11 Clever Ways To Become A Better You In Less Than One Minute A Day
In less than 60 seconds, you're sure to transform into someone you want to be.
Ground Picture / Shutterstock You're busy, perhaps too busy to really take on the "be better" mantra all of us seem to be intently flailing at these days. Getting yoked or learning conversational Cantonese is going to take some time. Like, dedicate your life instead of ever playing Candy Crush again kind of time.
Nobody has time for that, right? But you can do a handful of things to be a better person and create a slightly better you, without sacrificing any time on social media or yelling at your kids.
Here 11 clever ways to become a better person — in less than one minute a day.
1. Drink lemon water.
You're supposed to drink eight cups of water per day that's not mixed with coffee or alcohol. While it's difficult for many people to reach that amount, we, as humans, need water.
If you're finding it hard to drink water, try adding in lemon. Lemon has a mountain of health benefits, including giving you fresh breath, promoting hydration, helping you lose weight, and aiding in digestion. Plus, it doesn't taste like a scoop of fermented kale.
Staying hydrated is very important, because when you feel your best, you're one step closer to becoming an even better version of yourself.
Photo: Greta Hoffman / Pexels
2. Do squats.
Taking time out to properly exercise is likely the decision that will best benefit your life. The evidence won't stop mounting that regular sweat is one of the best things you can do for your mind-body-spirit continuum. But making it to the gym is a pain.
Instead of forfeiting exercise entirely, try doing as many body-weight squats as you can in 60 seconds. Don't worry about exceptional form. It's not as good as a complete workout, but it's your biggest muscle group.
You'll be surprised at how strong you get in the process. If it gets to be too easy, add holding onto something to increase resistance and make it a challenge.
3. Improve your memory.
Your memory is incredibly important and modern technology has absolutely gone out of its way to undermine it. Luckily, you can get some of it back.
There are plenty of ways to boost your memory, and none of them take too much time at all. Spend a minute a day memorizing a piece of text, a poem, a monologue, or even a product description on Amazon. Make it around a minute long when spoken aloud.
It may take you a few weeks to get it, but continue doing it for a few weeks. Eventually, you'll find just how much your cognitive abilities have improved.
4. Text someone you like.
With the hustle and bustle of life, you don't have time to text someone you care about. Maybe you don't have time to have a very serious heart-to-heart every day, but sending someone you haven't seen in a while a thoughtful "Thinking of you" text or message is incredibly easy.
It doesn't have to become a gigantic back-and-forth if you draw boundaries. But think of just how much it will guide you to become a better version of yourself. Texting is said to improve interpersonal relationships, after all.
5. Get your daily Vitamin D.
If you're inside a lot, there are some important nutrients you're just not getting and/or you need to supplement. Get a blood test periodically and see what you need to set your body right.
To boost your intake of Vitamin D, spend 15 minutes a day in the sun, or increase your intake with swordfish, dried shiitake mushrooms, wild salmon, or free-range lard. Research indicates that Vitamin D's "anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties support immune health, muscle function and brain cell activity."
And all of that is essential in making yourself a better, healthier person.
6. Hug somebody you love.
Hugging someone you love (or even just like as a friend) does wonders for your endocrine system. A long hug will kick feel-good neurochemicals into gear, and you're closer to the person you hugged and happier for it.
Photo: Ketut Subiyanto / Pexels
In addition to bringing you closer to the person you love, hugging reduces stress, reduces fear, helps you communicate nonverbally with others, and even lessens your chances of getting sick. Because you need to be in tip-top shape to evolve, right?
7. Meditate.
It's hard to get a great meditation going in under one minute, but you don't have a $3,500 personalized mantra nor a saltwater isolation tank, so just make do. Actually, there are one-minute practices that ease emotions, allowing you to reap the overreaching benefits of meditation.
One of the world's largest proponents of all that mindfulness business, Deepak Chopra, claims you can beneficially meditate for a minute. Who am I to say he's wrong?
8. Make a to-do list.
Even on days that you feel like you were treading water, you probably did a lot, even if none of it was on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. You're going to feel much better about yourself if you have an accounting of all of the stuff you do. That's why making a daily to-do list is essential to becoming a better version of yourself.
You can improve productivity, your time management, free yourself from anxiety, and find some semblance of order. To-do lists keep you on track, plain and simple.
Photo: Arina Krasnikova / Pexels
9. Express gratitude.
This is likely the finest thing you can do for yourself. Take 59.5 seconds and think about what you're grateful for. It's incredibly easy to get caught in the what-don't-I-have trap (like comparing yourself to models on Instagram), but gratefulness is a pretty direct path to happiness.
Expressing gratitude has many physical, mental, and emotional benefits, including reducing aggression, improving the quality of sleep, and boosting mental strength. Those are just a few great things that come from thankfulness.
10. Check your bank balance.
It's a good idea to know how much money you have and what you've recently spent it on. This can help you spend less frivolously, catch a serious billing error, or even "remind" you where you left your card last night. These are good things!
Staying on top of your finances means you save money, but also become more confident, create better habits, and reach your goals. And when you're trying to change who you are for the better, it's just a small practice that can help.
11. Boost your sense of smell.
We think of our olfactory sense as exclusively a warning system for something being on fire or ready to give us food poisoning. But scent is much more than that! In fact, cultivating your sense of smell can increase memory and allow you to appreciate the here and now.
Photo: Michelle Leman / Pexels
Spend 60 seconds a day sniffing something and try to identify the notes. Take special care to enjoy the smells coming through your nose. You may even be thrust back in time to a wonderful memory you related to that smell.
Maybe not all 11 of these tips are right for you, but instilling a decent daily discipline in your life will change you for the better. And at one minute each, you can't afford not to try.
Tom Miller is a writer and performer based in Los Angeles. He's been a mechanical engineer, a banker, as well as the general manager and coordinating video producer at YourTango.