It’s crazy how little daily actions turn into our habits.
My habits over the last few years have been life changing. I changed careers, going from a lawyer to a blogger and financial planner. I spend most days happy, doing things I love.
If you want to have habits that make you happier and more successful, here’s a list of 10 things that can have a huge impact for you.
10 Habits You Should Adopt
1. Do: Say “no” to yourself once a day
Do not: Always say yes
Say “no” to yourself once a day (see this post if you struggle with saying “no”). Whenever you want to spend money because you “deserve” it, make sure you say “no” (see this post if you spend because you “deserve it”). Unfortunately, you cannot buy things because you deserve them. You buy things because you can afford them (I did not make up this rule; it’s just the way it is). By saying no to yourself, you’ll get in the habit of not spending, in addition to getting out of the habit of entitlement. Saying no will help you feel better about sticking to your financial plan.
2. Do: Save every paycheck
Do not: Wait until the end of your pay period to save
Pay yourself first. If you do this, you’ll get in the habit of saving every pay period. If you wait until the end of your pay period, you probably won’t have anything left. Paying yourself first sets you up for success.
3. Do: Track your spending
Do not: Overspend by using your credit card
Create a budget to help you track your spending. If you can’t say exactly what you spent on clothes last month or what you think you’ll spend on gas next month, you’re not in control of your money; your money is in control of you. And if you’re charging things on your credit card and not paying it off every month, it’s even worse. So, get in the habit of tracking everything you spend.
- Take my free course – 5 Days To Make & Save More Money
4. Do: Read 15 minutes every day
Do not: Watch more than 1 hour of TV every day
Start reading something non-fiction every day. This will help you grow as a person and become the best version of yourself. Here’s my recommended book list to get started.
And to make sure you have time for reading and accomplishing your goals, try to limit the time you watch TV to 1 hour. I barely watch any TV at all (I don’t have cable, which helps). If you keep track of how you spend your time, you’ll live intentionally and have the time to accomplish your goals.
5. Do: Commit to completing 1 task toward a goal every week
Do not: Live unintentionally
What is the one thing that you want for yourself? The one thing that if you could change, you’d be much happier. Every week commit to completing one task toward accomplishing this goal. Again, start small so you set yourself up for success. Without a plan, you risk everything. Live intentionally by planning your future, so you can accomplish your goals.
I use the Productivity Planner to help me stay focused and accomplish my goals.
Example: You want a new job. This week, commit to applying to 2 jobs. Next week, commit to following up on both jobs. The following week, commit to applying to 1 job and sending out an email to a couple of your contacts in the field. And so on.
- Related: How to Set Goals for Beginners
6. Do: Cook at home
Do not: Think that dining out won’t add up
Be very careful going out to eat. Our culture is one where dining out is the norm. But if you do not have an 8 month emergency fund, a fully funded retirement account, and a nice monthly cash flow, then you should not dine out. If you’re somewhere in the middle (e.g., you have some savings and some retirement), limit your dining out to once a week or put a cap on how much you spend on dining out every month. And if you have no idea what you spend going out to eat last month, start tracking it now by budgeting. All that spending adds up fast!
7. Do: Get out of your comfort zone
Do not: Do the same thing and expect a different result
“If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not growing.” It is so important to push yourself to do more, if you want more. Learning, growing, and progress is what life is all about. If you stay in the same place, you’ve stopped learning. And that is a horrible place to be. And after you get in the habit of getting out of your comfort zone, you feel less uncomfortable doing it (which is great).
8. Do: Stop complaining
Do not: Complain
I’m a big believer in what you focus on expands. So, if you’re a complainer or are negative, that is what will expand in your life. Try not to complain for one full week (or maybe start with one day if you’re a big complainer). After you’re done, you’ll be happier, you’ll attract happier people, and you’ll find success comes easier. (You’ll also notice other people who are complainers now that you’ve stopped complaining!)
- Related: The 10 Best Happiness Books
- Related: 15 Ways You Can Increase Your Happiness Today
9. Do: Acquire assets
Do not: Think your house with a 30-year mortgage is an asset
If you want to be wealthy, you need to accumulate assets. Assets are one of the following: 1) business (your own), 2) real estate (that provides cash flow), 3) paper investments (e.g.: stocks and bonds), and 4) commodities (e.g.: oil and gas). So, if you have some of these things, you’re on your way. As for your car – that actually depreciates in value every year, so it’s not helpful to your assets. And your house that has a 30-year mortgage on it does not provide you with income (cash flow) and may depreciate. Over time your primary house may become an asset. But for you new home buyers without equity, your house is not an asset. (See the 2008 housing bubble for further explanation.) I’m not saying do not buy a house for yourself to live in. All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t think of it as an asset. If you own a rental property that provides you with cash flow, then that’s a different story.
10. Do: Look for coupons before you shop
Do not: Pay full price for anything
At this point, I pride myself on finding the best deal. I’m a huge Amazon shopper. It’s like a game. I find coupons and pay less than the sticker price for everything. With so many coupons online, there’s really no reason to ever pay full price. A simple online search for a particular company coupon usually does the job for me.
A Final Note!
All of your daily actions make up who you are.
Every habit counts.
Are you practicing growing, reading, learning and loving life, or are you practicing drinking beer and watching TV?
Are you growing, reading, learning and loving life, or are you wasting it watching TV?
I changed my life by starting small – doing little things differently every day. And I know you can, too!
I LOVE this list!! Especially the part about not living unintentionally. When we have clear goals whether personal or financial and we work towards them deliberately we not only accomplish more but we get there faster.
That is so true, Shannon! Especially when we’re blogging and working – it’s so helpful to be intentional with our time and our goals!
This is a great list and thankfully I see myself doing all but #10. I’ve never been able to get into coupons. Sales yes…couponing no. I know it works for some but it never seemed to make any radical difference for me and took too much time. I see where you are going on #9, but I would include my personal residence as an asset. It’s a forced savings instrument that does build equity over time. That’s the reason everyone lists it in the asset column when they calculate their net worth.
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I hear you, Brian! Hopefully, your house is an actual asset, where you have a lot of equity in it!
Great List! I’ve made it a point to spend at least 30 minutes a night reading. Anytime I want to watch TV, I make myself read for at least the length of 1 episode, and I usually end up reading more and forgetting about TV. I’m all the better for it, too.
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I love that idea, Ryan! What a great way to make sure you don’t overdo the TV, while making sure you read, too. I’m going to try this!
Tracking your spending is so important. How can you know what to fix if you don’t even know where the problem is.
I can also agree with stop complaining. No one likes a whiner.
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I know it! Tracking spending is critical, but it’s so hard to do consistently with so much going on. Making it a habit is key.
There are definitely days when I violate the one hour TV rule, particularly when I find a new series I love on Netflix. It’s seriously detrimental to my productivity.
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life recently posted…Travel Agents: Obsolete or Necessity.
Stefanie, you are so right! Those Netflix shows definitely get in the way for me, too. I guess that’s the time where you do everything in moderation – including moderation 🙂
Great list! I think I passed the test, other than occasionally watching more than 1 hour of TV!
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Thanks, Holly! I definitely have, too. But a great reminder to limit it most of the time.
Hi Natalie – Great list! I definitely need to get better at many of these things including watching less TV, complaining less, and considering my house an asset. You’re totally right. These are great reminders.
Addison @ Cashville Skyline recently posted…Quarter One Update: My First Net Worth Overshare
Thanks, Addison! This list is a reminder of good habits, but it’s hard for everyone, including me!
Finance Girl ~ I love this list and the way it’s presented!!! I’m gonna email right now to my daughter m’kay? Very matter-of-fact and so true. There is not one thing on this list I can argue with. Counting a house with a large mortgage as an asset is not a good idea. Once it’s 50% or more paid off, then counting it at a low value would be okay.
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Thank you! I’m so glad it’s helpful!
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Good advice – especially eat at home. I’m afraid to add up what I spend dining out each month.
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Financegirl.
all these points are wonderful, the critical issue is our ability to consistently do them.thanks.
I think this article is so true especially the 4th and 5th steps.
thank you very much for it
THIS IS VERY TRUE ESPECIALLY THE 4TH AND 5TH STEPS
THANKS FOR KNOWLEDGE YOU HAVE SHARED
It’s been over a year since you first published this post, if you were forced to replace one habit on this list with another one, which one would you replace and what would you put in its place?
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These are all such great tips! Really though, this point you made struck me: “, in addition to getting out of the habit of entitlement.” My husband and I are fortunate enough to have a financial planner through the military and because of that, we were able to learn this lesson before having to figure it out the hard way. He said that it’s crazy, your standard of living increases when you start making more money…and I really believe that is true and also leads back to entitlement. You think that because you make more, you should spend more. While in some cases, that’s KIND OF true (you can afford nicer things, maybe?) I agree that you shouldn’t get into the habit of thinking you’re entitled to have the latest & greatest of everything…and everything you want now…or all that hard earned money will be lost! Don’t you think?
The rest of your points are awesome, but I REALLY liked that one 🙂 Nice post! I like your blog, I’ve never been here but I’m going to search around now.
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I agree! Thanks for sharing what this means to you. 🙂
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great list
Great article Natalie! I shared it with my fan base! We are already connected via Twitter @sflsg and just connected with you via Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Look forward to having you do the same. Keep up the great advice in the way you convey it. 🙂
I’m very pleased to find this site. I need to to thank
you for ones time for this particularly fantastic read!
I definitely liked every bit of it and I have you saved as a favorite to see new information on your website.
Thanks, Tanya
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Great article. It consolidated so much advice in a way that I can actually use. Looking forward to putting it into practice making 2017 a great start to a great life!
Great article! It consolidated a lot of information in a way that I can use. Here’s to a great 2017!
I really enjoyed your blog for 10 habits you should do.
The one on TV really hit home to me as my family 25yrs ago used to be so involved with it. It took away communication between my husband and I until divorce was looming ahead.
When I turned my life over to Christ and He filled us both with the Holy Ghost and we were baptized in Jesus name, we gave up alot of things namely our TV. It changed our whole life. 25yrs later I don’t ever regret giving it up. We don’t have one in our home or ever watch it. It’s a life changer and so is Jesus Christ. My husband is now a Pastor.
I’m reflecting on my new year ahead and this blog has helped me. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
That’s a hard one to break, but so worth it!
Like.remember me who I am???