 Hey Psych2Goers, and welcome back to another video. Thank you so much for being here. With your help and support, we're able to succeed in our mission to make mental health and psychology more accessible to everyone. So, thanks again. Now let's get into it. Are you feeling a little lost in life? Are things feeling stagnant and unmoving? Like you're not progressing towards any of your life goals. Do you feel like you're just repeating the same routine day after day with nothing to show for it? Nowadays life is primarily centered around working a good old 9-5 job or if you're still in school, studies, and assignments. And this takes up so much of your time, so it's perfectly normal to feel like you're stuck. And that's okay. The important part is to take action whenever you feel like things aren't going the right way, or when they're not going anywhere at all. So, here are five small habits that have the power to change your life around. Number one, write down three things that you're grateful for. Has something ever happened that was really important and you wanted to remember it, but then you didn't write it down. Then so you wound up completely forgetting about it. You simply can't rely on your memory to store every important aspect and moment of your life. Time passes and you might forget about some of the important things or the things to be grateful for. Writing down things you're grateful for will help you foster gratitude and allows you to think back on what's happened in your life, helping to shift your perspective. Studies show that fostering gratitude will help you sleep better at night, lower your stress levels, and improve your interpersonal relationships. Taking up the habit of writing down three things you're grateful for in a gratitude journal will create nothing but positive change in your life. Number two, clean for 10 minutes each day. Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the thought of cleaning your apartment because of how much time it's going to take? Well, to avoid feeling overwhelmed, it's best to break down your tasks into smaller portions in order to make it feel more manageable and doable. 10 minutes is a reasonable amount of time to devote to cleaning. It inspires confidence that you can do it, and it's also enough time for you to get something small done. Try folding and hanging your clothes first, and then moving on and coming back to your room to sleep or vacuum for 10 minutes. If your apartment just feels too big to clean all at once, try and start with one room at a time, like in the kitchen doing dishes or in the living room to straighten up the couch. If you can get something small done in 10 minutes, you'll be that much closer to getting everything done in a timely fashion. Number three, take care of your skin. Does your confidence take a hit whenever you're upset about your dry skin in the winter or have a bad breakout? Believe it or not, the way your skin looks can be directly related to how you're feeling and vice versa. According to dermatologist and clinical psychologist Richard G. Freid, inflamed skin, thinning hair, and brittle nails can be physical manifestations of your mental state. These unwanted physical changes can have a negative impact on how you feel. This will further worsen your skin, hair, and nails and create a vicious cycle. This is one of the main reasons why taking care of your skin is so important, since it helps to foster a strong emotional state with high levels of confidence and a strong and positive outlook on life. Number four, implement the 80-20 principle. The 80-20 principle was first observed in the 1800s by an economist named Wilfredo Pareto. He noted that 80% of the land in his home country was owned by 20% of the population. This principle holds true nearly 200 years later and can even be applied to different topics such as business or athletics. Are you wondering if this principle can be applied to your life and how? Well, it's been found that 80% of your success will come from just 20% of your work. This means that 80% of what you do will be unimportant or irrelevant to your success. The main point of applying the 80-20 principle into your life is that you identify that 20% of the things that you do actually result in success. A simple way of identifying the 20% is by making a to-do list of your most important tasks at the top and the least important at the bottom. Finally, cross out 80% of your tasks from the bottom so that you're only left with the top 20%. By doing this, you will improve your productivity and efficiency by focusing all of your efforts on the tasks that will actually yield success. Number five, implement effective daily routines. Do you happen to wake up in the morning feeling tired and unmotivated? This can be a telling sign that your daily routines are not working properly or effectively for you. Daily routines are broken down into your morning routine and your evening routine. An effective morning routine should stimulate your body and mind while giving you a boost of energy and inspiration. Of course, everyone has a daily routine that is unique to them, so you'll need to find what works best for you. For the morning time, you could read the morning news, go out for an early jog, or listen to a podcast while you get ready for the day. Now, let's talk about an effective evening routine. The main purpose of your evening routine is to de-stress your body and mind after a long day of work or school while also gradually preparing you for bed. During this time, you should do things that you enjoy and engage in quiet hobbies, like reading, writing, or watching a relaxing TV show. If you're looking to change your life by implementing these habits, it's important to remember that habits are difficult to build and can take some time to properly put into practice. Focus on implementing them one by one without rushing anything, and you'll surely feel like your daily life is slowly turning in the right direction. If you found this video helpful, like and share it with someone who might benefit from it too. The studies and references used are listed in the description below. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button for more Psych2Go videos. Thank you for watching and we'll see you next time.