Small life hacks to improve your personal life
Hey Google, how can I keep my New Year’s resolution?
It’s something we’ve asked our smartphones or our virtual assistants, especially once our goals disappear amongst back-to-back meetings, children and a hectic social life. You can make your life easier, and it doesn’t have to be by adhering to a restrictive goal you committed to when the clock hit 12. Forget the resolutions you believe you need to achieve before another new year. Determine the problem areas in your life, similar to the examples below, and amend your daily routine to get more out of life.
1. Clear the schedule for “me time”
Person: BuzzFeed community member, Fayeh. Problem: Fayeh experienced burnout, she ran herself into the ground, and resented other people for leading a leisurely lifestyle.
Small change: She sets Saturday morning aside for “me time”. She schedules time in the morning to do a Pilates class, treat herself to a coffee on the way home, and nap if she gets time.
Big impact: Improved mental health, calmer, more organised and improved connections with people as she no longer envies those with considerable spare time.
2. Watch motivational videos
Person: Investigative journalist, Ryan Dube, was making choices based on what others thought of him.
Small change: Despite being a sceptic, he introduced motivational videos into his daily routine by using a calendar to schedule in three five-minute clips a day.
Big impact: He began to question the habits he formed for comfort and the choices he made because of others. He then sat down and listed the things he wanted to achieve and be remembered by. These questions and thoughts materialised into physical results including weight-loss, running further than he ever imagined, and planning his first novel.
3. Make small changes to your daily routine
Person: Life Coach, Caitlin Grace. Problem: Grace found she wasn’t achieving her resolutions as they often disappeared from her mind after a few days.
Small change: She discovered the secret of achieving goals by reviewing her daily routine. She introduced daily bed-making, journaling, tidying her kitchen, and gardening—small, yet easy, tasks.
Big impact: Aside from making her house cleaner, the small shifts centre her life and elevate her mood. She recognises they aren’t earth-shattering changes, but they’re getting her to where she wants to be.
Making colossal resolutions can also spur failure. If you don’t make small changes to achieve the goal, you won’t ever accomplish it. And if you haven’t achieved the goal a few days, weeks, or months after you’ve established the resolution, you give up completely and forget all about it. Make small changes in the short-term to centre and reward yourself to achieve big changes in the long-term.