The Art Of Well-Being: 7 Simple Habits That Instantly Improve Your Life | Sharon Saline

If you had a magic wand and could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Maybe there's a new skill you'd like to learn. Something that will help you meet every day with confidence and consistent competence. Self-improvement is always possible.

But it takes work, no matter who you are or what challenges you face. When I work with people to improve their executive functioning skills, we start with the parts of daily life that are persistently tough for them. The work suggested here can help anyone.

Here are 7 simple habits that instantly improve your life:

1. Inhibition — control your response to emotions

woman with the simple habit of practicing inhibition fizkes / Shutterstock

Slow things down, pause before responding to anything, expect setbacks, and create a plan for recovering and making amends. Inhibition isn't about suppressing your emotions or pretending they don't exist. It's about creating a pause between what happens to you and how you respond to it. Research has shown that this simple practice can transform your relationships and how you make decisions.

2. Initiation — how to get started

woman with the habit of initiation instantly improving her life MAYA LAB / Shutterstock

Break things down into smaller components. Use apps to assist you, if you need to. Reduce perfectionism so you can begin and complete things without pressure. Decrease avoidance by starting with something easy to get rolling. Your well-being routine should begin with your easiest win, not your most ambitious goal. Easy wins create positive momentum and prove to your brain that change is possible.

3. Organization — get yourself together

woman with the habit of organization to improve her life Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock

Lay out steps for completing tasks. Create daily routines. Make spaces for dealing with and storing materials. Organization isn't just about efficiency. It's about creating space for well-being to flourish. When you're not constantly searching for things, running late because you can't find what you need, or feeling overwhelmed by clutter, you have more energy for joy, creativity, and connection. A well-organized life is a gift you give to your future self every single day.

4. Prioritization — what comes first?

man with the simple habit of prioritization Ground Picture / Shutterstock

Do a brain dump to help you distinguish between what’s urgent and important; break that list down into a smaller list of 3 tasks, and then identify their components in terms of time and values. The constant pull of competing demands can leave even the most organized person feeling scattered and overwhelmed. The secret isn't managing more... it's managing better. True prioritization isn't just about making lists either; it's about creating clarity in a world designed to distract you.

5. Sustained attention — set attainable goals

woman with the simple habit of sustained attention ViDI Studio / Shutterstock

Consider possible obstacles to maintaining focus; create a system of reminders to redirect your attention after you have drifted off; set realistic goals based on your actual capabilities, and schedule breaks. A recent study argued that most people fail at sustained attention not because they lack willpower, but because they set themselves up for distraction. The most effective redirect is often environmental: changing your physical position or briefly looking out a window. These micro-breaks reset your attention without derailing your concentration.

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6. Working memory — write it down

man with the simple habit of writing it down PeopleImages / Shutterstock

Write things down where you can find and remember them; use alarms, alerts, and notifications. Take notes during important meetings, classes, or conversations. If note-taking is difficult for you, brainstorm solutions with your supervisor, professor, or partner that may include recording things or letting caring coworkers or friends assist you by taking notes.

7. Metacognition — self-analysis and progress

woman with the simple habit of self-analysis PeopleImages / Shutterstock

Ask yourself questions that help you monitor and evaluate your productivity and emotional regulation, and measure your progress toward your goals. Questions to start with: “How am I doing?” “What helped me before that I could apply to this situation?” All human beings have executive functioning skills managed by the prefrontal cortex of our brains — how well are you using them?

Sharon Saline, Psy.D., is an international lecturer and workshop facilitator. She has focused her work on ADHD, anxiety, learning differences, and mental health challenges and their impact on the school and family dynamics for more than 30 years.