Whether you’re someone who thrives on setting big resolutions or prefers to take things day by day, the new year is the perfect time to focus on setting yourself up for success. If 2025 is your year for getting healthier, happier, and achieving your goals, you’re not alone in that mission!
At MOD, we specialize in helping people create actionable plans to achieve their goals (and then assisting them in the process). So today, we’re sharing some ways you can implement a daily self-care checklist to build habits that support your well-being and set the foundation for a successful year ahead.
Morning Habits:
No hitting snooze.
How many of us are guilty of planning out a productive morning and setting an alarm the night before we end up tapping snooze through all of the time we could have been using to set up for the day ahead? Probably more of us than we’d like to admit. Studies show that when we hit snooze we’re essentially restarting a sleep cycle. So each time your alarm goes off after hitting snooze, you’ll be groggier and less rested than before.
Try a hatch sunrise alarm clock, or something similar, that gradually wakes you up with light. You could also program any smart lights in your house to slowly turn on with your alarm. Another option is to set up your alarm or phone across the room so that you have to get out of bed to silence them. Once you’re on your feet you have a much smaller chance of going back to sleep.
Start your day with water (before coffee!)
While it’s tempting to roll out of bed and immediately reach for your coffee pot, grab a full glass of water first. Especially if drinking more water is on your list of goals for the year, there’s no better way to reach that goal than starting your day with at least 8 oz. Drinking water first thing in the morning helps you wake up, focus, and rehydrate after sleeping.
Prioritize mindful movement—whatever that means to you.
It could be a morning walk, a YouTube yoga class, or even a full gym workout. Not only does moving/exercising first thing in the morning help you wake up and focus, but it also starts your day with a sense of accomplishment. If you can check off a workout before even starting your day, you won’t have it in the back of your mind or be able to make excuses for why you don’t have time later in the day.
For more tips like these, read our 8 Steps to a Meaningful Morning Routine.
Daily Habits:
Get in some steps.
While 10,000 steps is a great goal, sometimes its more reasonable to set a goal of getting more steps. For example, if you’re currently averaging only 3,000 steps it’s a pretty big jump to suddenly aim for 10,000 a day, especially because walking takes a lot of time. If you’re looking for ways to add steps to your day, find times to sneak walks into your routine. A ten-minute walk after you eat a meal is proven to help digestion and will help add to your step count. You can also easily get more steps in by parking farther from stores while running errands. Or, if you work from home and find yourself struggling to get steps in you can invest in a walking pad to use while you work or watch TV.
Focus on eating diverse, nutritious foods every day.
We know how difficult this one is because Meal Prep is our most requested in-person service, especially around this time of year. And while eating healthier is easier said than done, we know it’s possible when done mindfully and one step at a time. From finding easy recipes you can follow, building out a grocery list with various food groups, to stocking your home with healthier grab-and-go options. This also usually means prioritizing meal prep before the chaos of your week begins.
For more, see our guide on the benefits of meal prepping and how to get started.
Log your habits and goals to stay on track.
It’s proven that people who successfully achieve their goals do so because they continue to keep track and take stock of where they are each day in the process. Whether you prefer analog or digital, there are options for keeping track of your daily habits. Besides, the best option is the method you’ll stick with for the long term. As a team, we’ve recently started using the Daylio app for our Q1 team challenge. Daylio is a self-care bullet journal that has proven to be a fun and easy way to keep track of daily habits and moods right on our phones. Or, if you feel more like a paper-and-pen kind of person, check out our downloadable self-care habit tracker below!
Bonus Self-Care Habits:
Do something creative✨
Whatever creativity means to you, find time in your week to add activities that you enjoy. This could be pulling out some old paints, trying a new recipe, or even taking that dance class you’ve been eyeing. It may not always feel like self-care, especially when weeks are busy, but its important to take the time to check out and play a little when our brains are in productivity overdrive mode.
Spend time with your community.
Another self-care activity we often take for granted or disregard is time with friends, family, and our communities. It could be as simple as getting coffee with a friend once a week or prioritizing a weekly club that brings you joy. These moments with loved ones are necessary to keep us grounded, connected, and even accountable for the other goals we’ve set for ourselves.
Looking to learn more about sticking to habits? Check out last year’s blog post on Habit Stacking.
So if you’re hoping to have a healthier and happier year, we hope you take away the importance of consistency and routine when implementing self-care in the form of habits. They may seem like small elements in a day, but they add up over time and can define how you reach your goals throughout the year.
Of course, in true MOD fashion, we don’t believe that you should have to tackle these new routines alone. So if you need help with meal prep, task delegation, and organizing your life around your goals: we are here to help.
