50 Ways To Improve Your Life

1. When your alarm goes off in the morning, sit up right away and turn a light on. By waking up immediately instead of laying in bed for a few moments your body will wake up more fully. This will help you feel more awake and alert during the day.
2. Caffeine is good for your body in small amounts, it can help speed up your metabolism and lose weight. Some studies have even shown it can add years to your life. Drinking one cup of coffee in the morning can be good for you, but try to limit yourself to one cup per day. If you're a huge coffee drinker, slowly wing yourself off until you are only drinking one cup.
3. Keep your room clean. Spend an extra 5 minutes in the morning to make your bed, put dirty clothes in the laundry and hang up clean clothes. Just by keeping your room and home less cluttered your stress levels will go down. It's nice coming home after a long day of work or school to a neat home. Spend a weekend organizing your space so that picking up is easy (my blog post series is coming soon about how to organize your house, keep an eye out for that).
4. Workout daily. Go for a 20 minute walk, or a jog in the morning. Do some ab workouts before your shower or while you watch TV. Getting 30 minutes of exercise per day can improve your energy levels, help you lose weight, speed up your metabolism, help you digest food, improve your immune system, help focus and relieve stress, you'll be less prone to injuries, and a ton of other benefits.
5. Read daily. Skip 30 minutes of TV, or listen to a book on tape on your drive to work. Reading everyday can help improve your memory and expand your vocabulary and knowledge. The more you read, the more you will enjoy it. Pick any book, but just read.
6. Write your goals. Every month, week or year write down your goals and set deadlines for them. By knowing what you want to accomplish you create a picture and plan for your future. Make sure the goals are attainable but difficult. You want it to be a challenge but not impossible.
7. Complement someone every single day. Someone at work, the store, in your neighborhood, even online. Every day tell someone something nice. Maybe you like their outfit, house, car, personality, hair, smile, anything. Make it sincere! You can improve someone's entire day by one little sentence and you'll feel good about it too.
8. Keep a journal or blog. Somewhere to write down your goals, ideas, stories or struggles. When you have somewhere to write everything you are thinking it helps to relieve stress and de-clutter your brain. It is nice to have a journal to look at down the road for inspiration, motivation or just for entertainment to see what you were doing.
9. Stretch daily. Stretching everyday will improve flexibility, relieve stress and tension. Just taking 5 minutes in the morning to stretch can help you wake up and relieve muscle aches.
10. Embrace your flaws. If you hate your nose, or you're too heavy, look in the mirror and accept it. Everyone has parts of themselves that they hate. It's human nature. The things you can't change, accept, and the things you can change, change! You can always improve yourself. If you hate your nose, start a routine to whiten your teeth to distract from that feature. Improve what you can and embrace your uniqueness.
11. Stop procrastinating. For one week, make a list of all the things you don't want to do and do them. All of them, before anything else. Write that essay that you know is due on Monday, get it done and then cross it off the list. By the end of the week you will only have to do the things you are looking forward to and your stress will be reduced. Try it, and if you like it, keep it going. 
12. Set an alarm on your phone every hour for 1 week, every time it goes off, force yourself to smile. Smiling actually releases endorphins that make you happy. By forcing yourself to smile, your outlook can improve. Smile more often, it's contagious.
13. Smile at strangers. Not in a creepy way, but as you pass someone on the street and make eye contact, smile at them. Be friendly to everyone.
14. Don't be THAT guy. When you go to a restaurant, a movie or a business, be kind and friendly to the people who work there. We all have bad days and we all have hard things in our lives. That waiter who got your order wrong didn't do it on purpose, he probably was at school all morning and is now at the end of an 8 hour shift. Give people a break. Being rude isn't going to fix anything.
15. Let go of regrets. Don't let your past choices interfere with your life today. Unless you can change something for the better, let it go.
16. Say sorry first. Sorry doesn't mean you were wrong, it means you value the relationship more than your pride. Don't let little things get under your skin. If a problem comes up, ask yourself if 1 year from now, will it matter? If it won't, let it go and don't let it hold you back.
17. Make time for a hobby. If you enjoy fishing, schedule a date and time to go, and treat it like a doctor appointment. YOU HAVE TO GO. Don't let other plans come before it.
18. Create a list of things you want to do and do one everyday until the list is done. An example would be that you want to organize your home. Day one, de-clutter your bathroom and clean it. Day two, organize your desk area. By breaking a big task down into small daily tasks you will get it done over time and you will feel satisfied crossing an item off your to-do list.
19. Everyday fix something. If that light bulb is burnt out and needs to be changed, don't put it off, fix it. The next day fix the leaking sink. Everyday improve on something you've been tolerating. 
20. For one week, don't complain. Not once. Don't mention the crappy weather, the traffic, the person you can't stand. One week of being positive. If you like how you feel at the end of the week, try to keep it going.
21. Create a budget. Keeping your money organized can help you track your spending and save money. For help starting out, check out my last blog post here.
22. When you go shopping and you see something you want, write it down on a list or in a notebook. Don't buy that item until the next week. Giving yourself time to think and reflect about what you want can help you save money. The chair that seemed so amazing at the store, may not have a place in your house, or maybe it won't match your decor, or maybe you have another chair just like it. Do this for everything you don't "need" (like food, gas, paying bills).
23. Limit your time devoted to unnecessary things. Only watch one TV show per day, only 20 minutes of video games or 30 minutes on social media. Use the extra time to read, clean, workout, or work on your hobby.
24. Use that journal I talked about above and plan out your next day every night. Before you go to bed, write down your schedule and things you need to get done. An example of mine would be:
• 6am- wake up
• 7am- leave for school
• 8am- get economics homework done in the library
• 10am- go to class
• 12pm- drive home
• 1pm- eat lunch, go on social media
• 2pm- write a blog post/make youtube video
• 3pm- clean room and bathroom
• 4pm- go for a run
• 5pm- make dinner and eat while watching TV show with the fam
• 7pm- shower and get into PJ's, brush teeth and wash face
• 8pm- stretch and read
• 9pm- make plan for next day, write goals, pick clothes for tomorrow, pack lunch
• 10pm- go to sleep
25. Bring a water bottle everywhere with you. Drink it every time your alarm goes off to smile :) Drink at least 60 ounces a day.
26. Cut out one unhealthy meal or food from your diet every month/week. Examples: Fast food, soda, fries, candy, cake, frozen meals. Taking small steps will help you eat healthier and lose weight.
27. Eat small healthy snacks and meals throughout the day. Eat a large breakfast, small snack, medium lunch, small snack, small dinner, and a small snack (at least 2 hours before bed). Doing this will improve your energy, metabolism, and overall health. 
28. Plan your dinners on the weekend, go shopping for all the supplies you need, then avoid going to the grocery store throughout the week. Planning your meals ahead of time will help you eat healthier, eat out less and save you money. 
29. Make a list of food ideas. Create a "healthy snack list", a breakfast list, lunch, dinner. Having a quick go-to idea list will help you plan more meals and eat out less. I will be posting some of these lists on my blog in the next week or so, keep an eye out for that!
30. Everyday, tell your significant other something nice. Even a simple "I love you" can help improve your relationship and show them you care. Tell your wife/gf that she is beautiful. Tell your husband you love his tie. Give them a compliment and show them you care.
31. Get in contact with an old friend, or make a new friend. Talk to your neighbor who just moved in, or ask your high school buddy how work is going. Reach out to others and expand your network and relationships.
32. Stay informed. Listen to the news on the way to work, read the newspaper in the mornings, or check new blogs every day. You are apart of the world and your community, make it a point to know what's going on in the world. Doing this can help you have conversations with people, become more aware of others, and help you expand your knowledge.
33. Eat slower. Taking time to chew your food well can improve metabolism (the more you chew your food, the quicker it can be broken down), help you realize when you are actually full, help your digestive system and help you enjoy your food.
34. Don't try to multitask. When you have things to do, decide what is most important and devote your full attention to that task until it is complete. Contrary to popular belief, the human brain cannot focus on multiple things at once, and you will be more productive if you don't try to divide your attention.
35. Clean out your closet. I've started a method I love, turn every hanger backwards in your closet. When you wear something turn the hanger around. At the end of the year, 6 months, whatever period you choose, give away, sell or donate all the clothes that you haven't worn (the hangers will still be backwards). Use any money you make to buy things you'll wear more often.
36. Clean your smile. Make it a routine to brush in the mornings, then at night; floss, brush and use mouthwash. Improving the health of your teeth will save you money at the dentist, improve your looks, and it can keep you healthy by avoiding throat infections or canker sores.
37. Take time to mediate at night. You don't have to be religious. Take time to think about your day and reflect on what's going on. Think about what you're thankful for and what you want to change. And if you are religious, use this time to pray, and read the Bible, Koran, Torah (or whatever floats your religious boat).
38. Say "Thank You" more. When someone compliments you, brings you your food, gives you coffee, helps you. Be genuine and recognize that person for their help or job well-done.
39. Volunteer. Help out in your local community, and do something for others without expecting anything in return. It can be small, like volunteering at a race to give out waters as people finish, or you can go weekly to a animal shelter. Just give some time back to others.
40. De-clutter. Throw away things in your house that you are saving for no reason. Those old birthday cards, or your notebooks from high-school. Unless you are saving them for a project you will be completing in the next month, toss them. For the things worth money, have a garage sale. All those kids clothes in the crawl space that you'll never use, sell them for some extra cash!
41. Set your watch and alarm clock five minutes early. Being late is embarrassing and sometimes rude, setting your clock a little later will help you stay on schedule and make it out the door in time.
42. It's okay to go to bed angry! Rather then staying up all night arguing with your significant other, go to sleep. You'll feel better about the situation in the morning and now you are able to think clearly. *Bonus: Fight clean. Don't say anything you could regret later. Calling someone names just because you're mad is unnecessary and hurtful. It's okay to argue, but be fair while you do it. Don't bring up past fights to justify actions.
43. Pay attention. Listen to others, don't think about what you are going to say next, just listen and absorb the information. 
44. Take 5 minute breaks for every hour of work. If you try to just work for 6 hours non-stop it's going to wear you out. Stretch, walk around, get a drink or even just go to use the bathroom.
45. Spend lunch time as you time. Use the time to write in your journal, write goals, people watch or just zone out.
46. Write down what stresses you out. Write a list and put it aside until you have time to look over it. Allowing yourself to worry later can help you focus on the task at hand.
47. When you're really feeling overwhelmed or depressed, get some sun. Go sit outside and just relax for a moment. Make a plan then work through your stress or problems. Don't get stuck inside all day and never get natural sunlight. It's a small thing, but it's important.
48. Create a reward system. Reward yourself for finishing that project at work, or losing 15 pounds, or whatever your goals. Allow yourself some fun.
49. Make a list of things that make you happy and try to do one of those things every single day. It could be watching a movie, reading a book, talking to someone, drinking coffee, walking your dog. Anything, it can be small or big. Just try to do one thing for yourself.
50. Accept the fact that you don't have to impress everyone. A saying that I love is "You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches" (Dita Von Teese) The sooner you accept the fact that you can't make everyone like you, the happier you will be.

I hope you read this list all the way through and I hope that you can try some of these ideas. I know I try to do all of them and I have to re-read my list every few weeks to remind myself. I had this list in my journal for a long time before I decided to share it, so I hope that it can help you in some way.