Tiny Habits That Can Improve Your Life Significantly | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Tiny Habits That Can Improve Your Life Significantly

Because little by little, a little becomes a lot.

28
Tiny Habits That Can Improve Your Life Significantly
Unsplash

Habits are an important part of our lives. We all have them: The good, the bad, and sometimes the very bad ones.

Below are several tiny habits you can practice immediately to improve your life:


1. Practice gratitude.


Want to be happier? According to research, practicing gratitude increases happiness by 25%. The research also shows gratitude's additional perks: increased enthusiasm, optimism, and bouncing back more quickly from adversity.

So, how do you practice gratitude?

There are many ways, and the most common ones are:

- Keeping a gratitude journal. Write a list of at least three things you are grateful for. Do it first thing in the morning. This way, you'll be able to count your blessings and appreciate the simple pleasures of life more.

- In a difficult situation, focus more on the good rather than the bad. Have a "glass half full" mindset.

- Be happy for what you have while working for what you want.


2. Read daily.

Learning is a never ending journey. And what better way to gain knowledge than through reading?

As the saying goes, a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads only lives one.

Instead of constantly scrolling through social media in your free time, why not set aside time to be productive? Spare half an hour to read a book every day. Or, if you're impatient and feel that a book will take forever to read, you can use an app like Blinkist.

With Blinkist, you can read the key insights of an entire nonfiction book in 15 minutes.


3. Adopt a growth mindset.


According to Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, there are two ways we can view ourselves: the fixed mindset, or the growth mindset.

In a fixed mindset, people believe that their character, intelligence, and ability cannot be changed. They avoid challenges, fear failure, and are discouraged by criticism. They view talent, not hard work, as the factor that determines success.

On the other hand, in a growth mindset, people believe their character, intelligence, and ability can be improved through dedication and hard work. They view challenges as an opportunity to learn and failure as feedback. They also view hard work as the factor that determines success.

As has been proven by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in this article, hard work is more important than talent.


4. Avoid using crutch words.

You know what crutch words are, right? They're those words that we slip into sentences to give ourselves more time to think.

Examples include:

- Um, uh ...

- You know ...

- Well, basically ...

- Like, obviously ...

- Actually ...

Everyone (including me) relies on crutch words in their conversations to a certain extent. But those words often don't add any meaning. Overusing them are distracting. Plus, depending on the situation, it can make you look bad.

For instance, take the crutch word "like". According to Lisa B. Marshall, a communications expert, using "like" may sound cool among youths. But it sounds less intelligent according to older people.

So as much as possible, avoid peppering your sentences with crutch words.


Bonus Habit:

Remember the birthdays of your families, friends, and anyone else important to you. Put them in a calendar. It's time to stop forgetting about their birthdays and show that you care!


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

5 Things To Do That Are Better Than Writing A Paper

Don't waste your time trying to write that paper when there are so many more interesting things you could be doing.

9323
computer keyboard
Unsplash

Writing a paper is never fun and is rarely rewarding. The writer's block, the page requirement, be specific, but don’t summarize, make sure you fixed any grammatical errors, did you even use spellcheck? and analyze, analyze, analyze.

Papers can be a major pain. They take up so much time and effort that by the end of the process you hate yourself and you hate the professor for making life so difficult. Questions of your existence start roaming in your mind. Am I even cut out for college if I can’t write a single paper? Am I even capable of taking care of myself if I lack the energy to open my laptop and start typing?

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons Why Sisters Are The Best

Who could be a better friend than your own sister?

5619
sisters
Taylor Hooper

I can barely remember back when I was the only child. Most would say it’s because it is extremely difficult to remember things as a toddler but I would say it's because I was bored until my sister came along. My mother always says how important the "sister bond" is and with every year that passes I realize how right she is. Instead of writing a novel about all of the wonderful things there are about having a sister I decided to list a few of them instead.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Adult

You're gonna make it after all.

6000
how to adult
Twitter

It is the time of our lives that we are beginning to enter the adult world and most of us, if not all of us, have no idea what we are doing. It's like starting a video game, but skipping the tutorial. We're all just running around aimlessly hoping we accidentally do something right that moves us along the right path. Now that graduation has just happened, or is right around the corner for some of us, it's time to start thinking about how we are going to take care of ourselves once we are on our own.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

7 Signs You're A Starbucks Addict

I'll be the first one to admit I'm addicted to Starbucks.

3753
drinking coffee
Tumblr

If you’re anything like me, you love a good cup of coffee. My coffee always comes from Starbucks; I refuse to drink it from anywhere else. Over the years, it’s become one of my biggest addictions. So, if you are aware that you’re a Starbucks addict as well, or maybe you need to check to see if you’re an addict, here are seven ways to tell.

Keep Reading...Show less
people  in library
Photo by redcharlie on Unsplash

College involves a whirlwind of emotions, whether it’s from the stress of an assignment (or twenty), or from fighting with your roommate. It can be overwhelming at times and it’s important to take a step a back and calmly think things over. Maybe gain some perspective. The following aren’t foolproof tips and may not apply to you, but I was able to find success with them (hope you do too!)

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments