We are all works in progress, there’s no doubt about that.
But change can seem very overwhelming, especially when we’re talking about big lifestyle changes.
That’s why this article from AskReddit is so helpful. People offered up small tips that you might want to consider to start improving your life.
Baby steps!
1. Flossing is important.
“Oral hygiene. Gotta be more consistent when it comes to flossing.”
2. Just do it.
“Start doing the “Rule of 5″ If it takes less than 5 minutes to do a task when you see something, and you’re not already mid task, just get it done. You’ll get your chore list cracked out a lot faster if you just clean the counters as you go around the house doing other stuff.”
3. Just a little bit.
“Do something a little bit.
Work out a little bit, so you can be just a bit stronger.
Eat a little more healthy, so you can be a bit healthier.
Always improve on something at least a little bit every day, and in the long run, you’ll be doing great.”
4. Always improving.
“Be actively kind to yourself. What did you do today that was great? Cherish it.
On the other hand, when you’re good at being kind to you(!), take the next step: what did you do today that you want to do differently tomorrow/next time?”
5. Set your goals.
“Start thinking in long-term (say, five years), medium-term (say, a month to six months) and short-term strategies (say, one day to a week).
You can break the long-term plan down into medium-term plans, and the medium-term plans into short-term plans. What do you need to be doing today to get you to where you want to be next week? Next month? Next year? Once you’ve got that in mind — and you get into the habit of taking manageable bites out of your life goals — it becomes a lot easier to achieve what you want.
The advice I always give relates to writing a novel. A novel is 90,000 words, give or take. If you write 250 words a day, every day, you’ll have the first draft of that book you’ve had rattling around inside your head on paper by the end of 2020. If that seems daunting… well, this comment is 210 words long. It took me less than five minutes to type up, and I’m only, what, forty words away from being on target? How many Reddit comments do you write in a day? How many Facebook updates? How many tweets?
A little amount of sustained effort is (usually) the best way to get where you want to be.”
6. Take a walk.
“Go for a walk, even just a short one. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome a few years ago and I could barely get out of bed but I forced myself to walk- first to my mailbox, then the end of my street and beyond. It may not seem like much but I promise it can make a huge difference.”
7. Clean it up.
“Donating/throwing out/selling old stuff you no longer use. Also, cleaning out your fridge.”
8. Wake up fresh.
“Do your dishes before you go to bed. Waking up with a clean kitchen is a great feeling.”
9. All in your head.
“Be aware of the narratives we make up in our heads that only cause distress or anger.
An example of what I mean: “My friend hasn’t texted me for 3 days, she must be growing tired of our friendship!” More likely is that your friend is simply busy.”
10. All good tips.
“Allocate time more directly to maintenance of my body and home:
I lost 100 lbs this year. All due to diet. I could be a lot healthier if I added 30 minutes of exercise.
Then there’s my house, after I lost my wife I had a lot of trouble motivating myself to clean and now certain rooms are really needing it. If I could allocate even just an hour a day to it I would eventually be able to get back to regular maintenance rather than feeling helpless every time I open the door to one of those rooms.
Lastly, reading. I desperately want to get back into it and I’ve succeeded a couple times and loved it. But college broke my spirit of habitual reading and I’m not sure how to get it back.”
11. One piece at a time.
“If you’re sitting on a couch, desk chair, or lying down, and you get up to go to the bathroom or kitchen, take something with you. The 2 empty water bottles near your bedside, or the dirty dish on your coffee table. Knock out 2 birds with one stone.”
12. No more soda.
“Drink more water. Less soda.”
13. Very important.
“Stretch.”
14. Nobody’s perfect!
“Realizing you don’t have to be perfect is a good first step. People get shit wrong, we’re fallible!
Also I cannot stress enough how good books are for your brain. Expands your vocabulary, encourages imagination and creative thinking and even if you have problems with reading words, for example if you’re dyslexic, audio books are a thing and for the most part they’re just as good and effective.”
15. Start MOVING.
“Get the fuck out of bed. Stop snoozing. Stop laying there. Just get up, make your bed if that’s your thing, and have a big glass of water. Then move. Yoga, a walk, 20 jumping jacks. Anything. Just move a little bit.”
