If you adopt these 10 daily habits, you’ll quickly get ahead in life

I’m not going to lie to you – life can be incredibly difficult.

So why not make it easier for yourself?

You don’t have to perform a massive life overhaul tomorrow, wake up at 6 a.m. with a cold shower and wave goodbye to cupcakes and wine forever…

But there are certain nifty little habits that could change your life for good.

And the great thing about these habits is that they’re so easy to gradually ease into your lifestyle, one by one.

Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, these changes might not seem like they’re changing your life, but trust me.

You’ll be surprised by how quickly tiny changes add up to monumental transformations in your energy, mood, and well-being.

Think of your life as a pyramid: the better you build the base, the more likely you are to have all the tools to get ahead in life.

Eager to get started?

1) Make your bed

At risk of sounding like your parent, this one’s boring but if you don’t already, time to get started.

Making your bed first thing not only gives you a sense of accomplishment and routine, plus a tidier bed to roll into in the evenings – it’s actually been linked to feeling happier.

So if you aren’t already a hardwired bed-maker, why not start tomorrow?

2) Start and end the day with your planner

Every morning, I sit down and look over my tasks for the day.

These, I prioritize according to importance and urgency and get to work.

And most of these tasks I wrote down the night before, at the end of my working day.

Rinse and repeat!

The more on top of your organization you are, the less likely you are to feel stressed or overwhelmed by deadlines, or even miss meetings or important chores.

3) And plan for the bigger picture

Daily planning can help you maximize where you spend your time, but what’s equally important is that you plan for the future.

Not all of us have a clear vision of what we want or where we’re headed.

But you don’t need a crystal-clear dream to start getting ahead in life.

Think small: where do you want to be by the end of this month?

Or the end of this year?

Consider what aspects of life are important to you: maybe wealth, or strong family connections, or living somewhere sunny.

Then consider how you might start incorporating little steps to get yourself towards a future which involves these aspects you consider important.

Maybe that’s something as simple as participating in an online course, going on one date a week, or putting away $100 a week.

4) Get moving

But surely if I want to get ahead, I need to sit at my desk for 14-hours-straight to make sure I’m giving it my all?!

Not exactly.

Exercise actually improves your cognitive skills, so it’s incredibly useful when it comes to honing your brain power and working to the best of your abilities.

It also boosts your mood through producing endorphins and lowering stress.

So whilst it might seem counterproductive to step away from your work, setting daily time aside to exercise – be it running, lifting, hiking, dancing, whatever you want – will have a huge impact on helping you achieve more in the long run.

5) Quit social media scrolling

The pleasure you get from watching cute pets do funny things on your phone might brighten your mood for a few minutes, but let’s be honest.

Wasting half an hour in the morning, at lunchtime, or before bed scrolling mindlessly through apps isn’t getting you anywhere.

That time could better be spent on some of the other habits mentioned, or even on an offline self-care practice such as skincare, meditation, or hanging out with your pets.

6) Beginners biohacking (but don’t overcomplicate it)

By definition, biohacking is a series of small DIY lifestyle changes you can make to improve your health and well-being.

It’s become a hot marketing term used to sell wild products which claim to have the ability to revolutionize your life, but are often dubious and unregulated.

However, if you bring it back to the basics, certain aspects and habits can help you live as the best version of yourself and in turn jump ahead in life.

The key is in not overcomplicating it, and also personalizing it to meet what you need – not what someone on Reddit insists.

Some simple beginner biohacking tips include:

• Cold water showers/therapy
• Red light therapy
• Intermittent fasting (although this style of eating can negatively impact women’s hormones)

This article is in itself an extended version of what some people would call biohacking, but I’m trying to emphasize that you don’t need to get swept up in spending all your disposable income on Nootropics and blue light glasses and IV drips.

Start with trying to get 7-9 hours of sleep and eating a colorful and varied diet, and then dabble in other aspects which seem affordable and applicable to you.

7) Read, read, read

In the time that you’re not scrolling, and you’re maybe wearing your blue light glasses?

Get reading!

Not only is reading the best way to learn from home, it’s also shown to improve readers’ sleep quality.

Self-help book, poetry, fiction, non-fiction.

The choice is yours.

Even a cartoon or a manga series, if you wish.

But set a goal for a certain number of pages a day and stick to it.

You’ll broaden your mind, expand your knowledge, and allow yourself to get swept up in creative stories – all of which sound pretty positive to me.

8) Stretch it out

Again, you can spend hours cranking out work at your desk and come away feeling proud (albeit twitching after the 4 energy drinks you’ve consumed), but think of your body in the long run.

To get ahead, you have to look after it.

And sitting at a desk all day tends not to be great for your posture.

Be honest – how are you sitting right now?

Would you say you’re doing your shoulders a favor?

Setting aside even 10 minutes to stretch your body is key to keeping it running like a well-oiled cog.

You can follow yoga practices or just start working on your tighter areas.

9) Open your heart

I personally walk down the street with my headphones in, avoiding eye contact and keeping my lips tight.

I live in a city where that’s the norm, and generally the safer option when it comes to public interactions.

But every so often I have a wonderful spontaneous interaction with a stranger which boosts my mood for the rest of the week.

And when I do, I’m reminded of the importance of putting out the same positive energy in return for others to receive.

That might be telling someone they have a lovely outfit on or surprising your friend with their favorite sweet-treat.

Whatever the act, being kind and welcoming goes a long way in how other people regard us and the impact we have on the world around.

10) Swap the tunes for a podcast

I’m not a big podcast/audiobook person, but once in a while, I’ll pull up my self-improvement socks and stick on a podcast.

I’m always shocked at how much I learn in such a short space of time, usually concluding the podcast with a handful of questions I have to run off and research.

Music is great for the soul, but every so often, maybe on a walk or on your commute, choose an interesting topic and get listening.

It might be inspirational or motivational, on a topic you have always wanted to learn about, or just prime comedy that will have you struggling to stifle your giggles on the bus to work.

Conclusion

Everybody starts out in different places in life, so what you consider to be ‘getting ahead’ will be individual to where you are now, where you’ve come from, and what your goals are.

But you can’t deny that these little changes will help anyone to improve their quality of life.

And it’s through these easy-peasy changes that you start incorporating everyday, that you’ll soon be able to look back and realize how much your health and emotional well-being have improved.

In turn, by eliminating what’s holding you back and gradually feeling more rested, healthy and content, you’re giving yourself the best chances of getting ahead and reaching your goals.