9 Habits To Adopt In 2024
Happy New Year, you guys.
It’s 1:00 clock in the afternoon right now, and I am shivering with cold. My hair is wet because I just took a shower. And to top that, I am sitting in a library. It’s so cold here. I miss the sun.
So, it’s a new year. But I am not feeling very motivated or passionate. It doesn’t even feel like a new year. I feel tired, to be honest. I wanted to write this article yesterday on the 1st, but couldn’t gather the willpower. So I gave up. And I haven’t made any resolutions either.
But here I am telling you to adopt some habits. Why would you even listen to me? You shouldn’t by the way(lol). But I am glad you do. See, I am not here to teach you. I do my research and write about what I find interesting or helpful in this life journey. So, let’s just learn and grow together, shall we?
Meditate
I know it’s so damn generic. But it works okay. I know because I did this. And trust me, no one who does meditate consistently will tell you it’s not worth it. Have you ever wondered why?
I won’t say it’s always peaceful. Because I have been meditating, and lately I can’t focus. There are so many thoughts, it’s just frustrating. But does that mean I should stop doing it? No. I just have to anchor my thoughts in a much better way. Today I am frustrated by those thoughts, but if I don’t give up, I will be peaceful and grateful in the next 30 days. Or 60. Or 90. I don’t know, man. Whatever it takes to be truly at peace with oneself. That’s the goal, after all.
“Meditation means letting go of our baggage, letting go of all the pre-rehearsed stories and inner-dialogue that we’ve grown so attached to.” -Andy Puddicombe, Headspace co-founder
I don’t know about you, but I have tons of pre-rehearsed stories I need to let go of. So for me, 2024 will be meditation-centric. And it’s not a resolution, more of a lifestyle. A habit that I will eventually grow into.
(Okay guys, I started writing this draft on 2nd Jan, but it’s 4 today. I thought I should resume from here only. Don’t blame me, okay? Blame winter. Freaking cold everything. I am in the library…and I miss my blanket)
Yoga
It’s necessary to move your body. If you are someone like me who has to sit all day, yoga is a must for you. Even though your mind was working, that’s not an excuse to sit like a panda. You would not look cute but obese instead. (I know I'm writing in the second person reference, but all of this is a self-reminder. Because I re-read my articles thousands of times, lol)
I don’t know, man. You should do yoga. Or just move your body. Don’t take a resolution if you know you can’t fulfill it. It just reminded me of something. Yesterday I saw this reel that said, a goal is not supposed to be accomplished. It’s supposed to make your life interesting. When you have a goal, you have a reason to wake up in the morning and be happy that you exist. In this chaotic life, yoga will remind you to stay still and fall in love with yourself.
For me, it’s yoga, for you, it could be anything. Remember that the goal is to feel alive and better. Don’t stick to what a random blogger on Medium said. Stay true to yourself but take ideas and inspiration from everywhere.
Start one small side hustle
Some people are doing what they love. But there are a lot more people who are doing what they have to for survival. And having a side hustle is great to maintain your sanity. It goes both ways, btw.
If you're working for money, your side hustle could be monetizing a hobby. If you are following your passion but making no money right now, you could start one side hustle to pay your bills.
“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” — John Wooden
Try minimizing digital contact
You have no idea how badly I need to do this. I am addicted, you guys. I deactivate Instagram to stop watching reels but scroll YouTube shorts for hours. It sucks to be a slave to technology.
I love tech for so many reasons. But I hate that I have no willpower when it comes to watching reels. I have tried many systems. But I think being busy is the only thing that works. Because as soon as I sit idle, my hands automatically open Instagram, YouTube, or Netflix. So, I would suggest be busy, you guys. And if you have better advice, please mention it in the comments section. I would be really grateful. Also, this reminds me of another habit you (we) should adopt in 2024.
“Each time I step back from the clutter of the online world, I’m amazed how much time is freed up to declutter my real world.”
― Wendy Speake
Be grateful
People used to tell me that I am an optimistic person. But trust me, I never believed it until now. I used to feel my life is shit and everything bad happens to me. But suddenly, I don’t know how I developed this mindset that whenever something bad or unplanned happens, my immediate response is “There must be a reason”.
Maybe something good is about to happen and it’s making its way like this. You can call me crazy or delulu, but I find this much better than crying about shit all day. A lot happened in 2023. I got scammed 3 times, struggled with being directionless (still am), gained weight, lost hair, people, pushed people away, and whatnot.
So now I am just done with recreating scenarios in my head of what could have happened or what I should have done instead. Now, I am all about being extremely grateful. You know, the accept and embrace mindset. It helps, for sure.
Have a routine
At first, I wrote, “Have a morning routine”. But you know what? Just have a routine no matter when you wake up.
Does all your time get used up in deciding what to do instead of actually doing it? Mine does. I have a lot of things I need to do in my mind, but when I sit down to get shit done, I get overwhelmed.
This is why it’s better to have a routine. Plan your day. Having an idea of what you have to do doesn’t work. Like, who’s gonna stop me from watching reels instead? But with a routine planned, there will be a little voice in the back of my head reminding me to STICK TO THE PLAN. And after procrastinating for 15–30 minutes, I will switch. See, this is much better than ruining the entire day. Being directionless sucks, and routine is a safe, secure place I like being in.
Make room for error
The essence of “Make room for error” thinking is for you to stop expecting to be perfect. Your 366/366 days don’t have to be productive. 300 will do. Even 250 will do. Or 200. I don’t know, you decide. But 366/366 ideology is stupid.
A rest is necessary, okay? It’s not a choice but a compulsion. You will give your best for 200 days because of those 166 rest days. And a rest means rest, okay? Like sleeping, self-care, listening to songs, talking to friends, and family, and going out. Don’t spend 4 hours scrolling reels and say I rested. That’s called stuffing the mind with unnecessary bullshit. It will make you more unproductive. You can watch standup comedy for 15 minutes or 1 hour. Or go watch a movie. Or scroll reels for 30 min max. You get the point, right? Don’t stick to the screen in the name of rest. That’s all I wanna say.
Try limiting sugar intake and see what happens
I have never done this. But I consume a lot of sugar. Not directly white sugar but in the forms of candy, Oreos, cake, coffee, tea, and stuff. And I am also gaining weight, so I thought why not give this a try?
You can also try. If you already have, let me know what happens. People told me that my acne would go, I would lose water weight, and whatnot. I will write a separate article about this when I have some real-life experience.
Until then, this quote will guide you.
“The only food that contains nothing but calories is sugar”
Also, try drinking more water
Don’t kill me now. People are giving me advice for free, and I am passing it on to you. Since I joined the library, my water intake has been decreasing. Because whatever you do here, it makes a lot of noise and gathers a lot of attention, and I don’t like it.
I have to pee again because I drank a lot of water anyway. And this reminded me to remind you to drink water. See, how thoughtful of me.
Okay but on a serious note. Drink at least 4–5 or 6 glasses of water every day. I don’t know how much is enough. Tell me in the comments, will you?
Yeah, so these were the 9 habits you should adopt in 2024. If you can adopt all 9 good for you. If you can’t, at least 1 is enough.
Lately, things haven’t felt very new yearly to me. If you know what I mean. Normally, I would force myself to keep grinding since day 1. But I have decided not to be that person anymore. I will decide my pace. If it takes me 4 days to finish a blog, let it.
Your new year will start when you feel like it, okay? It could be on 1st of January, 15th of March, or 7th of November. It could be in the morning, night, evening, or at 2:00 in the afternoon.
Allow yourself to live at your own pace. I know FOMO kicks in hard, and it gets impossible to not compare your life with others. But I think one of the lessons I got in 2023 was to stop thinking that grass is greener somewhere else. The grass is greener wherever you water it.
And I am a good student, okay? I remember my lessons.
