5 Great Habits To Implement in 2021 (Why & How to Stick with It)
"What are you going to do differently this year compare to last year?"
Believe it or not we’re still in the early stages of the new year. Whatever you plan to do in these next 10+ months of the year, make sure you commit and make the best of it. Be consistent and you’ll start seeing great progress and new opportunities arise.
What are daily habits? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, habit is a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition. They are simply the things/activities you do on a day-to-day basis. For example, wake up, brush your teeth, eat cereal (or blend that good avocado, spinach, and chocolate syrup smoothie), get dressed for work, eat lunch, go home, exercise, cook something for dinner, wash your face, brush your teeth, shower, put on a face mask, listen to a great sermon, read a book, go to bed, and repeat.
What you decide to do every single day will surely project the person you want to become: more successful, creative, mindful, wealthier, wiser, healthier, etc. That's why it is crucial to start the day right with a positive mindset and attitude.
We don't always want to do what we need to do every single, but the solution to keeping a good habit is to always plan ahead, write your "why and how," and lastly sticking to your selected habits to start seeing the improvement in your life. Do the work, trust God and the process, persevere, and in the end, you will notice how fulfilling and happier your life will be.
Make this the year where you change or improve your daily habits. Challenge yourself to do something you have never done in the past.
Maybe it's to start the business, write the music, form that new relationship, learn to play an instrument, take financial lessons, return to school to get your degree, become a pilot, study abroad, move to another country for a new job, travel the world for 6 months, whatever is inside your heart, consider doing it this year!
It's in your heart for a reason, besides you will never know the outcome unless you try, right? That's the beauty of life. A door of opportunities always opens up when you take that leap of faith.
Here are 5 Daily Habits I want to personally implement this year. You are more than welcome to join this exciting journey with me!
1.) Wake up at 5 AM every single day. 🌄🌅⏰
WHY: I enjoy spending some time before work to worship, journal, and do my daily devotional. I noticed how I am more productive, sharp, and creative when I devote my early mornings to spending time with the Lord instead of rushing out of bed to get ready to work. I also plan to use this time to exercise and write in my journal the things I want to achieve in a week, month, or year.
HOW: I plan on sleeping by 9 PM every night (10 PM at the latest) so that I can have a total of 7 or 8 hours of sleep to recharge. I've started this habit two years ago actually but haven't been so consistent. So I made up my mind to become more consistent on waking at the same time every single day (even on weekends too!).
Oh and just want to share with you some encouraging quotes I've found from Robin Sharma in his book "The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life."
- “Remember, every professional was once an amateur, and every master started as a beginner. Ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary feats, once they’ve routinized the right habits.”
- “If you sense your life’s a mess right now, this is simply because your fears are just a little stronger than your faith.”
- “You can fit in. Or you can change the world. You don’t get to do both."
- “Limitation is nothing more than a mentality that too many good people practice daily until they believe it’s reality. It breaks my heart to see so many potentially powerful human beings stuck in a story about why they can’t be extraordinary, professionally, and personally. You need to remember that your excuses are seducers, your fears are liars, and your doubts are thieves.”
2.) Check Instagram once a day. 📵
WHY: Because I used to be a social media addict. I used to spend hours and hours checking Instagram nonstop. Constantly getting lost looking at the screen of my phone admiring this person, that person, reading their successful and happy stories; all of this eventually gripped me to the trap of insecurity, comparison, and jealousy. This year I want to change my bad habit. An addiction to distraction is the death to your creative production. Therefore, I refuse to waste my precious time on checking everyone’s life/story (jangan TOO kepo lah), by investing more of my time, energy, and focus on other things like cooking, exercising, learning a new language, studying the Bible, and writing more interesting blog stories!
HOW: Uninstall the app from my phone, hide most of the people's stories so that it's not visible to me, and make the commitment to check Instagram only after I get home from work around 4. Since I don’t have the app then I will have no choice but to access Instagram via the browser.
I love the verse in Proverbs 12:27 (TPT) that says "A passive person won't even complete a project, but a passionate person makes good use of his time, wealth, and energy." We can all definitely learn from this gem of a verse. 💎 #StopWastingYourAsset
A young person once said to me "I don't know what I should do in life, so I'm just going to binge on Netflix and see if an opportunity will come knocking on my door." I was shocked because this young person was in their mid-20s. How you choose to use your time effectively will define who you are and what you want to achieve in life. We were never created to live a mediocre life, we were called to do life passionately and with a purpose in mind.
3.) Learn a New Language
WHY: I currently work at a Korean flight school, so I might as well learn the language since
I'm surrounded by native speakers. Plus, I have always wanted to visit Korea, so I hope to learn the language from now on, that way I can use it later on when I travel there haha.
HOW: My goal is to understand and speak Korean by the end of this year. (Will keep you guys updated on my progress in the latter months lol.) Set a timer to study for at least 1 or 2 hours per day between 6-8 PM to learn Korean grammar, sentence structure, and new words.
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." - Nelson Mandela. I saw this text the day I started my journey of studying Korean. (July 16, 2020) Coincidence much? Nope, don't think so. I believe it's God's way of reaffirming and encouraging me to continue on my study journey until I understand and am able to speak it. Fighting!!
4.) Exercise Daily
WHY: Because I am not consistent with my exercise schedule before. Sometimes I exercise, sometimes I’m too lazy...lol. It has been proven how working out regularly increases creativity and enhances your cognitive skills; it is also a great way to build endurance too. I noticed how I am more alert, energized, and focused when I start my day with a simple exercise. Plus, you may also know how exercising elevates mood by boosting the production of endorphins, or hormones that act as natural anti-depressants, a.k.a it makes you a nicer and happier person throughout the day.
HOW: Dividing each day of the week with various exercises to make it more fun and motivating. For example, I will be doing Chloe Ting videos on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesday and Thursday will be the days where I focus solely on weights. Since I tend to be super busy on Saturday and Sunday, I will do light stretches or squats on the weekends.
5.) Budget. Eating out only on the weekends.
WHY: Because this girl loves to eat out and tends to overspend when it comes to buying food. This year I will specifically budget my eating out expenses to $100 per month or $25 per week. This will be a challenge because I have a bad habit of overspending my budget in this category.
HOW: Meal planning every week, set aside what to eat from Monday-Saturday. Cook meals every day or every other day because my brother and I get bored easily from eating the same meal more than 3 times; so everything needs to be fresh and new lol. This is actually good so we don’t waste too much food that is stored too long inside the fridge.
Whatever habit(s) you intend on starting, keeping, and mastering this year, remember to keep track of your progress. That way you can reflect and note the difference after you make those new changes and habits. Here is an example of my "Habit Tracker 2021"
Every time I completed all 5 habits in a day, it will have a pink highlighter. As you can see, I HAVE NOT BEEN CONSISTENT since starting this daily habit journey. But hey it's a start. On the right side, you can see "GOAL %" basically an evaluation of my habits so far. If I completed all 5 habits, I would have a score of 100%, whereas if I'm doing 4 out 5 then I get 25%. Less than 4 will be 0%. My goal is to not have so many yellow highlights (meaning I skip/didn't do those habits) and instead to reach a percentage of 95% or above by the end of the year.
All in all, consistency is key! I will be posting an updated version of these 5 new habits in the middle of the year and at the end of the year to show you the progress that I'll be making. So stay tuned! And always, live your life passionately and intentionally friends! There is always room for growth! Thanks for being loyal readers who made it this far in reading my blog haha! Sit back, relax, and read on. 🤗