Most of us dream about becoming a better version of ourselves. We all have something we want to improve or achieve. Sometimes, it’s difficult to find the right place to start this journey. But it doesn’t have to be. One of the easiest ways to start is to build a habit based on your self-improvement goals.
Let’s have a look at what self-improvement is, why habits matter, and the 9 best habits for self-improvement.
What is self-improvement?
Self-improvement is, simply put, the action of improving yourself. If you’re focused on improving a part of your life, you’re focused on self-improvement. Moving on from trauma, creating better habits, getting in shape, and increasing productivity are all forms of personal growth.
How self-improvement affects your life is primarily determined by where you put your focus. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get unexpected benefits. Personal growth is often fueled by keystone habits. These habits create ripples across your life and can help you get other good habits.
Related: The worst habits for your mental health
The benefits of self-improvement
The most obvious benefits from self-improvement are those you actively work towards. If you’re trying to get in shape, you’ll probably start to lose fat and gain muscle. Besides the obvious improvements, most people will experience a variety of psychological growth. Some of the most common are:
- Better mood
- Better self-esteem and -confidence
- More energy
- More optimistic
- Better knowledge of yourself
- Creates resilience
- Creates a better mindset
- Life might seem easier
Self-improvement is a process of slowly accumulating small wins. After every win, you’ll get closer to your goal, and the psychological benefits become more obvious.
Why habits can improve your life
A habit is a behavior you perform automatically. They require little energy and don’t rely on your willpower, which means that you have more for later. They affect what you eat, how you sleep, what you do with your time, and how you think and feel. In other words, your habits control who you are and who you’ll become.
Habits are the foundation for who you are, and it’s impossible to grow without changing them. If you dream about becoming a better you, you need to change your habits first.
What type of habits are best for self-improvement
Before we look into the best habits for self-improvement, we’ll look at 2 types you can utilize in your efforts.
Identity based habits
Identity-based habits are those we have based on who we are, think we are, or want to be. These habits define who we are or who we’re moving towards becoming.
These habits are powerful for 2 reasons. The first is that these habits align well with our personalities, which makes them easier to form. There is no clash between us and them, and there usually is no or only a little friction in forming one.
While these habits are powerful, the best ones vary greatly from person to person. This makes it difficult to set up a list of the best of these. You can learn more about what identity-based habits are and how you can use them for personal growth here.
Keystone habits
Keystone habits are the most powerful kind of habits. When you create one of these, they will automatically form new habits in your life. These new behaviors can be good or bad, depending on the habits that triggered them. One of the easiest ways to improve your life is to form these habits.
As these habits are powerful and some can work on everyone, the list below will be focused on these.
Related: Is the 21/90 rule the secret to building life-changing habits?
The 9 best habits for self-improvement
Different habits will have different benefits. The best habit for your friend might not be the best for you. This can make it hard to find the right one to get your self-improvement journey started.
To make things easier for you, you can find a list of the 9 best habits for self-improvement below.
Related: Get an overview of your habits with a habit scorecard
1. Working out
Most people start working out for the obvious benefits. It’ll make you stronger, healthier, and look better. And while these benefits tend to be the motivation for beginners, it’s rarely what keeps them hooked.
Doing regular, intense exercise can help increase confidence and mood. It relieves stress and improves sleep. It can even build discipline and teach you how to push through discomfort – both physical and mental – which is an invaluable skill.
Working out is the definition of a keystone habit. Few, if any, other behaviors have the ability to make as much positive change in a person’s life as this one.
If you’re not already working out regularly, you should consider starting here. You can find a guide on how to create the habit here.
2. Eating healthy
Eating a healthy diet is one of the most simple yet effective habits for self-improvement. Yet, it’s a place where most people struggle.
Eating healthy can help you lose weight and build muscle. It can give you more energy, decrease stress, remove brain fog, better digestion, and decrease the risk of common diseases.
Improving your diet is a great habit to build through several smaller steps. By slowly adding a bit of fruit and veggies while removing some junk, you’ll get far without much effort. With this low-effort approach, you’ll have the opportunity to work on more than one habit at a time.
A healthy diet should be a part of any high-performance individual’s routine. Whether you’re an athlete or a businessman, you need to perform at a level where basic nutrition can give you an edge.
3. Having a sleep schedule
Most people don’t get enough quality sleep. This is despite how crucial it is for both mental and physical health. One way to improve the quality of your sleep is to have a sleep schedule.
Going to bed and getting up at the same time can help you fall asleep faster and get a better night’s rest. As you sleep better, you’ll get more energy and better cognitive function. The risk of depression and anxiety will also decrease.
Getting into a healthy rhythm might take a while. But once you do it, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without a sleep schedule.
4. Having a morning routine
The way you spend your mornings will have a huge impact on the rest of the day.
If you choose to snooze and scroll through TikTok as the first thing in the morning, you’ll be more likely to keep taking the easy option throughout the day.
If you, on the other hand, get up and go through a small but purposeful morning routine, you’ll find that making the right decisions becomes easier later in the day. With a good morning routine, you’ll feel more energized, sharper, and able to increase productivity. Many struggle with willpower early in the morning, which might make this difficult. Start slow and form your routine, one habit at a time.
5. Reading
Self-improvement becomes easier with knowledge and tools. There are several ways to get this. Youtube, books, blogs, and podcasts are all great ways of gathering knowledge. However, it’ll come with additional benefits when you get it from reading.
Reading won’t just make you smarter, but it’ll help you increase your attention span. Another crucial skill that is getting increasingly rare.
Find books or blogs that you enjoy to make the habit easier. Psychology, philosophy, and self-help content are beneficial here. These genres will teach you a lot about yourself and the people around you.
6. Daily walks
Taking a walk is probably the most underrated habits for self-improvement. It’s an easy way to get some light exercise. They can even be used to reduce stress and fatigue while helping you think more clearly.
If you struggle to start the habit, you can pair it with something that you like. Listening to music or going with a friend can make it more enjoyable.
But to get the most from it, you’ll need to learn how to do it without distractions. If possible, find somewhere quiet where you can be alone. Leave your distractions and be alone with yourself and your thoughts. This might be difficult at first, but once you learn to be comfortable with the quiet, the benefits will be worth the effort.
7. Scheduling
Many see scheduling as an overwhelming and limiting habit. They see it as something that will take away their time, energy, and freedom. In reality, well-done scheduling will have the exact opposite impact.
If you’re not used to scheduling, the best approach is to start slow. You can start by noting non-negotiable appointments and meetings in your calendar. These are the things that start at a fixed time and can’t be pushed.
As you practice this, you can begin to schedule more this way. Maybe when meeting with friends, when to work for yourself, or your next workout. How much you should note in your calendar depends on what you prefer.
When you get into the habit of scheduling, you’ll notice that it’ll save you time and energy. You’ll know when to do what, which will free up your mental capacity for more important things.
8. Meditation
Meditation is probably one of the most popular habits for self-improvement. And well deservingly so.
Meditation is all about being mindful. Being present at the moment with whatever is going on. Realizing that you might be thinking or feeling certain things but that you aren’t those things. That you and your mind aren’t the same thing.
Guided meditations are a great place to start. You can find different styles with different narrators who focus on various problems. Try different styles to learn how they affect you and what you like. As you get more experienced, you can consider meditating by yourself.
Meditating can help you relax, think clearer, be more productive, calm your mind, and much else. For a habit so simple, it’s amazing what it can do.
9. Journaling
Sometimes our minds just gets full. We feel a lot of emotions or have racing thoughts. As we sit and do nothing, this only gets worse. This might have a negative impact on your life. Journaling is a great tool for working with this. All you need is a pen and paper, a laptop, or a phone.
There are several different approaches to journaling. It’s possible to work on almost anything with the right style. You can have one to clear your head, set intentions, show gratitude, increase productivity, reach your goals, and much more. There is no wrong way to do this. The only limit to the potential benefits is your imagination and consistency.
Final thoughts
Self-improvement is, simply put, the action of bettering yourself. You can do this in several ways, but it can’t be done without changing your habits.
The easiest way to start growing is to build a keystone habit. The 9 habits mentioned above all have the potential to be life-altering. Depending on your situation and what you want to achieve, one habit might be better than another. Pick the one that seems best for you (not easiest) and start working on it.
What to read about next
- Week 51 log – 2025 - December 20, 2025
- Discipline - December 16, 2025
- Reflection - December 16, 2025