5 Daily Habits to Optimize Your 2017 Striving for a good day every day is your best course to a great year.
By Timothy Sykes Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The year 2017 is officially underway. If you are like most people, then your focus is on making this year the best year yet. However, if you really want to find success in 2017, then you need to do more than just pickup random resolutions, you need to change the way that you think and operate in order to optimize your 2017 and ensure you are effective and efficient in everything you do. Want to know how to get started in making this a reality? Here are five daily habits that you can start utilizing in order to make the most of your upcoming year.
1. Wake up early to workout.
Nothing is as important as your health. Chances are it is actually much more important than you even realize. Health is wealth and if you want to make sure that you are staying as healthy as possible, then start getting up 30-60 minutes earlier every morning to workout. No matter what type of exercise you prefer getting up early to make this part of your routine is only going to benefit you in the end.
Related: How Getting up at 5 a.m. Has Improved My Health and Productivity
2. Give to charity
It doesn't matter how much or how little that you make, start giving some of your time or money to a charity. One of the best things that I have ever done is started my own charity, because of the feeling I get knowing that I am helping others. Give it a try, even if you only stop by to volunteer your time, it will make a world of difference in your life.
Related: 9 Billionaires Who Plan to Give Away Most of Their Money
3. List your goals and review them daily.
A great exercise that can help you make a better 2017 for yourself is to write down your 10-year goals and your 20-year goals. Make sure that these goals are specific and measurable. Then, look at them every morning when you get up or every evening when you go to bed. Most people never look this far in advance. However, by doing so, you will learn to work each day in a way that will help you get closer to these goals. The more you can do now, the more realistic it will be to reach these long-term goals in the future.
Related: The Power of Writing Down Your Goals
4. Start studying finance.
Set aside 15-30 minutes per day to start studying up on finance and the stock market. No matter what you do in life and no matter what path you end up following, it will be better if you have some sort of financial knowledge. You want to be able to make decisions about your money instead of trusting someone else to do it. Learning about finance doesn't have to be expensive either. In fact, a great place to start is my free Penny Stock Guide, think of it as my own personal contribution to your financial future.
Related: 8 Tips to Become a Millionaire This Year
5. Perform a random act of kindness every day.
Make an effort to do one random act of kindness a day. This is not charity work and it is not helping out a friend or someone you know. It is doing something kind for a random stranger. Whether this is giving up your seat on the bus or paying for the coffee of the person behind you in line, encourage yourself to pay it forward in 2017. You may be surprised by how quickly your random acts of kindness catch on and how much of an impact they can have on those around you.
Keep these five habits in mind and start working towards implementing them into your daily life. They will go a long way in not only helping you optimize your 2017 but in helping you change your entire life for the better.
