting your rest is LIFE.
You can still be successful with 8 hours of sleep. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t.
There’s so much noise out there of people talking about hustling 24 hours a day and all this nonsense.
“Sleep when I die” is not the motto. Get your rest boo boo.
No but seriously, many people don’t realize is how much of an impact sleep can have on their overall mood and productivity.
Sleep deprivation can cause all sorts of issues such as:
- Mood swings.
- Irritability.
- Inability to focus.
If you find that you need caffeine to get through the day or if you’re drinking more than 3 cups of coffee a day, it might be time to cut back.
This actually cause more issues such as:
- Anxiety.
- Restlessness.
- Nervousness.
The bottom line is that you need to make sure you’re getting enough rest each day.
That means aiming for 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
15. Pull Your Credit Report
One way to develop better self-awareness is to pull your credit report. This can give you a better understanding of where you stand financially and can help you to identify any areas that need improvement.
So always be proactive about your credit and know what’s going on with your credit report as often as possible.
This is why I recommend pulling your credit report at least once a year. This will give you a good overview of your credit situation and will help you to identify any potential errors.
You can get a free copy of your credit report at annualcreditreport.com.
Another way to stay on top of your credit is to use a service like Credit Karma. This service gives you free access to your credit report and any alerts for changes.
16. Cut Out Toxic People
There are some people who just bring negativity into your life and it’s important to try and cut them out as soon as you can.
These toxic people can drain your energy, mood and make it difficult for you to focus on your own goals.
There are a few signs that you might be dealing with a toxic person, such as:
- They’re always negative.
- They’re always drama queens or kings.
- They put you or others down.
- You feel exhausted after spending time with them.
It’s not always easy to cut out these people, but it’s so important. If you can’t remove them completely, then try to distance yourself as much as possible.
17. Practice Consistency
It can be tough to be consistent with anything in life, especially when it comes to developing better habits. But this is probably the most important thing that you can do for yourself.
This can be difficult at first, but with time and practice, it will become easier. And once you develop the habit of being consistent, you’ll start to see results.
So start by setting some goals for yourself and then create a plan of action to achieve them.
It doesn’t have to be big, overly complicated goals either. It can be as simple as “I will wake up 1 hour early starting tomorrow”.
Your plan of action from here would be: Set the alarm for 5am instead of 6am.
Or….
“I will spruce up my resume this evening.”
Your plan of action: Write a brief outline of things you will change.
Keep it really simple.
Make sure that you’re also holding yourself accountable and that you’re taking action each day to move closer towards your goals.
The key is to be patient and not give up on yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you won’t achieve success overnight either.
It’s stepping stones.
A marathon….not a sprint.
But if you stay consistent and keep pushing forward, you’ll reach your goals in no time.
Now It’s Your Turn
I hope this post have given you some helpful and actionable self improvement tips for you to get started with today.
Now, I’d like to hear your thoughts.
Which tip from this post will you be trying first?
Let me know in the comments section.
Helping people and eating tacos are my jam! This blog exists to help provide tips and resources that can help you achieve your goals and live a better life. Whether you’re looking for tips on personal growth, fitness, advice on starting a side hustle, or resources for working remotely, I’ve got you covered.
