When you are in your 20s, you feel like you can stay up all night, skip breakfast, and still accomplish everything with perfect accuracy throughout the day. While that might be true, it takes a toll on your body later on. As they say, the body is a temple, and habits are hard to change. Whether you’re 20 or even 30, now is the right time to incorporate habits into your routine that will transform your life forever.
A lot of the habits mentioned below might sound cliché or trivial at first glance. Even if that’s the case, give them a try. Who knows, one habit from here could start a butterfly effect and change your life entirely.
Waking Up and Sleeping at the Same Time
Do you know your body has an internal clock? If you keep sleeping at different times, your body clock will get confused, leading to insomnia and poor sleep cycles. Have you ever noticed that you feel sleepy at different or wrong times frequently? It’s because your body doesn’t know when to shut down due to your inconsistent sleep schedule. Try going to bed at the same time for one week straight and see the magic for yourself.
Following the 90-Minute Rule for Sleeping
How often do you wake up in the morning feeling tired and exhausted, questioning your life, existence, and everything else? I felt that way for too long until I learned about the 90-minute rule, which changed me as a person.
- What is the 90-minute rule?
Our sleep consists of cycles like deep sleep, rapid eye movement (REM), etc. Each cycle lasts 90 minutes. If a cycle doesn’t get completed or if you wake up in the middle of one, you’ll wake up exhausted.
This is why some people feel more energetic even after sleeping less than others—because they wake up after finishing all their cycles.
- How do you follow the 90-minute rule?
Let’s say you plan to sleep for 5.5 hours or 6.5 hours. That means you’re planning to sleep for 330 minutes or 390 minutes, right? Now, divide 330 minutes by 90, and you get 3.667. Similarly, dividing 390 minutes by 90 will give you 4.333.
Now, what happens if you decide to sleep for 360 minutes (6 hours)? If you divide 360 by 90, you get 4.
The trick is to sleep for a duration that is divisible by 90. In other words, if you get a whole number after dividing your sleeping time by 90, then you are following the 90-minute rule.
Therefore, you should aim to sleep for 4.5 hours, 6 hours, 7.5 hours, or 9 hours at night to complete your sleep cycles. Set your alarm accordingly.
I promise your sleep quality will increase significantly if you follow the 90-minute rule.
Using an Electric Toothbrush
Do you brush your tongue while brushing your teeth? Or do you brush up and down or side to side? Truth be told, nobody knows how to brush properly; we’re just trying to do our best. Why take a chance when there’s an electric toothbrush? Just order one and see how it changes your life. You’ll have fresh breath, your teeth will look good, and you won’t spend a fortune at the dentist’s office.
Reading a Book Every Day
This is one of those dad tips, right? As cliché as it might sound, this is my favorite life hack for you. When you watch a movie or show, you feel great and long to watch more. But how much knowledge does your brain gather after watching it?
Now, pick up a book and read 20 pages. Notice how much more you know about the world or life compared to 20 minutes ago. It might be a little difficult at first, but you’ll get used to it quicker than you think. Allocate a time every day, and read regularly during that time. Start slow and gradually increase the pace. Begin with reading for 15 minutes, then 30 minutes, and then 45 minutes, and so on.
FGM Exclusive Suggestion: Read Flowers for Algernon—you won’t regret it.
Setting Fixed Times for Social Media Consumption
We’ve all been serial Instagram or Facebook users. We start watching reels, and 10 minutes later, we realize it’s been 2 hours. We’ve all been there. So how do we fix this?
First, we need to understand why and how it happens. When we see a short and lame 20-second clip, why can’t we stop even if we know it’s wasting our precious time? Because our brain is wired to get things done easily. Naturally, we want to feel good, and when we do, our body releases dopamine. Therefore, our body automatically craves more dopamine. Reels give us instant reward, or as people say, instant gratification. As a result, we can’t stop watching reels. Our brain becomes habituated to instant gratification and dopamine release.
We need to train our brain to crave bigger rewards. When you read a book, you also get a dopamine release—just not as quickly as reels. You need to get into the story, and after about an hour, you’ll get that boost. After finishing the book, the fulfillment you’ll experience is beyond anything reels or TikTok can offer.
So, we should practice going on social media at fixed times. You can use Facebook or TikTok for 2 hours or 10 minutes every hour. You’ve got this. Try it and master it.
Breathing Through Your Nose
You’d be amazed to know how many people breathe through their mouths when they’re supposed to breathe through their noses. Check if you breathe through your mouth: block your mouth with your palm and try breathing. If you face difficulty, you breathe through your mouth.
When you breathe through your mouth, you don’t inhale enough oxygen, nor do you exhale enough carbon dioxide. Even your face shape can become less attractive.
Bonus Tip for a Better Jawline:
Where do you place your tongue when it’s in its resting position? Most people rest their tongues on the lower floor of the mouth. However, you should be resting your tongue on the upper roof. At first, it might sound ridiculous and difficult, but try resting your tongue against your mouth’s roof for one week. Put in a conscious effort for the first 7 days. Eventually, your tongue will become habituated.
Within a month, you’ll see a change in your jawline, especially if you’re a teenager.
Exercising Every Day
Walk, run, do pushups and squats every day. You’ll have a better body and health in no time. If you find running tough, just walk. Walk when you’re coming home from work or school. Start with a practical and feasible goal. If you can’t do pushups, do wall pushups every day. Eventually, you’ll end up where you want to be.
Fixing Your Posture
When you’re young, make a conscious effort to sit, stand, and walk straight. If you don’t have a good posture, your back will hurt as you grow older.
Taking a Cold Shower After Waking Up
Take a cold shower just after waking up. It will get you going for the rest of the day. Your body will be completely woken up when you take a cold shower in the morning. Your fear for the rest of the day will vanish. People have mixed feelings about this, but just try it and see if it helps you. Don’t forget to let me know how it goes.
Spend a Good Amount on Your Pillow and Chair
Like I said earlier, you want to protect your backbone as you age. So, spend a good deal on your chair and pillow. A good pillow will save you from severe neck pain, which is very common even in 20- to 30-year-olds.
Petting an Animal with Responsibility
Having a dog, cat, or any pet in your life will completely change your life. Try adopting one at an earlier age. It will make you a better human being and make you super responsible. Anyone who plans to have human babies in the near future should adopt an animal first.
I can vouch that spending life with your beloved four-legged pet is the single most beautiful human experience in this entire world.
Learning a Second or Third Language
It will challenge you as an individual and grow your intellect.
Learning to Play an Instrument
Pick up a guitar or piano, whichever resonates with your heart. If you’re a Sherlock fan, you can pick up a violin too. When you learn to play an instrument, you learn how to use your hands and fingers. Your brain learns to sync with rhythm. The sheer joy of playing an instrument alone should be enough for you to pick one up.
Learning to Cycle
Learn to ride a bicycle or motorcycle at an earlier age. It will be useful when you reach adulthood. Riding a motorcycle in the cool breeze on highways is surreal. Try it out once you finish learning.
Don’t Listen Just to Answer; Listen Wholeheartedly
It sounds trivial, I know. But you’ll be surprised how many people lack this skill. Make it a habit at an earlier age. Whenever you’re in a conversation, let the other person take over. Let them talk first; listen before you talk. And don’t just listen for the sake of listening—listen wholeheartedly.
Journal Every Day
As you grow up, you forget a lot of details. You’re left with just the feelings of everything that happened. We even forget a lot of stories when we don’t have someone to talk to. Start journaling your everyday life. When you look back, you won’t regret it.
Besides that, when you write your thoughts out, you become a better thinker. You learn to think more clearly. You learn to reflect on yourself.
Learn to Recite Poems or Take Singing Lessons at an Early Age
Do you stutter while talking? Take poetry classes or singing lessons. You will be able to talk smoothly, and you won’t stumble over random words.
Join a debating club
If you are a student, join a debating club. When you debate, you learn to argue logically. Your thinking becomes crystal clear, and you get to know a lot of stuff. Also, stage fright goes away.
Learn basic coding and practice it regularly
Almost everything you see today was made with coding. I am talking about everything technological. So you should have a basic understanding of what’s going on and how everything unfolds. Additionally, coding will make you analytically strong and more logical. Not to mention, coding is one of the highest-paying jobs right now and demand is only going to go up.
Listen to a Podcast in the Washroom
In my early 20s, I worked for an ad agency where I had a colleague who used to listen to podcasts in the washroom. Later on, I adopted this habit into my daily routine. A lot of what I know today comes from those podcasts. Give it a try. The upside is that you won’t need to put in much effort, and you won’t get bored while using the loo.
Make a Routine for the Next Day Every Night
Creating a routine the night before will save you a lot of time in the morning. You’ll know exactly what to do, which is especially helpful for university students and job-holders.
Eat a Full Meal Within 3 Hours of Waking Up
I’ve done a lot of research on this: when you eat a full meal within three hours of waking up, your energy levels will be through the roof all day. Also, if you’re trying to gain weight, this trick is a game changer.
Sleep Without a Device Nearby
Don’t keep your mobile by the side of your bed. The blue light from devices doesn’t help with sleep, and notifications can be distracting. Invest in an alarm clock and stop using your mobile phone an hour before bed. Devices can keep you up late and make you tired due to the blue light they emit.
Start Reading E-books on Kindle/iPad
There was a time when I read a lot of books. Then came my 20s, and a drought in reading occurred. Thank goodness I got a Kindle—it changed my reading habits forever. I know many people prefer physical books, but I believe they’re not as practical as they used to be.
You can’t read paperback books with the lights off. They get folded too much, to the point where it becomes irritating and distracting. Try reading a book on a Kindle or the Kindle app on an iPad—you won’t regret it.
keep Track of your Finances
Keep track of your expenses and earnings. This way, you’ll know where you’re wasting money or where you need to spend more. If you want to save more, create several bank accounts and assign your money to different accounts. Set up an arrangement with your bank so that your salary goes into your salary account automatically, and savings go into several savings accounts. This way, even if you want to, you won’t be able to waste money.
Invest and Diversify Assets
Invest in the stock market, property, and Bitcoin. Start building assets from an early age and diversify them. As trivial as it sounds, remember that you need to save more than you spend.
Make Your Clothing Game Uncomplicated
Create a signature style and stick to it. Don’t overthink it. From my experience, we spend too much time and money on clothes, and it’s simply not worth it. Right now, I wear solid color shirts and comfy t-shirts. I prefer black, white, and burgundy.
Pro fashion tip: Create several combos, like beige pants with a black shirt and white shoes, or a black shirt with black pants and white shoes.
Everything I mentioned here is from my own experience, so take it with a pinch of salt!
