22 Mini Habits for 2022

Can you believe January 2022 is already over?! The new year is here, and as the rest of the world settles into routine, we wanted to offer you 22 mini habits that can help make your year a little bit brighter!

 

What are mini habits?

Think less huge lifestyle changes and more sustainable habits. Mini habits are little actions you can take to better yourself. In no means is this a list of 22 things you must change, think of them as gentle suggestion towards a more positive lifestyle and a productive daily routine.

 

1. MAKE YOUR BED AS SOON AS YOU WAKE UP

This really has been a game changer for me, and for two reasons. First, with so many of us working from home, this it keeps me from being lazy and crawling back into bed. Secondly, it starts my day off with a completed task, setting me up for success! It is a simple act, but it really puts you in the right frame of mind to start your day.

 

2. KEEP A JOURNAL

Journal with no expectations. Don’t think you need to write a page, or you must list out what happened during the day. Sometimes I write two sentences, sometimes I just open Pinterest and copy in motivational quotes I like. I don’t force myself to write every day, I keep it on my nightstand, and I write when I can. Once I took the pressure off myself it slowly made its way into a daily routine for me.

Journaling is a great tool to help you focus your thoughts if you find yourself overthinking a lot.

 

3. COME UP WITH A SELF-MOTTO, AND THEN REPEAT IT AGAIN, AND AGAIN.

We can be hard on ourselves sometimes. To the point where we do not even realize all the critical things we say about ourselves. To stop this, try to make a more conscious effort to be kind to yourself. Think of something that will empower you and make you feel strong. A line, or a couple sentences. Write it down and repeat it to yourself every day. Make a conscious effort to say nice things about yourself.

 

Examples:

• I am strong, I am capable, I am exactly where I need to be, and I trust the journey of my life.
• I am smart, I keep going when I feel like giving up, and I have so many opportunities coming my way.
• I have come so far, and I will not stop now.

Make it whatever you need to hear, just remember to be kind, and repeat it! Let a complement to yourself become more common than a negative thought.

 

4. STRETCH AND MOVE YOUR BODY

Okay stop reading this blog post and check your posture right now. We spend way too much time slumped over and looking at a screen. Take a few minutes every now and then to get up and stretch.

I use to work at an office were we would all set a timer for every 30 minutes, and no matter what we were working on, we would all get out of our chairs and at least stretch our arms up for a few moments, take some deep breaths, or go for a little walk.

Remember to move and stretch your body. It’s hard working sitting in a chair all day.

 

5. SET A LOW STUDY GOAL

Let me explain this one because it can be confusing. We would all love to be studying a minimum of 6 hours a day, but the problem is when we miss one day, then we start feeling down and its harder to get back on track. Set an absolute minimum study goal. Something you can complete every day (or weekday) no matter what. So be it 30 minutes, 10 minutes, or 1 hour. This way we change our inner dialogue. Instead of getting down on yourself and saying I didn’t even do anything, and allowing negative thoughts, you turn it into a task completed, you may not have gotten a lot done, but at least you completed your goal.

I set my goal to one hour. Now I am happy to say it is very uncommon that I only study for one hour, but I won’t lie, there are some days where I am just unmotivated, and even an hour seems like such a push, but I get it done.

 

6. MINDFUL WALKS

Try to set a side even a few minutes to walk around the block and make it outside. Take some deep breaths and just escape from the screens for a moment

 

7. END OF THE DAY GRATITUDE

Three things. Pick three things that happened during the day that you are grateful for. Write them down or just say them to yourself.

 

8. CHANGE UP WHO YOU FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Inclusivity and diversity don’t just happen, educate yourself and take some time to search for accounts / people sharing content you don’t usually follow to make your home page more diverse!

 

9. READ BOOKS

There really is nothing better than a good book. Get back into the habit of reading for pleasure!

Have you heard of the app Good Reads? It’s basically twitter for books, go check it out!

 

10. PICK ONE THING TO ADD TO YOUR SELF CARE ROUTINE.

Weekly bath? Time to finally start using Vitamin C. Yin yoga before bed. The possibilities are endless!

 

11. SET LIMITS ON YOUR PHONE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA SCREEN TIME

Even if you click the “ignore limit for the rest of the day” button after it tells you your daily limit has run out, it will still have an overall effect of changing where you spend your time.

2022 calls for more mindful screen time!

 

12. PUT YOUR PHONE ON DO NOT DISTURB

Too anxious for this one? I was always against this because “what is there is an emergency”. For this reason, I have a custom do not disturb that goes on every night turning off all notifications except calls from my family.

Why not just put your phone on silent? Do not disturb means you are not getting the notifications, so when you wake up to check your phone, you won’t see any notifications that can keep  you staying in bed scrolling on your phone.

 

13. LISTEN TO MORE PODCASTS

Did you really think we could list 22 habits without mentioning the Legally Speaking Podcast?

The great thing about the legally speaking podcast is that Rob interviews people with all different legal backgrounds, meaning every episode is new information.

Set aside sometime to listen to new or past episodes that catch your attention – with so much variety you will be bound to find something you like.

 

14. BUILD A NIGHTTIME ROUTINE

Lights out by 10:30? Screens off by 9? Hot tea before bed? Pick what works for you and stick with it!

 

15. FIND QUOTES THAT MOTIVATE YOU

Be your own cheerleader! Find quotes that make you happy and motivate you and then place them where you will see! We mentioned it before in this post, but it is so important to change our inner dialogue to positive affirmations.

 

16. DRINK WATER

Stay hydrated friends! Simple as that. Make your water bottle you most luxurious accessory.

 

17. PICK A SELF CARE NIGHT

Self-care is usually the first thing to go when our time is rushed, pick one night a week where no self-care steps will be skipped! Run yourself a bath, moisturize, put on your favourite movie and just relax.

 

18. CHOOSE YOUR PHONE WALLPAPER MINDFULLY.

Let’s not forget these wallpaper images are something we look at the most without even realizing. Make yourself a vison board, use a photo you love, or find a motivational quote. And change it up!

 

19. END OF THE MONTH REFLECTIONS

This is one of my favourite things I do in my bullet journal. The year can go by quickly. Every month I write about half a page reflecting on what happened, the good and the bad, and what I hope to focus on in the next coming month. I love looking back on them at the end of the year and reading them all.

 

20. PICK SOMETHING YOU WANT TO LEARN OUTSIDE OR YOUR JOB OR STUDIES

Take some time to learn about something that really interests you or is maybe outside your comfort zone! Learning should never stop, and sometimes we get so comfortable in our work/life routine that we don’t realize there is very little new information coming in.

 

21. UPDATE YOUR LINKEDIN MORE FREQUENTLY

Make small updates frequently as opposed to huge ones after a long period of time.

 

22. PLAN OUT YOUR DAYS

Make a check list, or keep a daily planner, but the best way to set you up for success is to have a plan!

 

We hope these 22 mini habits help set your 2022 up for success! Comment below with any small changes you implemented that made a big difference!

 

Written by LSP Ambassador, Anna Polito.