5 Easy Habits to Help You Grow
Updated: Dec 14, 2020
It's little habits that turn into long-term lifestyle changes.
This is something I learned, observed, and am practicing (see article on Psychology Today). So, what are some things that we can do and manage each day that will allow us to grow into healthier versions of ourselves? Here are some of the habits I am finding to be quite life-giving.
1. 10 minutes on Duolingo
Duolingo is this free app I use to learn new languages. Each day, I try and do one lesson on the app. It gives me scores and rewards. And the interface is quite beautiful. If this interests you, can find the app here: Duolingo App.
2. One Podcast Episode a Day
I used to have a list of podcasts I subscribed to but never really had the time to listen to them. These days, I've found that I need to be more intentional, to carve out time for them. And because I love to learn, and often feel like I need to acquire all the knowledge ASAP, I also need to remind myself to take it one step at a time, one episode at a time. So, if you have a list of podcasts or are looking for one, here are some of the ones I can recommend (with links to them):
And if you want some in Creole and French:
3. Morning Devotions
Morning devotions are a discipline I've found to be equal to eating for the day. You can snack all day, get bits and pieces of Scripture (verses of the day, Christian quotes, sermons), but spending time with God (especially in the morning), is like eating a full meal, with the nourishment you need to live the fulltime Christian life (if that is the life you desire).
4. Mini Sabbaths
Sabbath is about 'ceasing', pausing and resting, remembering, and celebrating. I've found much more joy in carving out time for breaks during the day or taking advantage of natural breaks in the day (like after completing a 2-3 hour task or during lunch). Taking the time to pause, breathe, talk to God, reflect on how the day's gone so far, recharge through prayer, all of these things have allowed me to find more productivity in my workflow and more joy out of the day as well. We tend to think that we stop working, even for five minutes, we'll lose. It's in fact when we don't stop that we lose... Why not try it?
5. Progress Lists
I love lists. I love having things checked off of my to-do list. There are however things that you simply cannot check off immediately. Maybe it's a larger project you need to manage (a research paper, a work project, your house renovations). Whatever that project may be, It might be worthwhile to use progress bars instead of checkboxes. This may be hard to visualize or implement so, I created a template on Notion (a productivity platform I use) to just for you.
Use this link to access your FREE template: Productivity TEMPLATE.
I hope these were helpful tools. If you have more questions or more habits or podcasts to suggest, please leave a comment below!
Share this post as well with someone who might benefit from having more tools like the Productivity Template I shared with you!
