Essential List of Non-Negotiable Daily Habits You Need to Implement

Because every habit counts!

It does! Although you don’t see the ramifications of it in the short term, over a longer period of time, that’s when you begin to see it.

I remember reading Atomic Habits by James Clear and the Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. These books completely changed my outlook on habits, and how they eventually affect your every day life.

Your habits count! Every single habit. Good or bad habit, your habits are a big contribution. The question is, do you want the long-term consequences of those habits?

This blog post is going to go through the habits that have the long-term consequences YOU want. These are pretty much the beneficial habits that you want to build.

You will learn of the non-negotiable daily habits to start building in your life if you haven’t already. This blog post is for those who want to build better habits, or if you need a list of new habits ideas in general.

I definitely recommend my past blog posts on habits which you can read after this! Read the blog post on the compound effect, the behind the scenes of habits! And also, the blog post on what to think about before starting a new habit.

So without further ado, let’s get into these 15 habits!

1 – Reading

Whether you’re reading non-fiction or fiction books, reading is still a beneficial habit!

It’s a great habit to practice being in the moment, since you really can’t comprehend all the information unless you are completely focused in what you’re reading.

You probably know about the benefits of reading from when you were in school. The benefits still remain the same as we get older… we expand our vocabulary, we learn a lot more, and it improves of concentration and ability to focus!

2 – Mindful Sipping of Your Favourite Drink

What’s your favourite drink? No matter what your favourite drink is, when was the last time you simply just sat down, and enjoyed every single sip of that drink?

Whether we drink water, or a coffee, some of us may be guilty of just sipping it without enjoying the drink altogether. That’s why, the next time you buy yourself a drink, or you make yourself a drink, take the time to really sip it.

Take the time to enjoy the drink, every single sip.

3 – Journaling

Journaling is another great habit to build to help with your mental health.

There are so many ways you can journal. You can free-write or you could use prompts… whatever works for you!

The act of journaling is helpful since it can allow you to be more self-aware of your emotions, your feelings, and your life in general. It can also be a great way to relieve stress.

4 – Gratitude Exercises

This is also a life changing habit as well! Being grateful for the things you have now is a great contribution to a better mindset!

By being grateful for at least 3 things once you wake up, and 3 things before you go to bed, can change your perspective quite quickly. You train your mind to think of the good things that are happening in your life, no matter what you’re going through.

Of course, when things in your life are going good, you’re grateful. But when things are challenging, you’re still grateful. You’re still grateful that at least there are still blessings coming your way no matter what you’re going through.

5 – Making Your Bed

This is a typical habit that you probably learned about early on.

I remember when I was 12 I used to neglect this habit because “I was just going to go back to sleep in it anyway“.

But when you think about it, making your bed is your first accomplishment in the morning. It may be a small accomplishment, but it’s a great win to start of your day. It’s always the small wins that count and build up. So by making your bed, you set yourself up for small successes throughout the day.

Plus, at the end of the day, you come home to a neat bed. Good or bad day, you’re coming home to a neat and made up bed.

6 – Regular Work Breaks

This is a important productivity habit as well. No matter how long your work or study day is, don’t forget to take your breaks!

Whether that is to drink a sip of water or take a walk outside, make sure you’re taking a break.

Taking a break allows you to recharge and clear your mind before you get back into work again.

Otherwise, you’re just going to be overloading and your work quality would be affected because of that.

So don’t forget to take your breaks!

7 – Exercise

This had to go on the list.

The exercise doesn’t always have to be 5 mile runs or 60 minute sessions at the gym. There are so many other options out there!

From countless YouTube workouts, to different in person classes, there are many options to choose from.

And also, exercise is more motivating when it’s something that you enjoy. I know that for me, I didn’t feel motivated to exercise when I knew I had to run… but when I changed my exercise to just walking and getting fresh air, I always get excited to exercise.

So the key to feeling motivated to exercise to is find something you enjoy!

8 – Daily walk (even if it’s just a short one)

Whether this is your form of exercise or not, doing a daily walk outside (even if it’s just for 15 minutes) is another beneficial habit to build.

There are already so many benefits to getting fresh air and moving your body throughout the day. And even if it’s hard to fit 30-60 minute exercise sessions in, it’s easy to fit in a 10-15 minute walk.

Because taking a walk outside really does help! It’s something about the fresh air that helps you to clear your head and makes you feel better overall.

A tip to start walking is to put walking shoes outside, it will be a reminder for you to do your walk!

9 – Mindful Eating

This is pretty much where you eat… mindfully.

How many of us have been guilty of just mindlessly eating our food. We start eating our food and the next second it’s all gone? How often do you really take the time to enjoy your food? And embrace everything you’re tasting?

That’s why, a non-negotiable habit that’s easy to build (because you’re already doing it anyway) is to start eating mindfully. Every time you eat something, be mindful of every bite, and embrace the food you’re tasting.

I don’t know about anyone else, but when I started doing this, I always felt full afterwards. Because whenever I was distracted while eating, I tended to want to eat more.

But no matter what, we can all benefit from eating our food mindfully.

10 – Mindful Shower & Skincare Routines

Assuming that everyone does take a shower, and has a skincare routine of some sort, how many of us just go through those tasks mindlessly and on autopilot?

Taking a shower and doing your skincare are considered tasks where you can just go on autopilot. However, sometimes it’s just as important to live in every moment, and do those tasks mindfully too.

The reason why you may want to consider doing them mindfully is because they’re a perfect opportunity to practice mindfulness! Think about it – you’re by yourself and away from whatever else you have to do today.

Even though it’s for a brief moment, it can be a great time to observe what you think about.

11 – Me Time

In the midst of study or work, it’s also important to have time for yourself.

Even if it’s just for a short time, time to yourself is crucial to building a better relationship with yourself.

Whether you decide to take a walk, or just watch an episode of a TV show, take some alone time.

While building relationships is important, it’s even more important to build a relationship with yourself.

Plan a self-date, or do one of these 20 ways to build a relationship with yourself!

12 – Cleaning (even if it’s just for 10 minutes)

Everyone loves a clean space right? But understandably, the act of cleaning can be a bit of a drag.

I know for me, I personally highly dislike cleaning, BUT I love how everything is neat at the end of doing the task.

It’s understandable that the idea of cleaning for even just 20 minutes seems dreadful, but cleaning for 10 minutes seems achievable. It’s a short enough to motivate yourself, but it’s also long enough to get a lot of cleaning done.

You’ll be surprised on how much cleaning you can get done in 10 minutes!

13 – 2 Minute Rule

This is a time management tip as well! The 2 minute rule is pretty much were you just do the task if it takes less than 2 minutes to do.

Examples including washing a dish once you’re done with it, or cleaning up your work spaces once you’re done. Instead of just leaving it until later, since they take less than 2 minutes, you just do them.

This saves time later on in the day (and you thank yourself later as well!) because those small tasks do tend to pile up later.

14 – Digital Detox

Probably one of the top important habits on this list is doing a digital detox, mainly with your phones.

We have a life outside our phone right? A digital detox allows us to step away from our phone for some time, and do things without using it.

For some it may be easy, for others it may be harder. But regardless, we could use some digital detox time.

Even if you just simply don’t go on your phone for the first 30 minutes of the day, and last 30 minutes at night. Remember, that you have a life outside your phone, the things in your phone can wait.

If you want to know more about digital habits, you can read this past blog post!

15 – Reward

Let’s face it – every day you’ve worked really hard. So what do you deserve? A reward.

At the end of every day, make sure that you reward yourself. Before you begin doing anything, think of a reward that you’ll give yourself once you finish it all. It may be a nice meal, or watching some TV, the possibilities are endless.

This is quite a fun habit to have! Rewarding yourself reminds you that you have done an amazing job, no matter what people have said, or no matter how big or small you have accomplished. You deserved it!

Take a SMALL STEP

I’m not going to say to build all these habits at once… that’s a no go!

Instead, just pick one habit from this list that you think will benefit from the most.

Once you pick the habit, then just focus on building only that habit. Once you feel confident that you’ve automated that habit in your life, then move onto another one!

Every single habit counts

Habits are everything. Even though in the moment we may not see the effects of our habits, over a longer period of time, we would begin to see it.

That’s why, it’s important to be self-aware of the habits we currently have. It’s also just as important to think of other habits that you could build that would also benefit you long-term.

Good or bad habit, every habit counts. If we want to avoid the long-term consequences, we need to break the bad habits. If we want the long-term consequences, we need to build the good habits. That’s the power of the compound effect.

Maybe it’s seems intimidating at first, but trust me, you can do it!

-Lauren 😊

---

Share This Blog Post Here:

Related Articles:

Behind the Scenes with Habits – the Compound Effect

First Thing to Think About When Starting a NEW Habit

How to Level Up Your Habits

How to STICK with Your Habits (the one thing holding you back)

How to Use Self-Talk to Build or Break Your Habits

---

---

---

CONNECT with ME!! 🗯

Instagram:

@laurenlbarri (blog Instagram)

---