How To Improve Your Life In 3 Minutes!

People develop bad habits during their lifetime. Some are really difficult to break. But if the bad habits can be broken it will make forming positive habits that much easier.

Take smoking, for instance. There aren’t too many people that will disagree that this is a really bad habit. This includes smokers. Exercising is a good habit, as long as you approach it correctly. Yet, it will be very difficult for smokers to adopt the good habit of exercise because the smoking interferes with their ability to breathe. This is a crucial aspect to exercising properly.

Another example is procrastination. Most people universally agree that this is not a great habit. While it’s not as life-threatening as smoking, it can be a cause for companies to fire someone who engages in it. If people want to be more productive and they tend to procrastinate, they will need to break that bad habit. The good news is that procrastination is much easier to break than smoking. Also, just the nature of breaking it makes someone automatically more productive.

Of course, not every bad habit is going to be offset by a good one. There are certainly plenty of bad habits that may not have any effect on good ones. They can easily coexist. For instance, if someone is a smoker, that doesn’t automatically make them a procrastinator. Therefore, they could already be very productive in their work. Some may argue that taking several breaks for smoking can have the equivalent outcome as one who procrastinates. But not everyone who smokes takes multiple breaks per day, so it is a weak argument at best.

One way to approach positive habit formation is to think about how many hours you spend awake every day. If you increase the number of positive habits, something has to give. Let it be the negative ones.

Unless those negative habits are done in your sleep, like snoring, in your waking hours, you either have to forgo those negative habits or you simply cannot add any more of the positive ones. The rewards for taking on more positive habits should easily overtake the loss of the negative habits.

You shouldn’t try to change your habits all at once. It takes time for your brain to adjust to new behaviors. Do it one habit at a time or perhaps lose one bad habit while gaining a good one, etc. As you feel you have mastered the good habits, add others into the mix.

Changing habits can be difficult. There’s a lot going on in everyone’s lives. New habits require adding activities to your routine. Sometimes, you may have to break bad habits before you can adopt new and better ones. All these variables make developing new habits quite the challenge. If it seems overwhelming to you, consider taking on a mentor.

A qualified mentor will be able to set up a program that is specific to your needs. They will get to know you and what you are looking to accomplish and structure a plan. They can also be helpful in keeping you on track.

This is the idea behind weight loss centers such as Jenny Craig and others. When you join these kinds of programs, you are assigned a counselor that works with you. This is similar in concept to a personal trainer when you join a gym. The trainer will structure an exercise program that is specific to you.

There are other types of habits that may lend well to having a mentor. In fact, you can hire someone to be a life coach. This person will structure a plan in several categories of your life that you are looking to improve. Obviously, you want to find someone who is qualified. The best way to go about this is word-of-mouth references. This type of coaching is expensive so you don’t want to rely solely on a Google search to find a qualified mentor.

Try to find a friend or colleague who has gone through a similar program and ask if the mentor they used actually helped them out. Try to notice if these people have improved their lives. Do you see noticeable changes in these people? If you don’t see changes, this could mean the mentor wasn’t much good or they simply reverted back to their old habits. Either way, that could be a red flag.

In order for a mentor to structure a program towards your needs, you need to prepare exactly what you want to get out of the program. You should ask many questions about what is going to be expected of you and what kind of time you are going to be required to put into making the necessary changes.

You also want to find out what type of support is available during the program as well as when it is complete. Ask about a guarantee as well. You are paying for results so you want it to actually work for you.

When you are trying to develop good habits, the environment you have set up for yourself can make or break whether you succeed. You want to give yourself the biggest chance of success. It can really help when your surroundings are at their optimal settings.

Keep your environment clutter free. There is nothing worse than trying to focus on good habit development than having to fight through a wall of clutter. If you are looking to be more productive, for instance, it won’t help if you are spending a good portion of your day looking for where you put things. Clutter has a negative psychological effect on people. It limits your space.

It’s not just physical clutter that’s a problem. Virtual clutter can be just as problematic. If you are spending lots of time wading through emails or searching your disk for files that you saved weeks ago, this is just as limiting as sifting through papers on your desk. There is even such a thing as phone clutter where people spend too much time talking on the phone.

Organization is going to be a big help in reeling in clutter. Come up with a good system for both the physical and the virtual assets. There are plenty of books and seminars that exist to help you get a handle on the clutter problem. You can look at solving your clutter problem as developing a new habit.

Another important aspect of your environment is mental. If you are stressed out, this is going to take away from your ability to develop good habits. You’ll focus on what is stressing you out and it will become your central target. Without taking the proper measures to reduce that stress, it will be difficult to make any progress with your habit development.

There are several ways to reduce stress. The first is to take steps to resolve any situations that you have control over which are causing you to be stressed. If your bills are getting out of hand, try taking on some extra work to make that more manageable.

For stress that is caused that is not within your control, consider such activities as exercise and meditation. While these won’t take away those stressful situations, it will make them much easier to manage them. Both of these activities have been proven to help your mind and body reduce the effects caused by stress.

Health premiums are on the rise. This fact is making it more difficult for companies to cover their employees. Many companies are covering only the employee at a subsidized rate. If they offer to cover spouses and families, it is being done at the full rate.

Even the employees are being asked to pay more in premiums than ever before. Because of this, several companies are implementing programs to help employees be more health-conscious. Some are even going as far as trying to force employees to take advantage of them.

Many companies offer memberships to gyms. Sometimes they pay for it in full and other times, they provide memberships at a subsidized rate. Several employees take advantage of the memberships, at least in the short term. It’s going to largely depend on how convenient the gym is both in location and hours of operation.

It’s also going to depend on the motivations of the employees themselves. They’ll be people who become gym rats and use the membership every day. Others may go two or three times a week. Then, they’ll be the rest that will either go on occasion or never set foot in the gym.
It’s a good step for companies to offer this benefit to their employees. Even if only half take advantage of it, that could lead to significant savings due to less medical use by those employees. If they are healthy they won’t go to the doctor as often.

Some companies are offering benefits to help employees overcome addiction and other health issues. This can benefit these companies in the long run as the employees will not be absent as much as when they were under substance abuse. Smokers who quit will no longer be taking smoke breaks. These measures all help to increase productivity while at the same time lower health care costs.

There are employees that feel it’s not fair they have to pay higher premiums for other employees not willing to take better care of themselves. The thinking is their bad habits are helping to drive up the rates. Companies could counteract this by implementing programs that reward people for good checkups, etc.

However, this opens up issues of giving up too much information to the company with regard to employees’ medical histories. Many employees feel that companies already have way more information about them than should be allowed. It’s a difficult situation and one that seems to be constantly evolving.

If you want to live a fuller life, it’s time to put down the technology devices. You don’t have to abandon them altogether. But you do need to strike a balance. Technology is addictive, but there is more to life than getting lost in the technological fog.

You may remember a while back a car commercial that showed a teenage girl talking about how many social media friends she had. She boasted that she had hundreds of friends and spent most of her time on social media chatting with them. She commented on how disconnected her parents were with few to no social media friends. Meanwhile, her parents were out having fun with their friends, living it up with them in the car that's at the center of the commercial.

The message here is that it's the parents who are connected because they are the ones hanging out with friends.

Technology is a crucial part of our lives. We can learn, research, and find out information faster than ever before. It gives us the means to supplement our income and even create full-time careers. However, technology is just one part of life, and you cannot forget about all the other aspects.

Some places offer vacations that forbid vacationers from bringing and using smartphones or similar devices. Participants initially feel lost without their technology. But, after the vacation, many felt free to be without them. They felt more in touch with nature, other people, and their overall surroundings.

If you cannot be without your smartphone, tablet or whatever, try to tie its use to other activities. For instance, if you want to exercise, look for exercise videos you can watch or download and start doing the workouts shown. If you are a musician, try to record music using your device. Use your technology for more than sitting around.

Another idea is to use your device to help others in some way. For instance, you could tutor students who are struggling with their subjects in school. You could offer training to adults who are in between jobs. There are many ways you can help others with your technology devices.

Set aside one day per week where your entire family is not allowed to use their smartphones, games consoles or similar for the entire day. After all the grumbling and moaning subsides, go out on an adventure with your family so you can get some exercise, connect with nature, and spend time with the family.

Everyone will get used to the idea if you do it often enough.

When I worked in New York City, I found myself getting into some bad habits. I took the train to work and got off at the station that was closest to my office. I had a checkup and my doctor was not very happy with my numbers. I needed to change my ways. She said I needed to get more exercise and eat better.

I did some research on diets and found that adding more fiber to my diet was a great way to be more full and hence eat less. I started eating oatmeal frequently for breakfast and increased my intake of fruits and vegetables. I didn’t give up sweets altogether but scaled back on them significantly. But I didn’t do this all at once. I incorporated these diet changes over several weeks.

As for my exercise, I decided to start walking. Even here, I started out slowly. For about a week or two, I decided to get off at the train station that was a couple of blocks away from where I worked (both to and from work). As I got used to the pace, I started taking the train station two stops away from my work. Since this took longer to walk, I had to increase my pace a bit in order to make sure I wasn’t late for work.

I continued this process of choosing train stops further away from my office until I was walking about three miles per day. I was also power walking because of the distance. Because I built this up slowly, it became a natural part of my routine and I found myself eager to walk.
In my next checkup, the doctor was amazed at my results and told me to keep doing what I was doing. My results weren’t just an improvement. She told me the results of my checkup were fantastic.

The point is not necessarily to go to work in New York City (unless you want to). It’s that I was able to build up good habits by doing so in a slow and steady manner. Had I tried to walk three miles in that first week, I don’t believe I would have been successful. By making small changes over the course of several months, it became a part of my life and something that I enjoyed doing.

Of course, during the times when there was bad weather, I did scale back my walking on those days. But it just made me more willing to get back to it the next day.

One of the biggest reasons we fail to develop good habits is because they take time. But another subtle reason is that we don’t plan for what happens when we fail. When people don’t have guidelines on what to do when the original plan didn’t work, we pass off learning the good habits as they weren’t meant to be.

By setting up a plan for what to do if the original plan fails, we take away excuses. Without the plan, we would simply pass it off as trying. With a failure plan, we now have exact steps to take.

One question you may be asking yourself is how do you come up with a failure plan? Try to find others who have gone through the process of developing the habit you are trying to develop yourself. Ask them if they were successful in developing the habit and if they hit any roadblocks along the way. Ask what they did to overcome those roadblocks. That, in essence, becomes your failure plan.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep those same people in the loop as far as your progress. They can act as a kind of support group and can serve to keep you on track. This not only helps you achieve your desired results but it has the potential to build up some friendships as well.

Too many people look at failure as a losing entity when in fact it should be looked upon as the opposite. If you peel back the layers of experience of many successful people, you will see those layers filled with failures. It’s how they handled those failures that led to their success. It’s what you do with the failures that define whether you will eventually succeed. The only surefire way to truly fail is to give up completely.

You may also wonder what happens if the failure plan doesn’t work out. There is nothing stopping you from having multiple failure plans in the event one of them didn’t help you achieve the results you were looking for. Having multiple alternate plans will give you the confidence that you can succeed and will show you that you are committed to doing so.

This greatly increases the chances of success because failure is no longer an end game, it’s a new starting point.

Any plans you do come up with, write and print them out. Refer to them whenever you are trying to accomplish what’s on those plans.

Everyone has needs, and they need to do what they can to address those needs. However, living life to the fullest can sometimes mean helping others out who may need it.

In fact, many people spend their entire lives helping others. They receive a perpetual joy from doing this.

It’s not necessary to give up living your life to help others. You can do both. There is nothing wrong with balancing helping people with satisfying the needs of you and your family. It is a balance though. Some people will lean more towards helping others while most will lean towards taking care of themselves.

Some people don’t want to help anyone. They haven’t made the connection that they could need help themselves one day. It’s probably best to reserve judgment of these people as it’s impossible to know what they are going through in their lives. They could be the ones that require help but are too afraid to ask.

There are also people who help because they believe others will accept them when they do. That may not be a problem because they are lending a hand to others in need. But, these people probably won’t admit that they are helping to gain favor rather than filling a genuine need for help. Doing it for the wrong reasons doesn't always mean everyone wins.

There are many ways to help people. It could be random, where you see people are struggling, and you merely ask if they could use your help. You can also volunteer in your community. Usually, you can find opportunities in your local paper or on the web.

You can also help financially by sending money to organizations that cater to certain causes. There is nothing wrong with helping in this manner. However, you may want to check the organization to make sure they are on the level and ethical. There are too many organizations that seem legitimate but are nothing more than fronts to collect money.

There are also organizations that may be legitimate, but their practices leave a lot to be desired. An example is a charity that pays its organizers hefty sums from the proceeds. Many of them will adhere to the laws so they won’t get in trouble. However, if the compensation is more than you are comfortable with, it’s best to find another organization to support.

You will feel good knowing that you made a difference to other peoples’ lives that you have helped. Helping others can be a rewarding experience for you.

When trying to develop good habits, referring to good resources can be of tremendous help. The resources on this page are broken down into various categories to help you whenever you are trying to develop a good habit within that category. These categories are the more popular categories and that is the reason for their inclusion.

General Resources on How-To Develop Good Habits

There are many different resources that can help you develop good habits. It’s always a good idea to get different perspectives and try new techniques. The following are some of the top resources to reference:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/definitive-guide-building-good-habits-ravi-raman
http://lifehacker.com/what-it-takes-to-form-a-good-habit-5724234
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-develop-good-habits/#axzz41Iufjcdr
http://www.sparringmind.com/good-habits/

Habits to Learn Better

If you are a student or you simply want methods to learn more effectively, you should try to improve your study habits. This will make learning easier and quicker.

The following are resources that can help you study better:
http://www.franklin.edu/blog/learn-more-effectively-with-these-5-study-habits/
http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2013/01/07/six-habits-successful-college-students.html

Stress Reduction Habits

If you are one who is constantly stressed, your quality of life will be negatively affected. Stress has been shown to take a toll on your physical and emotional wellbeing. It’s important to do everything you can to reduce your levels of stress. Occasional stress is normal. When stress levels increase to the point that it is frequent, something needs to be done to alleviate it.

Use these resources to develop stress-busting habits:
http://zenhabits.net/10-simple-ways-to-live-a-less-stressful-life/

Habits to Help with Weight Loss

There are many diets on the market that focus on people losing weight. The problem is after people reach their weight loss goals, they often put back on the weight. This is because most weight loss programs don’t focus on changing your habits. They only focus on taking the weight off.

If you change the way you think about your eating habits, you will have a much better chance of maintaining a healthy weight.

The following are some resources that can get you to that point:
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food/slideshow/14-keys-healthy-diet
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/healthy-eating-habits

Habits to Help Get in Better Shape

Exercise programs also focus on helping people lose weight. When people reach their target weight, they tend to put back on the weight and stop exercising. Like dieting, it’s necessary to develop long-term habits with your exercise program.

Use the following resources to help develop those habits:

If you have ever wanted to start a business, here is a question.

What are you waiting for?

It’s one of the easiest times in history, due to the internet, to start a business. Just choose something that you are passionate about, then figure out how to tie that passion into a business. Usually, you can start a blog and build up your traffic to the point where you bring in advertising money.

If you don’t like that business model, you could try eCommerce. The software for eCommerce has become almost seamless. With some providers, you don’t even need to have your own domain name. You sell from the provider’s platform. The downside to this is you have to follow their rules completely. If you don’t, they could revoke your installation and your privileges. While that isn’t a big deal at the start when you aren’t making any money, what happens if you start to earn a decent income? This lack of control makes you vulnerable.

There are other models you could try and fall in between the models already described. You could use Amazon’s FBA platform where you send your products to Amazon’s warehouse, and they do the selling for you. It still requires finding vendors that have great products. But, you won’t have to worry about shopping carts, shipping, etc.

If you do take the eCommerce route, you will need to find decent suppliers with good products to sell. The work involved is challenging, and when you do find good products and other sellers find out what you are selling, they will work to get the same products and undercut you on price. That’s why it’s always a good idea to keep looking for new product ideas.

Having the ability to replace your income from your regular job is freeing, and it can help you live the life you want to live. It will be on your terms. Having your own business does come with serious challenges. But, at least you won’t have to answer to anyone but yourself. You probably have heard the phrase, do what you love, and you will never work another day in your life.

Some people feel that doing what they love for their business will make them lose the love. It will become like any other job after a while. There could be some truth to this. However, if you take a look at many famous business people, they still love to do what they started many years ago.