We’re only four months away from Christmas and New Years, when we all eat and drink too much and then set our resolutions for the next year.
If this sounds like you (and you’re the type to break your resolutions before January has ended), you may be ready to think about improving your life in the lead up to the holiday season. When you’ve already built smart habits into your routine, you’re much more likely to carry them on through to next year.
Here are some top ways you can improve your life before the end of the year:
Set smart goals
Smart goals are the type you write down. They’re achievable, time-based, and specific. Studies have shown that writing down your goals makes you much more likely to achieve them- especially if you keep them somewhere you’ll read them every day. Make a list of the things you want- whether it’s a promotion at work, a romantic partner, a new job, or to pay off your debt. Set yourself a deadline based on when you’d like to hit your goal, and create milestones you can meet on the way as you work towards achieving it.
Get serious about your health
What’s the number one unhealthy habit or activity you’d like to give up? Now’s the time to think seriously about why you want to stop this behaviour and how you can stop doing it. If you tend to binge eat at night, you may want to think about ordering your groceries online so the food isn’t in the house. If you don’t get enough exercise, purchasing a Fitbit or joining a local gym can be a great way to get the exercise you need.
Start Exercising
Whether it’s for ten minutes or two hours, take some time to get a little sweat going. Exercise reduces stress, boosts your energy, and releases happy chemicals into the brain. Just make sure that your morning exercise routine doesn’t become an added source of morning stress. Keep it from being results oriented, and focus on enjoying every moment of your activity rather than declaring goals to achieve. Pick physical activity you enjoy, and make it self-indulgent. Choose relishing the moments of your morning run over pushing yourself to reach a certain mileage. Choose indulgence in each moment of your morning yoga practice over marking its worth by your ability to master that new arm balance. Make it a way to start your day taking care of yourself so that you can set yourself up for a more peaceful, focused, confident, productive day.
Get your loved ones onboard
It’s hard to eat healthily when friends are eating junk food in front of you, and it’s difficult to save money when you’re constantly invited out for dinner and drinks. Your friends and family members are likely to be supportive if you talk to them about your goal and let them know how serious you are about achieving it. Let them know why you want to achieve it, and ask if they have a similar goal they’d like to work on so you can support each other.
Challenge yourself
When was the last time you tried something difficult? When we are children, we’re constantly learning and being challenged. Unfortunately, when we become adults it’s easy to become complacent and avoid doing the types of things that stretch us. Consider taking a cooking class, learning a language, or signing up for a marathon. When you’re continuously achieving new goals, you’ll get an injection of self-confidence and continual feelings of achievement- and this is a great way to improve your daily life.
