8 Daily Habits That Changed My Life

June 19, 2020

How to be productive? We have all been there, feeling too much to do, not feeling like doing it, or don’t know where to begin. I have been the lazy one, waking up and checking social media when I was supposed to start getting ready for work. I am like anybody else, getting distracted by social media, watching videos on YouTube, or checking twitter to see what is happening in the world. But I started doing 8 simple daily habits that helped me be more productive, they helped me wake up with a purpose and kept me going. They also helped me feel that I am taking care of my mind, my body, and feel all those good vibes.

1. Have a Morning Routine

Whether you are a morning person or not, having a plan when you wake up will help you a lot. Going for a run, meditating, or having a wholesome breakfast, do something that starts your day strong. Having a morning ritual makes you feel good about waking up to a beautiful day and also gives your day that positive vibes feeling. I prefer starting my mornings with a workout routine which consists of cardio and weight training. It instantly lifts my mood and boosts up my metabolism. Whatever you decide, it should be something that makes you happy.

2. Work Out and Move your Body

The endorphins rush that I get from working out in the morning just elevates my mood and helps me work more effectively. Making exercise a daily habit is a great way to improve your blood circulation, pump your creativity and enhance your cognitive skills(yes, it is proven) Something that helped me when I started working out was putting my gear outside so that when I wake up I can just change and also planning a reward post-exercise which was mostly a delicious smoothie or coffee. If you would like to know more about my workouts, drop a comment below.

3. Read, Read, Read

What’s something that the world’s most powerful people have in common? They read. I cannot tell you how powerful books have been in my life. I owe my success to a lot of books. If reading is not something of your interest, try the new audiobooks which you are like your personal coaches. Personally I like Audible which I tend to use while I am cleaning my room, taking a nature walk, or when I am in my car. For book recommendation, I follow GatesNotes (which is Bill Gates Blog) which has awesome book recommendations and Bill’s personal favorites. I would recommend adding 7 habits of highly effective people to your reading list. And right now, I am reading Melinda Gates’ – Moment of Lift.

4. Single Task and Not Multitask

Single-tasking is more productive as it helps you focus on one job at a time. Try to prioritize the tasks and use the Eisenhower decision matrix. Categorize the items in terms of urgency and importance. You can make your to-do list according to what you think is crucial and finish off that before you move to the next task. I always use this matrix as a Product Manager and it works wonders for me.

5. Hydrate and Eat Healthily

Drinking more water has countless benefits- flushes out toxins from your body, helps in weight loss, helps in having clear skin, gives you more mental clarity, and much more.

Something that helps me to make this a habit is -keeping a water bottle next to me where I work and naturally, I tend to keep sipping water more often than I actually would.

Eating healthy is another habit that changed my life completely. I know for people who are big foodies it is hard to give up but healthy eating is all about balance. Indulge in your favorite meals on the weekends but practice more veggies, more fruits, and more proteins on the weekdays. Trust me, weekends will be so rewarding.

My Breakfast Power Bowl

6. Gratitude Journal

Journaling has helped me bring down my anxiety levels and made me feel more happy and blessed.

Practicing daily gratitude and taking a moment in a day to count your blessings makes you feel alive.

Often seeing what is happening in the world, what is happening in everyone else’s life( thanks to social media) we become too negative on what’s not happening in our lives- sometimes a shift in perspective can do wonders.

7. Take Breaks

Have you heard the phrase- ” You cannot pour from an empty cup” If we want to be productive we must take time off for our mental, physical, and spiritual health. It helps to reconnect with yourself and helps you focus on what is really important in your life. Do at least one thing every day that makes you feel happy. Outdoor walks, talking to a friend or cooking your favorite meal. Whatever rocks your boat.

8. Give

Last but not least, Give. Giving can have so many forms. Give compliments, be kind, volunteer for a cause you love, or donate. Giving as a habit makes us happy, healthy, and brings down our stress levels(yes, there is research behind this). Ever since I joined Microsoft I have been volunteering for the causes I am attached with, I donate time and money to girl child education around the world and I have started sponsoring a girl child education in India. And trust me, it has changed my life for good.

These daily habits don’t have to be a task, it should be something you enjoy. Do you have to pick every one of these, absolutely not. Pick habits that will make you feel more productive. The habits you choose to do every single day can amount to big changes in your life.

Don’t underestimate the power of small actions repeated daily overtime.

Have some daily habits that were a game-changer for you, share them in the comments below or tag me on a post on Instagram using #browngirlintech or follow me on ankita.mishra04

25 COMMENTS

• NIHARIKA AGARWAL JUNE 19, 2020 AT 10:18 PM Loved it. Looking forward for more such posts

  • NIHARIKA JUNE 19, 2020 AT 10:20 PM Loved it. Looking forward to more such posts

    • SUMAN DOSANJH JUNE 20, 2020 AT 4:10 PM Love it!! Definitely love audible as well and will add some more books to my list!

• ADMIN JUNE 22, 2020 AT 4:28 PM Thank you so much Niharika. Glad you liked it.

• RITHUN JUNE 20, 2020 AT 12:34 AM Hi Ankita, I have been following your Instagram posts and now checked your blog. You are spreading a lot of positive vibes with your posts and blogs. please continue to do so as it helps a lot. God bless.

  • SUMAN DOSANJH JUNE 20, 2020 AT 4:09 PM Love it!! Definitely love audible as well and will add some more books to my list!

  • ADARSH (YOU KNOW ME) JUNE 21, 2020 AT 8:32 AM Anku , it’s awesome btw please send me your breakfast recipie ,that’s the thing I am more interested in.Also I would like you to write about your your experience of living in US from last 3 years.

    • PRIYA AGARWAL JUNE 22, 2020 AT 9:54 AM Great content. All the best!

• RACHIT JUNE 20, 2020 AT 12:56 PM Great post Ankita! Really liked the point 7 of taking breaks. Looking forward to the next post soon!

• AAGMAN MISHRA JUNE 20, 2020 AT 7:08 PM Amazing Post! I liked the fact that how giving has such a great impact. Looking forward to more such powerful posts.

  • ANKIT SRIVASTAVA JUNE 21, 2020 AT 1:47 PM Loved the article, really informative the healthy eating one I will struggle with but other than that will try to incorporate for 21 day

  • SHIKHA JULY 6, 2020 AT 9:27 PM Good one Ankita. Inspiring read.

• RISHAB JUNE 20, 2020 AT 11:00 PM Ankita couldn’t agree more. These daily routines are important small steps towards achieving your goals. Having workouts as a part of my daily routine has truly helped me with my profession goals. I think while pushing yourself for that one more rep or set in the gym while training not only strengthens your body but builds that mental muscle to push and achieve as well. That push then unconsciously becomes your second nature and you keep striving to get better and better.

  • HARPREET SINGH JUNE 26, 2020 AT 7:38 AM Wonderful…… article and very true…….Keep Sharing and please add me to mailing list so that I will not miss your post.

• RIDDHI JUNE 21, 2020 AT 5:12 AM It felt really great reading it! Loved it. My best friend making me super proud ♥️

• ARVIND MISHRA JUNE 21, 2020 AT 9:43 AM Beti Anku, gone through your blog , which is very informative to all youth as well as to all human beings. We as a parent feeling Proud on you that God has given gift to us in the form of my daughter who is so talented. Keep it up in coming days also. My best wishes are always with you.

  • PRIYA AGARWAL JUNE 22, 2020 AT 9:53 AM All the best!

• GAURAV JUNE 22, 2020 AT 4:47 AM Marked it as bookmark. This will help me be on track.

• ISHITA JUNE 22, 2020 AT 10:16 AM This is so refreshing, Ankita! I didn’t know about the Eisenhower Matrix, so thank you for teaching me something new!

  • ADMIN JUNE 23, 2020 AT 8:40 AM Thank you so much Ishita Glad you learnt something new out of my blog.

• PANKAJ SINGH JUNE 22, 2020 AT 11:10 PM Ankita, Thanks for refreshing my day with your exuberance. I never encourage myself to read blogs as people trying to be superficial. But this is probably the best. most concise/ step by step guide i’ve ever seen. & I started digging down and utilizing the resources you have mentioned. even if i read, i never post comments. But AURA of your words.

• MAURA JUNE 23, 2020 AT 6:33 PM You’re a boss. Love the tips

• ปั้มไลค์ JUNE 25, 2020 AT 2:44 PM Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.

• TEJNA JUNE 27, 2020 AT 12:24 AM Absolutely love the positivity you share Ankita. Strongly agree: “don’t underestimate the power of small actions repeated daily overtime”. Looking forward to more such content.

• VISHAL JULY 5, 2020 AT 4:26 PM Just another my favourite blog ! . You wrote and it entered in mind. I will try to follow! Thank you Ankita