Great Tips and Ideas to Help Change Your Life and Adopt New Habits
Every New Year, many people assess their lives and make resolutions to change their personal habits and set new goals. Some typical New Year’s resolutions include:
- Health – eat well, lose weight, drink less alcohol, stop smoking
- Fitness – exercise more & get fitter
- Financial – pay off credit cards, save/invest money – less debt
- Relationships – be more loving & romantic – less angry & hurtful
- Travel – More holidays & overseas trips – less couch potato
- Environment – Cleaner, neater, tidier – less mess = less stress
- Life – More effort on hobbies & interests – less work!
If you really want to make personal change and alter your old habits for the long term, here are a few proven life-changing ideas to make the going easier:
Top Strategies to Change Your Life
Start to Change Your Surroundings
For those keen on changing their personal workspace and home environment to support success – the clutter busting, clean up & clear out your crap pathway to success and focus – you’ll find that your energy really blossoms in the new clean, clear, neat and tidy space.
I can strongly recommend all the books by Peter Walsh for clutter-busting:
- It’s all too much by Peter Walsh (You have too much stuff in your life)
- Enough Already by Peter Walsh (You still have way too much stuff)
- Does this Clutter make my Butt look fat (You’re overweight & have too much stuff)
- Lighten Up (Your Financial problems are caused by too much stuff)
Improve Your Health
Sadly, the long-term success rate for dieting is low (less than 5%). If you really want to lose weight and improve your health some habit changes will be required. Start by changing one small habit at a time. For example, start by cutting out sugar or work on decoupling a habit connection – like always having coffee with a biscuit or cake. Cutting out the sweet stuff can help you lose weight easily! I strongly recommend the book by David Gillespie called ‘The Sweet Poison Quit Plan – how to kick the sugar habit and lose weight’. Doctors also recommend GLP-1 Medications and Weight Loss Surgery like Gastric Sleeve or Bypass.
Improve your Fitness
Gym memberships and exercise equipment must rate as some of the most underutilized purchases ever. Again, commitment to small habit changes will help. Read the book by Stu Mittleman called ‘Slow Burn’ for some great ideas, or commit to a big fitness goal like a marathon or triathlon.
Improve Your Wealth & Money Mindset
For your financial goals, like saving or debt reduction, change your spending habits and money mentality. Live within your means – spend less and save more. Learn to invest wisely and develop more passive income streams (e.g. sell e-books online). If you’re looking for a financial mind makeover – I’d strongly recommend The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape, The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T.Harv Eker, AND Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
Adopt a Success Mindset
Finally, for those of you looking for a mind makeover that will bring more sales and growth, have a look at a terrific book by Siimon Reynolds called ‘Why People Fail’. It’s packed with a myriad of reasons and excuses made by people who fail and great solutions to overcome both a poor attitude and lousy results.
My favourite book on high performance and growth mindset is ‘Bounce’ by Matthew Syed. Based on the latest neuroscience research, it provides all the strategies employed by top sportspeople to enhance their results. You can do it too!
Just remember – according to Malcolm Gladwell in his book ‘Outliers’ – There’s just 10,000 hours of purposeful practice (hard work) to get to a position of mastery, so start working on changing your habits and clocking up some hours in your area of expertise.
Five Tips for Change – based on Chip & Dan Heath’s book.
1. Start Small.
Don’t be too ambitious. When change is hard, aim low. Many smaller next-step Micro-Goals make achievement easier. Leave yourself room to overachieve — that feeling of “nailing it” is what will keep you hooked.
2. Focus on your Successes.
Find and celebrate any movement, personal bests or small wins. – Watch for bright spots. (Avoid focus on the failures and mistakes)
3. Change in small, simple steps.
Make simple tweaks in your environment. If you’re trying to increase your savings, consider paying with cash and leaving your cards at home. If you’re trying to diet, consider carrying a bag of apple slices with you. If you’re exercising in the mornings, lay out your clothes the night before. This may seem insignificant, but it will make a significant difference.
4. Rely on planning, not willpower.
Your resolution calls for a new way of behaving. And that’s a challenge because you’ve been practicing the old way of behaving for a long time. The old way is familiar and comfortable. You can’t just rely on willpower or good intentions to ensure your success. Use your planning skills. Take action now – Get yourself on the hook for something!
5. Commit yourself to others.
Get a commitment buddy and publicise your goals and resolutions widely. Peer pressure works so use it on yourself. Share your resolution with everyone you know. They’ll remind you constantly, and you won’t want to disappoint them. Just knowing that they know will make you more likely to succeed.
FAQs About Changing Your Life
Q: What’s the #1 reason New Year’s resolutions fail — even when people are highly motivated?
- It’s not laziness — it’s overload. Most people try to change too much, too fast, without altering their environment. Big changes require small steps and smart planning. You’ll make more progress by changing one micro-habit and sticking to it than by overhauling your whole life in one week.
Q: Is changing your environment really more effective than using willpower?
- Absolutely. Willpower fades — environment doesn’t. If you want to eat better, don’t just “try harder” — clear the junk food from your pantry. Want to write a book? Set up a distraction-free workspace. As James Clear (Atomic Habits) and Peter Walsh both emphasise: your space shapes your behaviour.
Q: Can decluttering my home actually help me lose weight?
- Strangely, yes. According to Peter Walsh’s book “Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?” — clutter is a physical and emotional weight. A chaotic environment often mirrors chaotic eating or spending habits. Start by cleaning up your surroundings and you’ll find it easier to clean up your habits too.
Q: Why do small wins matter more than big goals when trying to change your life?
- Because small wins trigger dopamine — the brain’s reward chemical — and keep you coming back for more. Hitting 10,000 steps or skipping dessert feels like progress, and progress is addictive. Big goals without small wins often lead to overwhelm and quitting.
Q: What’s the best way to break the link between bad habits and daily triggers?
- Use “habit decoupling” — a strategy where you unlink an old cue from an unhealthy behaviour. For example: if you always have a cigarette with your coffee, start drinking your coffee somewhere new. If you snack while watching TV, move the snacks to another room. Create space between the trigger and the routine.
Q: Why is it easier to change habits in January or after a holiday?
- It’s called the “Fresh Start Effect.” Your brain sees new years, birthdays, or life events as natural reset points — moments where a new identity can begin. Use these windows of opportunity to start small but symbolic routines. New environment, new energy.
Q: I’ve read all the books and taken notes. Why haven’t I changed yet?
- Because reading ≠ doing. Knowledge is potential power — not power itself. Real change happens when action becomes consistent. Choose one small thing to implement today from all those notes. Don’t let a shelf full of unread personal development books become a source of guilt instead of growth.
Q: Can peer pressure really help me stick to my goals? I thought it was a bad thing.
- Peer pressure isn’t just for teenagers. Adults respond to social accountability too. If you want to succeed, tell your goals to people who’ll cheer you on — or better yet, who’ll check in and hold you to it. Make your commitment public, and your follow-through gets stronger.
Q: What’s a better resolution than ‘lose weight’ or ‘get fit’?
- Make it specific and enjoyable. Instead of “lose weight,” say: “I’ll walk 7,000 steps daily and cook two healthy dinners per week.” Instead of “get fit,” commit to a 5k fun run in 3 months. Vague goals fade. Tangible goals get tracked — and reached.
Q: I’ve tried changing my life so many times and failed. Is there any hope left?
- Yes — and you’re not alone. Most lasting change happens after multiple false starts. The key isn’t perfection — it’s persistence and strategy. If willpower failed, try environmental tweaks. If motivation faded, add public accountability. If complexity tripped you up, simplify. You only need one right move to trigger momentum.
Q: What book should I read first if I want to completely reset my life?
- Start with “Switch” by Chip and Dan Heath. It teaches how to change your behaviour by appealing to both logic and emotion — and shaping your environment. Then follow it with “The Power of Less” by Leo Babauta to simplify your goals and stay focused.
Q: Is it true it takes 10,000 hours to master something — and how do I fit that in?
- Yes — but you don’t have to do it all at once. As Malcolm Gladwell wrote in Outliers, mastery requires consistent, focused practice. One hour a day for 10 years will make you an expert. It starts with habit-building. Block one hour daily for your craft — and let the compounding do its magic.
Read these Books that will change your Life
Three life-changing books I strongly recommend:
- Switch – Making Change when Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath
- The Power of Less by Leo Babauta.
- Small Steps to Big Changes – Create the Change You Want Now by Kenneth Kwan
