Top 10 Most Impactful Habits That Will Improve Your Life

The habits you acquire, good or bad, shape your reality.

If you want to improve your life, developing healthy/positive habits are key.

Breaking bad habits and building new habits is a lot easier said than done, but it is worth the effort.

Below are the top 10 habits that I have found to be the most impactful in creating a better life.

1. Strong morning routine

I love a solid morning routine.

I change mine up depending on my goals/my season of life, but I always have one in place.

A morning routine shapes and sets the tone for the day. And even if you don’t have the best day or things don’t go according to plan, you at least completed your morning routine.

A morning routine allows you to take control and make room for what is important. 

It’s the perfect time to work on your health, your personal development, your passions or all three.

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2. 100% focus

Focus is rare these days.

We are surrounded by distractions and it’s only going to get worse.

Despite whatever statistics are out there about the human attention span, you know yourself best.

When you’re working on something and you get a notification on your phone, do you pick it up immediately?

Do you work on the task at hand for a few minutes then find yourself taking a snack or social media break?

And distractions aren’t the only problem. Lack of focus can also stem from poor sleep, stress, unhealthy diets, certain medications and so on.

If you can get into the habit of reaching 100% focus for even just 1 hour per day, you’ll be more likely to experience success in what you are doing.

And the more you practice and build onto that time, the more you can make a habit of it.

An hour of truly focused work is more productive than several hours of half-focused work.

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3. Weekly meal prep

I’ve been meal prepping every weekend since 2016.

Meal prepping is such a great habit because it saves you time, saves you money, and it keeps you on track.

Meal prepping only takes 1.5-3 hours to prepare a whole week of meals, including washing the dishes.

Throughout the week you won’t have to think about what to prepare and you won’t spend time cooking.

When you go grocery shopping you’ll buy exactly what you need and that’s it. You also have meals prepped for the whole week so there is no need for you to grab lunch or dinner out.

And finally, it helps you lead a healthy lifestyle because you’re more likely to reach for food that is ready to go. This will prevent you from giving in to cravings.

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4. Regular exercise

There is nothing quite like exercise. 

Once you build a habit around it you literally feel like a whole new person.

With regular exercise you improve your health, shape your body, and boost your mood and energy levels. It’s honestly the best.

Exercise is also the top keystone habit. It has a ripple effect on what you eat, your relationships, your productivity, and many other habits and areas of your life.

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5. Consuming positive content

Many people are accustomed to listening/watching the news or mindless content. Of course it’s OK to be informed and give your brain a break, but have you ever considered the impact?

Listening to content that is empowering, motivating, and educational has made a huge shift in my mindset.

I’ve learned and improved so much from the books, podcasts, articles, and videos I consume.

Most people around you (including yourself) are not positive people. The human brain has a natural tendency to be negative.

So when you fill your surroundings with positivity, you make a huge shift in your mindset. This eventually leads to becoming more of an optimist and developing the thoughts necessary to become better overall.

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6. Taking walks outside

Taking walks outside is one of my favorite things to do. It sounds silly but it’s so peaceful, rejuvenating and overall just makes you feel good.

You can get multiple benefits in 1 from walking: improve your heart health, get some vitamin D, reduce stress by being in nature, increase blood flow and therefore brain clarity, learn something if you listen to a podcast or audiobook, meditate or process your thoughts, and/or bond with someone.

It requires minimal effort yet it’s so productive and life-changing. 

7. Practicing gratitude

There are many things we take for granted in life but practicing gratitude daily can change that.

Even just writing down a few things you are grateful for each day has the potential to increase your happiness and shift your mindset.

I like to write down new, detailed and relative things I’m grateful for each day. You can also recite things you’re grateful for outloud or think of things throughout your day. It’s impossible to feel negative while feeling grateful.

If you want some guidance, check out The Gratitude Journal from HabitNest or The 6 Minute Diary.

8. Journaling

Journaling allows you to get your worries, ideas, and thoughts out of your head and onto paper.

Journaling doesn’t necessarily mean you write about your day or all your secrets. It’s a place to free-flow.

You can do braindumps/mind maps, write your goals, your intentions, the things you accomplished, how you can improve, your future visions, your manifestations, your ideas, your feelings, you can give yourself a pep talk, you can write a letter to someone.

The possibilities are endless and that’s what is so great about it. However you are feeling or experiencing, you can capture that on paper.

I also love to refer back to my journals to see my progress or reflect on the past.

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9. Evening tidy

If you don’t stay on top of clutter, it can get out of hand quickly.

Which is why I like to spend 10-15 minutes tidying up my home.

Most important are the dishes. Otherwise I’ll wake up to a full sink and a dirty french press that I need.

From there I’ll sort any mail, wipe crumbs off surfaces, hang my coat up, put my shoes away, and make things orderly again.

Then you can go sleep knowing your home is in order and wake up with more clarity.

Tidying doesn’t mean you need to sweep, vacuum, mop, or deep clean anything. It’s just a simple habit to stay on top of a normal daily mess.

10. Saving money

More specifically, AUTOMATING saving money.

I’ve gone years of my life spending my paycheck and going into debt. Now that I save and invest regularly I feel much more at peace and proud of the decisions I am making.

Start small if you need to, but have a certain amount of your earnings go into a savings account or be invested. You don’t even have to think about it.

Then work on increasing that amount over time.

You may feel happy buying new things all the time, but have you ever stopped to ask, “Why do I keep wanting to buy new things?”

HAVING money reduces financial stress in your life which opens space for you to grow in all areas.

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Of course there are several other habits that have a great impact on our lives such as meditating, reading, drinking enough water, etc.

But I have found the 10 listed to benefit me the most.