5 Habits To Get Your Life Together — Fast!

Life isn’t easy, and sometimes, it gets the better of us. I know firsthand how overwhelming it can feel when everything is spiraling out of control.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and like your life is out of your control right now, know that you’re not alone, and you won’t stay in this place forever. Life naturally ebbs and flows, but our habits often determine how we navigate those waves.

In this week’s article and YouTube video, I’m sharing how a few small changes can create a massive shift in your life. These 5 habits have helped me get my life back on track, and I’m confident they can help you do the same!

1. Focus on What You Can Control

Challenging periods in our lives cause a lot of anxiety, but more often than not, we worry about things we cannot control. 

For example, we may worry about what others think of us or the state of the economy, which is out of our hands. Yet the more we fixate on these issues, the more overwhelmed and helpless we feel. 

So, the first habit is to focus on what you CAN control. This requires a conscious shift to direct your energy toward actions and thoughts within your influence, rather than dwelling on what’s beyond it.

Try it right now. Think of a challenge you’re currently facing and ask yourself: What is within my control right now? What can you actively do to turn things around?

For example, you can’t control how others respond, but you can control how you show up.

Modern science supports this technique. Studies show that people who focus on what they CAN influence (internal locus of control) feel less anxious and more in control of their lives.

2. The 1% Rule

When multiple things start going wrong in our lives, we often panic, trying to fix everything all at once. 

Similarly, when we set a goal to change our lives, we try to make a massive change immediately. But this can actually increase our stress levels and lead to burnout.

A more helpful habit is to follow the 1% rule. This is when you commit to becoming just 1% better every day through tiny daily improvements. 

Research shows this habit works because small gains soon compound into big results. It also feels less intimidating so we are less likely to give up, and seeing small, consistent progress increases our self-confidence.

So, how can you put this into practice?

Choose one area of your life where you would like to make a change, then identify one tiny, actionable step you can take to improve by 1% each day.

For example, if you want to start practicing yoga but don’t have the time or money for studio classes, start with practicing yoga for just 5 minutes each day, or even just practicing one posture. Then as this new habit forms, slowly increase the duration of your practice. 

Before you know it, you’ll have a 30-minute daily yoga practice! 

3. The Two-Minute Rule

When we’re overwhelmed, we start procrastinating, putting off tasks because everything feels too difficult. But this increases our to-do list and, thus, our stress. Before we know it, the sink is full of dirty dishes, piles of unwashed laundry are lying around, and our inbox is overflowing.

This is where habit number three can come in and save us. The two-minute rule is as simple as this – If something takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. 

This habit prevents the little things (like laundry and dishes) from snowballing into a big, overwhelming mess. It also helps to clear some mental space so that we can start to focus on bigger tasks.

Start with simple things, like:

• Putting away clothes as soon as they are out of the dryer
• Washing your dishes right after you finish eating
• Tidying up your desk at the end of every day

Set yourself a challenge to do as many two-minute tasks as you can for one week. Record them and look back over them at the end of the week. You’ll feel a massive sense of achievement!

4. Embrace the Power of “Enough”

We live in a society that teaches us to always strive for more – more money, more possessions, more promotions, etc.

But as psychology shows, this endless striving leads to stress, dissatisfaction, and burnout. The more we focus on what we don’t have, the less we can see the many blessings already in our lives.

So, habit number 4 is to switch from ‘more’ to ‘enough.’ It’s not about giving up on your dreams but instead recognizing and appreciating what you already have so that you can work toward your goals from a place of peace and contentment.

Here are three steps to embracing the power of ‘enough:’

1. Every day, write down three things you’re grateful for
2. Spend time defining what “enough” looks like for you in each area of your life. What is the minimum you need to feel content and satisfied?
3. Focus on progress, not perfection. Celebrate every small win and look for the hidden lessons in each challenge and setback you face.

5. Set Weekly Micro Goals

We know that setting goals increases our motivation and likelihood of achieving them. But the problem is we often set too lofty goals, so we don’t know where to begin.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t set big goals. Instead, we should break our big goals down into numerous small goals.

Let me share a personal example of this habit in action…

When I first started writing my book, instead of focusing on the massive goal of finishing the entire book, I set a much more doable goal of writing one chapter per week. After a few months, I had finished the first draft. 

So try this yourself. Take one big project you want to start and break it into tiny chunks, spreading each chunk out over the weeks. 

Write your micro-goals somewhere visible to check them off as you achieve them and celebrate your progress.

Want A Bonus Habit?

In this week’s YouTube video, I share one more habit for getting your life together. This one might not sound like a typical “habit” but in my opinion, it’s the most important one.

Watch the video episode now to discover what it is:

And a final note: don’t try to cultivate all these habits immediately – that will overwhelm you more! Instead, start with one habit, and once you’ve mastered that, move on to another.

Comment below and let me know which habit you’ll try first and why!

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