10 Healthy Micro Habits That Will Improve Your Life

If you think about it, many of our daily actions are guided by habits.

Think about the 5 things that you do immediately after getting up in the morning. Peeing doesn’t count.

Consider how those first 5 activities affect the rest of your day.

Are you satisfied with the way your day flows seamlessly, and stress-free from one productive activity to the next?

Or do you feel like the firefighter trying to battle the hottest burning fire? All. Day. Long.

Some tweaking to your daily habits can make the difference between calm and chaos.

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Small micro habits lead to big life changes

Habits are great — unless they’re bad habits and not getting you the results you desire. So if you want better results, then you need better habits. And, the fastest and easiest way to do that is by incorporating micro habits into your life.

Micro habits are small, incremental changes that you incorporate into your daily routine. Over time, taking these tiny steps, and making these small changes lead to the big change you desire!

You can reach the big goals you have set for yourself by taking small steps today, the next day, and the day after that until they become a part of your routine.

Incorporating small, yet consistent modifications into our daily routine can yield significant outcomes. For instance, regularly flossing our teeth, staying hydrated by drinking sufficient water, engaging in reading activities, and jotting down our thoughts in a journal can contribute to a healthier and more productive lifestyle.

Identify your big goals. For example, losing 20 lbs or running a half marathon. Choose a miniature version of the goal and take a baby step daily.

Pair it with an activity you’re already doing every day, such as taking a lunch break. Replace burgers and fries with salad or a protein bowl. Substitute fruit for dessert instead of chocolate cake.

Research stretching exercises and commit to doing them 5 minutes a day for a week. Add a 10-minute walk, then add a 10-minute jog. And so on until stretching and running are a part of your life.

Make conscious choices each day to adopt this new strategy and in no time you will have reached the realistic goals you are setting for yourself, getting closer to the lofty goals you want to reach.

Keep track of how often you accomplish the goal with a simple check mark in a notebook or tracking app. When your routine feels effortless, build on top of it with another nourishing micro habit—and keep building. Good habits on autopilot are the most effective way to reach your ultimate goal.

The psychology and physiology of human behavior can be explained much better by people far smarter than me. Understand the power of cue, craving, response, and reward as the framework for successfully establishing new habits.

Check out Atomic Habits by James Clear for the “sciencey” stuff. Micro habits, habit stacking, or atomic habits are code for “how to actually keep your New Year’s Resolutions”!

Here are 10 Micro habits that can easily be incorporated into your daily routine that will reward you with significant positive changes in your life. 

1. One-Minute Breathing

Take just one minute of deep, mindful breathing to reduce stress or anytime you feel overwhelmed. Inhale deeply for a count of four, hold for a count of seven, exhale for a count of eight, and repeat. The anxiety of a new job, or (yikes) a medical procedure can be alleviated with this pattern of deep breaths when you are feeling that panic. It is a powerful tool that takes just a moment. 

Build this new micro habit into a more in-depth daily habit of mindfulness meditation to reduce stress and improve mental clarity.

2. Morning Stretch

Spend a few seconds stretching your body right after waking up. This can help refresh your muscles and improve circulation. Practice your favorite yoga pose for 30 seconds as soon as you get out of bed to start your day. 

Take small baby steps to incorporate physical activity into your routine to stay fit and boost your energy levels.

3. Establish a Morning Routine

Everyone’s morning routine will look a little different, but it should include 15 minutes of activities that, once done, have a much larger impact on your day. Start with one task and add to it as each becomes routine. 

Making your bed, clearing the kitchen sink of dishes, picking up things that are out of place throughout the house. Each of these tasks takes only a couple of minutes but makes a huge difference. 

Having the bed made, even if the rest of the room is a disaster will instantly make it seem neater. An empty sink will make the kitchen look tidier even if it needs a thorough cleaning. 

My routine includes these things, but also tending to chickens, getting dressed for the day, brushing and flossing my teeth, cleaning the litter box, and planning my day. These are things I have accomplished within 15-20 minutes of getting out of bed. And I’m a slowpoke sleepyhead in the morning!

Even if my plan for the day gets totally derailed (ya know, like it sometimes does) I have some successes under my belt.

Make these small habits the foundation for achieving long-term goals of better time management and increased productivity.

4. Hydration Reminder

Have a glass of water as soon as you get up in the morning. It immediately counteracts the dehydration that has occurred overnight.

You might want to keep a glass of water on your bedside table if you routinely wake up thirsty during the night.

Unless you own cats. Then I suggest using a mug. You see, the little furballs want to share your water during the night and when they stick their heads down into a glass, they tend to tip the glass of water over.

I check my mug for cat hair in the morning, as cat people do, before finishing my water.

Set a timer on your phone to remind yourself to drink a glass of water every couple of hours during the day, depending on your physical activity level. The benefits of staying hydrated can’t be overemphasized. It has a positive effect on your energy, mood, and overall health. 

Routinely drinking a glass of water before meals is an easy, effective strategy to manage weight.

5. Bedtime Routine

Establish a short, calming bedtime routine for yourself. Spend a few minutes reading a book, practicing gratitude, or doing a quick meditation before sleep. Micro habits that encourage gratitude, positive affirmations, and self-compassion can improve overall mental and emotional well-being, leading to massive changes.

Pick out your clothes for the next day so you don’t spend precious time in the morning staring at the closet, declaring you have nothing to wear! 

6. Regular Planning

Organize your tasks and set goals through daily or weekly planning to enhance productivity. To-do lists, meal planning, and daily focus priorities can provide clarity if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Use a digital or printable planner as an aid to keep on track.

A few minutes spent planning your day can save hours during the day. No more time spent wondering what to do next. No more forgetting appointments.

A short to-do list along with time blocking can help you with time management.

Spend 10 minutes after dinner planning the next day’s meals or preparing simple snacks. This can save time and reduce stress in the morning when it seems that time speeds up. Small things like having breakfast and lunch prepped or packed, and the coffee pot set up for your morning coffee are going to make a huge difference in your busy morning. 

7. Social Interactions

Take a brief break in the day to play with your kids or to connect with your friends. Engage in a fun activity to clear your mind, interact with others either in person or on social media, and maintain your emotional well-being. It’s a great way to bond and refresh your mind.

8. Positive Affirmations

Choose a positive affirmation to repeat to yourself when things get tough. For example, “I got this” or “I’m going to do my best.” Kick the stinkin’ thinkin’ to the curb.

We are often too hard on ourselves for small mistakes and not appreciative enough of our daily accomplishments.

Some days just seem to go off the rails, regardless of the good plan you had in place! 

9. Gratitude Journal

Write down three things you’re grateful for each day. It’s a simple practice that can shift your focus to the positive aspects of your life.

Remember this: Gratitude turns what we have into enough.

10. Self-Care

Plan a regular habit of self-care to combat overwhelm or stress. Take a moment just for you. Remind yourself that it’s okay to ask for help, take breaks, and prioritize self-care.

Find time to read, meditate, or take a hot bath if that is something that soothes your soul. Having effective morning and evening routines might just free up some precious time that you can use to fill your cup.

Remember, the effectiveness of micro habits lies in their simplicity and consistency. These small actions are just a sample of new habits that can make a big difference in managing daily chaos and maintaining your well-being.

The good news is that they don’t take much time or effort on your part. Their real power comes from the daily repetition and that can have a huge impact on your overall well-being!

Let’s take a look at 10 tips for designing micro habits that will help you improve your life now!

1. Start Small

Micro habits should be as small and easy to do as possible. The essence of micro habits is their tiny nature. Begin with actions that take just a few minutes or even seconds to complete. This reduces resistance and makes them easier to stick to.

For example, if you want to exercise more, try doing just 5 minutes each day. Instead of committing to a gym membership, start with a short walk every day. Master that before increasing your time or adding another exercise to your routine.

2. Small Steps

Don’t try to take on too many micro habits at once. Focus on establishing 3 to 4 small habits and mastering them before gradually adding more into your routine. Build your success by making small changes.

Trying to adopt too many at once can be overwhelming and lead to burnout. Be patient, habits can take time to become routine. 

It’s great to make a list of a dozen micro habits you might like to incorporate but only choose 3 to 4 to start with. Prove to yourself that you’ll follow through and master them before adding more. Build your confidence daily and the rest will be easy!

Suppose you want to create a better morning routine. Make it a point to make your bed as soon as you get up. Do this for one week, and consider your next micro habit to build on this new morning routine! 

Think of 3 more 2-minute tasks that you can do that will make your day go easier. Your choices won’t look like mine, but there are dozens of easy tasks that take less than 2 minutes to accomplish and will make a noticeable difference.

• Dust the surfaces in one room
• Put away 5 items that are out of place
• Sort/process mail (toss/recycle junk mail so that it doesn’t accumulate)
• Sweep the kitchen floor
• Unload the dishwasher
• Spend 2 minutes clearing out digital clutter on your phone

When you have completed 10 tasks in 15-minutes for a couple of months you are on your way to a successful morning routine.

The same principles apply at work. Spend 2 minutes decluttering digital files, or paper on your desk. You probably know of a dozen 2-minute tasks that you can knock out each morning or afternoon that free up time for you to do more important things.

3. Make it Fun

Incorporating something enjoyable like listening to music or a podcast (if it makes sense for your current goal) while practicing your micro habits can make it more enjoyable and easier to stick with.

That pleasant activity can be just what you need to avoid feeling negative or that you’re being punished when trying to get your brain and body used to new routines.

4. Consistency is Key

Commit to doing your micro habit every day, even if it seems insignificant. Consistency builds the habit’s foundation.

If you want journaling to become a part of your day spend five minutes each day journaling about whatever is on your mind. You will start to crave that bit of quiet time and look forward to it every day. 

Conversely, don’t be too hard on yourself if you miss a day. It’s not catastrophic, just do it the next day.

5. Set Reminders

Use a calendar, tracker, phone reminders, or sticky notes to help you remember to do your micro habits every day.

To make it even easier, find a time of the day when working on your micro habit works for you. 

Some folks like to get everything done first thing in the morning — as part of their morning routine. For others, they may find that the end of the day is a better choice.

Play to your strengths, and do it when you are more likely to follow through!

It’s easy to set a daily reminder on your phone to take a 10-minute walk at a time when you are most likely to do it.

6. Visible Cues

Keep visual cues around your environment to trigger your micro habit. 

For example, if your micro habit is drinking more water, keep a filled water bottle near you throughout the day.

Place a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter as a cue to have a piece of fruit as a mid-morning snack if healthier eating is your goal.

Making it obvious is a critical component in establishing habits.

7. Track Your Progress

Logging your progress is a great way to stay motivated and celebrate small victories as you go.

Track your micro habits using a paper tracker or an app. Consider downloading a printable tracker online. If you have a physical tracker, post it in a prominent place so that you can view your progress daily.

This visual reminder will keep your micro habit top of mind and also inspire you to keep going!

8. Connect With Others

It’s not always easy to stay on track without support. Reach out to family and friends or join an online community of people who are all working towards similar goals.

Consider teaming up with an accountability buddy. You can easily check in through text or email. Reporting daily results will make it much easier to reach your goals and you can celebrate with each other.

Having an accountability partner can completely change the dynamic of what you’re doing and sharing your success with someone else makes it even sweeter!

Share your micro habit journey with a friend or family member who can encourage you and hold you accountable.

Share your goal of doing a daily micro habit of writing down three things you’re grateful for with a friend, and check in with each other’s progress.

9. Celebrate your wins through Positive Reinforcement

It’s important to give yourself grace if you miss a day and to reward yourself for consistently completing your micro habit for a week. The reward could be something small, but it’s important to celebrate it.

Recognizing accomplishments helps build momentum and keeps you motivated. Give yourself small rewards when you reach milestones in your journey toward achieving your goals.

Set these up ahead of time and not while you’re in the actual process of completing your micro habit. They’ll inspire and motivate you to keep going. Make sure the reward fits the level of effort you’re putting forth.

Enjoying a square of dark chocolate after completing your micro habit of doing a brief meditation session will make it more likely that you will do it for another week. And then another week, until it’s part of a routine that you enjoy and don’t want to miss!

10. Gradual Progression

Micro habits take time and persistence to become a habit, so don’t give up when the going gets tough. Keep practicing and focus on the long-term results you’re working towards! The more you repeat something, the better you will become at it. Before you know it, you’ll achieve mastery with your new positive micro habits!

If your micro habit is getting more exercise, start with 10 push-ups or deep lunges a day and gradually increase by 5 each week. Try to do them at the same time every day.

Remember, the power of micro habits lies in their cumulative effect over time. Don’t be discouraged by their smallness; they can lead to significant changes in your daily life when practiced consistently.

The key is to make these habits so small and manageable that you can’t find an excuse not to do them. Over time, these seemingly minor actions can create a positive ripple effect in your life.

You will turn your micro habits into part of who you are. When it becomes part of your identity, it will be easier to maintain because you won’t want to let yourself down. And, when it becomes part of who you are, then you’ll be doing it automatically, just like any other habit — except this one will be productive and good for you! Your future self will thank you.

By following these simple tips, you can get started on designing micro habits to help improve your life now. Micro habits may be small, but over time, they can have a huge impact on your well-being. So why not give them a try? You might just find that they’re the key to unlocking your potential and achieving lasting success!