Incorporate These 8 Habits If You Want to Step Up Your Game in 2024

Different from the popular and much-beloved meal-prepping, ingredient-prepping frees you from an entire Sunday in the kitchen and the bind of eating the same three meals for the next week. Ingredient-prepping just means washing, chopping and storing your fruits and vegetables, pre-cooking up some carbs and a couple of sources of protein. Though ingredient-prepping still takes some time commitment, having these simple food groups prepped and ready to go throughout the week will give you some time back in the day while also giving yourself the creative freedom to throw together different meals on a whim.

Your mom was right to tell you to make your bed every morning growing up. Not only does making your bed mean you get to start your day off with a small win, but it’s also a relatively low-effort way to make your space tidier. You’ll start your day at school or work already riding the high of a sense of accomplishment, and you get to return home to a cozy and neat bed for you to jump into. It’s all in all a win-win for daily and nightly routines.

Reading is sadly becoming a lost life skill and hobby and is a fantastic way to teach any old dog new tricks. Not only is reading daily correlated with higher empathy and better sleep, but it is also a great way to continue expanding your arsenal of knowledge and talking points with others. Perhaps you start with just five pages a day (or five chapters; it’s all about your comfort level), but this seemingly minuscule task will compound into having profound effects on your life by the end of the year.

Of course, the beloved “Hot Girl Walk,” or the goal of reaching 10,000 steps daily, can be a fun and motivating way to exercise more. The reality is that many people don’t have that kind of time. Instead of setting an overwhelming walking goal, motivate yourself for daily walks, whether just down the street or across town. Walking daily can lower blood pressure, boost immune function and profoundly impact your mental health. Plus, it’s an accessible form of activity that doesn’t require the high costs of a gym membership or the physical abilities of a pro powerlifter.

Remember the excitement of deciding which outfit to wear the night before school growing up? It’s time to return to that creative spark and motivation we had as children. It may seem like a very mundane and frivolous habit in theory, but it will make your life a million times more manageable in the long run. Laying out your outfit the night before frees up your morning so you can enjoy your coffee a little longer and mitigates decision fatigue, which already affects many aspects of your daily life.

Andrew Huberman revolutionized the idea of sunlight exposure first thing in the morning. In fact, his entire morning routine is a fantastic way to optimize productivity and is full of healthy habits to adopt. Sunlight exposure tops the list as it greatly assists in waking your body up to start the day alert and on the right foot. It signals to your body that the day is beginning, so melatonin will be released at an appropriate time when you’re ready to sleep.

Getting away from social media and Netflix feels like an impossibility in the hyper-digital world. And while a little Netflix session after a long day at work may feel like just the right antidote, try replacing a few evenings with some screen-free time. Instead, indulge in hobbies like sewing, exercising or reading as discussed earlier, that will help curb the screen addictions that we all have and contribute to using time in a more meaningful way.

You have probably seen this habit everywhere and to a borderline annoying degree, though it cannot be said enough that gratitude journaling is a revolutionary practice. Practicing daily gratitude dramatically reduces stress, deepens your feeling of connectedness with others and aids in manifestation efforts by raising your vibration and sense of receptiveness, if that’s your sort of thing.