Let’s talk about 3 ways you can build your best life every day. Even though your best is different every day, I’ve discovered some basic daily habits to improve your life. Practiced daily, these habits and routines can help you get your life together and enjoy more intentional living.
I know, I know… you’re busy. You probably feel like you don’t have time to do anything other than what you’re already doing every single day.
The thing is, everyone is busy. ‘Busy’ has become our standard response to, ‘How are you?’ But sometimes we make ourselves so busy, we don’t stop to think about how we could build life that’s a little easier and more enjoyable.
If you’re always busy, it’s impossible to prioritize personal goal setting or take steps to actually start enjoying your best life. All you can do is keep hurtling along at breakneck speed. It’s time to pause, reassess, and take charge of your days with intentional actions that can transform your life.
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Are You Ready To Live Your Best Life?
Several years ago, I took part in a blogging challenge that included an assignment to write a manifesto. I wrote it in a day and really wasn’t happy with the way it turned out. But as I read it over again from time to time, I found more meaning in my own words. Different parts of it hit me every time I read it.
From that manifesto, an idea emerged that it’s possible to build your best life with three steps — Planning, Simplifying, and Taking Action. I firmly believe that doing these three things every day can help you to let go of that constant need to declare yourself ‘busy’ and will help you find more joy as you build the life you want.
Each of these steps works synergistically to create a foundation for a balanced and fulfilling life. Planning gives you a roadmap, simplifying clears the path, and taking action propels you forward.
How Can You Build Your Best Life Every Day?
Before we get into the three steps, let’s talk about the Pareto Principle, otherwise known as the ‘80/20 Rule,’ which basically states that ‘80% of your results are achieved by 20% of your efforts.’
If you get nothing else out of this post, please at least take the 80/20 Rule to heart. I know that most of the people who read this blog are women, so I am talking to you.
By adopting this philosophy in all areas of your life, you’ll find that maybe you don’t have to try so hard to make every. single. little. thing. perfect.
Every meal does not have to be perfectly balanced and Instagrammable.
Your children do not need every moment of the day scheduled for them. Are they a little bored during summer vacation because screen time is limited? That’s actually a good thing — instead of offering a list of things they could do, let them work out a solution.
Your parties do not need to look like they were professionally done — people come to hang out with friends, not to be intimidated by party perfection.
So, relax. Stop the busy-ness. Build your best life.
Step 1: Plan for Personal Growth and Success
Long-term Planning
Think about what you REALLY want from life. Write it down — like brainstorming your dreams and goals — and be honest with yourself. This is an essential part of your personal growth plan.
It could be simple, like making more time to read.
Or it could be something like changing your career, how you handle money, or even your family interactions.
Once you have identified what you REALLY want, ask yourself, ‘Are you working toward that objective?’ If not, then you need to make some changes.
For each goal, brainstorm the steps you could take to make the changes. Finally, choose one goal at a time to work toward. Set the others aside, you will get to them eventually.
To make your long-term planning more effective, consider creating a vision board or a goal journal that outlines your aspirations and the actions needed to achieve them.
Weekly Planning
Review your calendar and prepare for upcoming events and appointments.
Update your budget.
Finalize a meal plan. (You will be surprised at how this eliminates stress!)
Schedule time to work toward your new goal.
Related: Sunday Planning For A Productive And Relaxing Week
Daily Planning and Morning Rituals
Give yourself the gift of 10 minutes every morning to review your day & put things in order on your to-do list.
Prioritize the three most important items on your list. Make sure one of them relates to your long-term goal. Then, choose ONE THING to focus on for the day… something that will make you feel good even if it’s the only thing you accomplish.
To make the most of your day, establish a daily routine that includes specific habits and routines designed to boost productivity and well-being. For example, starting your day with a few minutes of self-care can set a positive tone for the entire day.
Related: 11 Perfect Morning Routine Tips And Tweaks For Overthinkers
Step 2: Simplify Your Life for Greater Clarity
Declutter Your Environment
I am a massive fan of decluttering. Why? Clear space helps me think, and it calms me.
Since I used to be the type of person who saved everything “just in case,” this has been a huge shift.
When I first started decluttering, I decided to work on it in a slow decluttering way. And even though I didn’t see final results immediately, I DID notice a difference right away, and it was the perfect method to clear the clutter in a stress-free, mess-free way.
Wanna know my favorite benefit? I really hate cleaning, and having less stuff means less cleaning! Having to clean less also means extra time for doing More Important Things. Decluttering can feel like a life makeover.
Related: Declutter Tips for When You’re Overwhelmed With Too Much Stuff
Streamline Your Processes
This could be anything that you regularly do, such as: monthly menu planning, meal prep, running your blog or online business, budgeting and financial planning. If it feels like you don’t have time to do it, or if it seems like you’re always working on it, then you need to find a simpler method or try different ways to manage your time.
This one is tough, and it’s an area I often have to work on.
One thing that helped make my days easier was eliminating multi-tasking so that I could be more intentional with time.
Blocking time to focus on one task at a time is one of the best time management techniques. It will help you either get it done faster, or it will help you understand where your time is really going and which tasks can’t be finished as quickly as you had assumed.
Simplify Your Thoughts
To build your best life, you need to be able to focus, which means you need to simplify your thoughts.
The best way to do that is to get them out of your head. Write them down, dictate them into your phone, do a brain dump, whatever it takes.
I use a mix of paper and digital. I have a notebook for everyday to-do lists and notes, and I enter a lot of random things into Google Keep or Evernote. Both programs sync between my phone, tablet, and computer.
Most of my seriously random thoughts end up in Google Keep — the visual layout lends itself to temporary to-do lists and ‘just one thing’ types of notes.
Another way to work through your thoughts is by practicing mindfulness and using journal writing prompts. Positive self affirmations can also help in maintaining a positive mindset and boosting self-confidence.
Step 3: Take Action and Transform Your Life
Put It All Together
You’ve planned, you’ve simplified… now get out there and actually DO the scary thing! Don’t get stuck in the planning step. Remember the 80/20 Rule. Have you planned 80%? Good enough! It’s time to get moving!
Related: Stop Thinking and Start Doing: A Goal Setting Starter Plan
Track Your Progress
This could be as simple as a page in your planner where you note how many times — thanks to menu planning and food prepping — you ate at home instead of going out to eat every week.
Or you could create a blog post or video series about how many things you’re decluttering from your home or how your writing has progressed since you decided to get serious about it.
The important thing is that you don’t want to forget how far you’ve come!
Evaluate Your Methods
Are your new methods or changes making your life better? If not, then ask yourself two things:
- ‘Did I give this a fair chance?’
- ‘Is it time to eliminate this from my life?’
Answer yourself truthfully, and you will know what to do next. Trust yourself.
Inspiration and Resources to Build The Life You Want
The Goal Journey Annual Goal Planner — This printable goal planner is designed to streamline your goal-setting process, allowing you to focus on one goal at a time and adapt as life evolves. Get the extra stuff out of your head, let go of the regrets and ‘should-dos,’ and start accomplishing the goals that really matter to YOU.
How Using Action Words For Goals Will Help You Succeed {Even If You’re An Overthinker}
How To Make Decisions Faster Without Regret
9 Nightly Journal Prompts To Bring An Intentional End To Your Day
The One Focus Method — This book contains expanded versions of my most inspirational posts on goal setting and achieving. It also helps you work on building the motivation to follow through on completing projects in short periods of time.
My Life Improvement Reading List on Amazon
Making Major Changes While Building Your Best Life
By taking these steps, you can start living life on your terms. Just remember that when making major changes, focus on one thing at a time. If you try to make too many changes, you won’t be able to give anything your full effort and attention.
When you follow the steps to build your best life every day — plan, simplify, and take action — it becomes easier to embrace intentional living and take back your power to create the life you truly desire.
You just may surprise yourself by how quickly your answer to ‘How are you?’ becomes much more interesting than, ‘Busy.’
You’ve got this!
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Bonus Printable: Click on the image below to open a printable PDF.
Updated July 27, 2024
This could have been written for me Julie! Working on decluttering my home, monotasking, and simplifying my processes. I keep trying different strategies and tracking my progress, then trying something else. I guess, just trying to squeeze as much as I can out of every day.
I hope you found something here to help you! It’s so easy to feel like we need to keep doing more, and do it all better, that we lose sight of what’s important. I would love to hear about your results from simplifying.
This is great advice Julie! Thank you for sharing it–I love the long-term question about what you really want from life–so easy to get lost in the day to day and never stop to think about it.
Hi Rachel! I’m glad you found something here to to make you think, and I hope the long-term question helps you focus. (I know I need to repeat it to myself constantly.) Thanks for reading!
Thanks for sharing on Let’s Get Real Friday Link Party. When I add prayer into this 3 step process I do have my best days, every day. Love your advice. Will be pinning.
Hi Karen! Thank you for visiting from the Let’s Get Real party and I’m glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
Your points here make a lot of sense. I like your point of writing down ideas or thoughts, don’t try and keep them in your head. I find this very true at night, I might think about a bill I need to pay in the morning. Instead of trying to go to sleep and reminding yourself not to forget the bill, it is better to get up and write it down and go to sleep in peace.
Kathleen
Bloggers Pit Stop
Hi Kathleen! There is just ‘something’ about writing things down, isn’t there? As you said, it’s better to get up and write it down so you can sleep in peace. I also do that. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!