10 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself
Embarking on a journey of self improvement is one of the most exciting and rewarding things you can do in your life.
Self improvement can improve the quality of your relationships, finances, physical health, and much more.
But where do you start?
The key is to successful self improvement is to use practical techniques that you can integrate into your daily schedule.
Practical self improvement techniques don’t require much planning, are easy to perform every day, and are very effective.
To help you get started, this article will share 10 practical ways to improve yourself.
#1 — Wake up early
When you wake early you are making a psychological commitment to having a productive and fruitful day.
In addition to putting you in the right mindset, waking early gives you time to perform a morning ritual — a series of activities that prepare you for the day ahead.
Some of the best activities to add to your morning ritual include meditation, exercise, family time with the kids, and reading a few pages from a book.
#2 — Read everyday
Books are an excellent source of knowledge, wisdom, and practical advice.
Find some books that you find motivational, inspiration, or interesting and spend at least 20 minutes reading each day.
You could easily find the time to read as a part of the morning ritual you are launching tomorrow morning.
Here are a few great books to help you get started.
#3 — Make exercise a regular part of your life
It is impossible to truly improve yourself without focusing on both the mind and the body.
The best way to improve your body is to make exercise an everyday part of life.
It cannot be a sporadic event that only occurs when you are on a fitness kick, it must be a part of your lifestyle and a habit you don’t break.
If you struggle to exercise regularly, perform this challenge.
For the next month, you will exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes each day.
Perform this exercise at exactly the same time each day.
It doesn’t even matter what the exercise is.
You could do some yoga, walk the dog, ride a bike, lift some weights, hit the gym, go swimming or whatever you feel like doing.
The key is to get your body moving and to form the exercise habit.
After the 30 days is up, exercising will be something that you do without much thought.
When that time of day rolls around, you will be out the door and running around the block before your mind can think of a single reason why you can’t do it.
#4 — Take up an enjoyable hobby
The best hobbies are ones that improve the quality of your life in some way and are physically, mentally or emotionally stimulating.
Hobbies like cooking, carpentry, dancing, art, and home decorating are all great choices.
#5 — Make self improvement a game
One of the most effective ways to meet your self improvement goals is to compete with others.
Do you want to lose weight?
Challenge one of your family members who also wants to lose weight to a competition.
See who can lose the most weight in 3 months.
Competing will give you more motivation to improve yourself and you can help the people around you embark on a journey of self improvement as well.
#6 — Ask for feedback from loved ones
One of the best ways to identify the areas where you need improvement is to ask your loved ones for feedback.
Ask your partner how you can improve your relationship with them.
Talk to your children about the things they wish you could do together.
You will discover practical ways to improve yourself that have a positive effect on the lives of the people you love.
#7 — Use goal setting and to-do lists
The best to ensure that you stay on track during your self improvement journey is to continually track your progress.
You can do so by using goals and to-do lists.
They will help you stay focused and will act as a source of motivation as you achieve each task on your lists.
Create these lists in a journal or consider using software like Wunderlist.
#8 — Bust a bad habit
Self improvement isn’t just about forming new habits.
It’s also about identifying and removing bad habits.
Most people have dozens of bad habits that they repeat every day, ranging from sleeping too long to binge eating junk food in the afternoon.
Start with a small habit that is easy to stop, then move onto the tougher ones.
To break a bad habit, focus on going 21 days without repeating it.
After the 21 days are over, you will be delighted to discover that the habit will be gone forever.
#9 — Write your thoughts in a journal
Speaking of habits, here is a positive one — document your thoughts and feelings in a journal each day.
Start by describing how you felt during the day and jot down any important events that occurred.
Writing down any information relating to your self improvement goals.
You will find that documenting this information makes it easier to reflect on your self improvement journey and identify any further changes that you need to make.
#10 — Eliminate time wasters
One of the simplest and most practical ways to improve yourself is to identify time wasters and eliminate them.
Do you find yourself mindlessly watching television or YouTube at 11pm each night?
Do you spend hours playing computer games every night?
Stop doing it (or reduce it).
I hope you enjoyed 10 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself.
Do you have any practical tips for self improvement that you want to share?
Leave a comment below.