Even our best intentions and most robust habits can fall victim to the daily grind. If you’re like me and your usual routine has fallen by the wayside, use these 7 low-key habits to give you a sense of structure amidst the hustle & bustle and a jumpstart to your daily routine.
If you’re struggling to keep a daily fitness routine, I see you. It’s hard when you’ve got an endless to-do list on top of working and taking care of your kiddos.
This is why I want to share some low-key habits that I use whenever life gets hectic but I still want to maintain a sense of structure. They make me feel like I’ve accomplished something, even though they’re small.
While your normal activities are put on hold, you can implement these 7 low-key habits easily into your schedule, or use them as a jumping point for adding fresh habits to your daily routine.
1. Take A Break From Your Smartphone.
This low-key habit can help you be fully present for the little things in life that mean so much, like eating dinner with family, walking your dog outside, or even taking a shower.
It can help you spend more quality time with your loved ones during your break by eliminating distractions that all too often happen when we carry our smartphones with us.
I’m guilty of using my smartphone as a distraction because 1) it’s so easy to do and 2) multi-tasking with my phone while engaging in everyday activities has become my norm.
Life wasn’t always this way and it doesn’t have to continue down this path. We don’t need to be so readily available to others, or fill up every minute of our day, with our smartphones.
2. Savor Joyful, Micro Moments By Yourself.
Create a low-key habit by enjoying micro moments just for yourself. This could look like:
- Taking five minutes to sip your coffee, tea, or beverage of choice.
- Reading a page from a magazine or book as soon as you get up in the morning.
- Listening closely to your favorite song on the radio before you start work.
- Walking through a park.
- Catching the early morning rays of golden sunlight.
- Listening to a bird sing outside your window.
Savoring the joyful, micro moments between the big, busy ones, can help you get through your day, week, month, and even the New Year.
3. Abandon Your Schedule.
Life isn’t all about planning every single moment or feeling like you’re doing something productive. Letting go of rigid plans could be a surprisingly helpful tactic to get you out of a funk.
Unstructured time might sound lazy, but it has its place. It can make creative ideas flow to you more freely. It can give you opportunities for learning new things that you might not have dreamed of. It might even help you solve a problem because you’re not pressured to come up with a solution.
Most importantly, abandoning your schedule in exchange for more free time allows you to be more present for yourself and your loved ones.
4. Wind Down Before Bedtime.
Try not to look at your phone or watch television before you go to bed because the blue light can disrupt your sleep pattern.
Instead of reaching for your phone or the remote control, you can use this time to have a meaningful chat with your partner, read a book or magazine, or just lie there until you fall asleep.
This low-key habit is a gateway to a bigger habit that people are always aiming for, which is a good night’s rest.
5. Stretch Before Getting Out Of Bed.
I get lazy with my exercise routine when I don’t have a consistent schedule to follow. This is especially true during breaks, vacations, and holidays.
Then a short cycle of self-pity and guilt, for not trying hard enough to get up early to exercise, starts up before I can catch myself.
If you’re anything like me in regards to exercising during the holidays, then I recommend doing gentle stretches before getting out of bed.
This low-key habit won’t replace your regular exercise, but gentle stretching before you get up out of bed can get the heart & blood pumping.
I like to put my arms above my head, and stretch for a few moments, before rolling my hands and feet to get my blood flowing.
It gets me warmed up and takes the dull aches out of my joints. With a bit of caution, you can also try some slow head rolls, shoulder rolls, and body twists, to stretch the other parts of your body.
6. Don’t Compare Yourself To Others.
Comparison is the thief of joy and can literally suck the energy out of you. You can waste so much time & energy focusing on other people’s accomplishments and comparing them to your own.
Social media makes it too easy to compare your life to others. So in order to stop the comparison game, try to catch yourself when you’re doing it.
When you do, try not to criticize or judge yourself. Let the thoughts and feelings flow through and they will be easier to deal with the next time they come around.
7. Allow Yourself To Make Mistakes.
If comparison is the thief of joy, then the pursuit of perfection is the destroyer of creativity. Making mistakes might not feel great at first, because perfection is rewarded and mistakes are often looked down upon.
Being too cautious, however, can actually hinder progress and keep you trapped. If you change your mindset about mistakes, it can make your life more fun & interesting.
This is great low-key habit to adopt because people who take more risks may make more mistakes, but they also build their confidence, creativity, and knowledge base.
People who think of mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures can come up with solutions quicker by taking action rather than waiting for the perfect time to strike. They take a different angle or perspective on problem-solving so that they come up with a perfected solution.
So if you want to make more time for joy, then embrace imperfection and allow yourself to make more mistakes.
Last Thoughts on Low-Key Habits.
If you’re anything like me, the holidays at the end of the year makes it impossible to keep up a regular habit. Instead of feeling guilty, try some low-key habits that will leave you with a sense of accomplishment and won’t take up too much time, like taking a break from your smartphone or savoring joyful, micro moments by yourself.
Which one of these low-key habits will you try?
More Ways To Build Healthy Habits.
If you want to learn about how habits are formed, how they affect you, and 27 ideas you can try right away, read: How to create habits for a happier, healthier life.
If you want to learn some healthy eating habits that will nourish your mind, body and soul, be sure to check out: Healthy eating habits that nourish your mind, body, and soul.