It is not the extraordinary things we do that define us, but the little moments in our daily lives that show what we truly value. How we wake up, what we decide to wear, how we work, study, and spend our free time are all incredibly important in forming our minds and souls. The way we approach each of these daily tasks comes down to our habits.
Wondering how to form healthy habits for a more fruitful life? Read on for advice on creating a productive and purposeful daily schedule that will improve your life.
Three Habits to Improve your Life
- Seizing the First Moment of the Day
St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, encourages us all to begin each day with fervor and strength. He writes: "Conquer yourself each day from the very first moment, getting up on the dot, at a set time, without granting a single minute to laziness. If with the help of God, you conquer yourself in the moment, you have accomplished a great deal for the rest of the day. It’s so discouraging to find yourself beaten in the first skirmish." (The Way, 191).
It is so easy to lose this “first skirmish” of the day. We snooze our alarm clocks, lazily get dressed, decide to forgo a morning workout and waffle over the decision to go to Mass. But, if we get into the habit of always seizing that first moment of the day, we can set such a positive tone to the rest of it.
- Doing Something Kind for Someone Else
Our daily routines can easily become very busy and self-centered. When we have a million things to do and only a certain amount of time to do them, we can forget those around us and our responsibility to love them.
But, if we make a conscious effort every day to do something kind for someone, then we begin to make kindness a habit. When we force ourselves to look outward, to recognize another person’s needs and address them, we allow ourselves to be transformed by the power of sacrificial love. One kind action will become two and three, and before we know it, we will become kinder, more loving people.
- Praying Consistently
Consistent daily prayer is essential in our personal and spiritual formation. However, it is easy to go through the whole day and forget to pray if it is not something we’ve built into our schedule.
The best way to ensure that we are praying consistently is by committing to pray at a certain time of day, every day. That might be right when you wake up in the morning, when you go on your lunch break, or before you go to sleep. Want some reading with a set rythm? Check out the Nine Days Collection by Fr. Jacques Philippe for more set and rythmic to help you start to get into the habit of praying consistently.
Healthy habits are the foundation of a happy life. By adopting productive and helpful practices in our daily lives, we allow ourselves to truly grow and flourish as individuals and as believers.
