How to improve yourself every day: 20 ways to be better

For some people, learning how to improve yourself every day is exciting and motivating. For others, this type of ongoing self-improvement might feel overwhelming and daunting. 

Self-improvement is a personal journey that requires a willingness to experience discomfort. The desire to improve yourself can come on when you’re stuck in a rut or are unsatisfied with your current way of living. Feeling frozen in the same place and like nothing changes can be frustrating. 

If this feels relatable, taking action is the first step toward improved self-development. Personal growth requires both consistency and stretching past what you know. Your path may not be linear, but every step you take is part of becoming the best version of yourself.

To learn how to be better, it helps to have a toolbox of specific exercises you can practice to improve your habits. The following list includes tangible self-improvement techniques you can start using today.

20 ways to improve yourself every day

Behavior change can be a long process, but it doesn’t have to be grueling. In author James Clear’s Atomic Habits talk, he discusses the power of improving yourself by just 1% every day. Reinventing yourself can be a series of small habit changes, like taking five minutes in your day to be more mindful. Or, it can be a more involved process, such as gradually exposing yourself to things that give you anxiety to overcome your fears.

Regardless of the impact you hope to achieve, the following exercises can help you learn how to improve your life and work toward personal development.

1. Make time for rest

You’ll never be the best version of yourself if you’re constantly mentally exhausted and overworked. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs says you must have your basic needs met before you can achieve your goals for self-improvement, and that means making time for sleep, rest, and self-care.

There are many different types of rest, including mental rest, physical rest, and social rest. Try to nail down where exactly you’re feeling drained, then work to identify moments in your schedule when you have the opportunity to take a break. Those quiet moments of rest can help you decompress and process your day. 

According to UW Medicine, a highly respected clinical system at the University of Washington, rest can also increase your brain’s capacity for attention, focus, and creativity. This can give you more bandwidth to work on yourself in other ways.

2. Read more books

Reading more books can help you explore your current passions, develop new interests, and learn new skills. Some books are written specifically to help you start working on self-improvement and personal growth. However, even becoming deeply engrossed in a novel can do wonders for you. 

Reading introduces you to new perspectives and can help you learn to set and achieve your goals. It can also help you work through your emotions and develop empathy by helping you view the world in new ways. All of these benefits directly contribute to self-improvement.

If you’re not a fan of reading, try listening to self-improvement podcasts or watching self-help videos to gain new perspectives on how to improve yourself every day.

3. Start a gratitude practice

One way to learn how to be a better person is by practicing gratitude for what you have. Research published in the Journal of Happiness Studies showed that practicing gratitude for just 15 minutes a day, five days per week for six weeks, can improve mental wellness and contribute to a lasting change in perspective.

You don’t have to feel grateful only for huge things, either. Try to notice the small, everyday things that make you happy, such as the gift of laughter or spending time with a beloved pet. Better yet, write them down each day to build a healthy habit of gratitude.

With practice, it becomes easier to naturally think of what you’re grateful for. This new perspective can change your life for the better.

4. Learn a new language

It’s never too late to learn a new language. Learning how to speak another language helps you think differently and see things around you in a new light. It can also open up career opportunities for you since employers may look for bilingual candidates.

Immersing yourself in another culture and learning how different languages work can broaden your perspective and stimulate your brain in new ways. It also gives you the opportunity to communicate and connect with people from all over the world.

5. Meditate

Meditation is a great way to slow down in a busy world. Even a few minutes a day of meditation and mindfulness can help you better yourself and improve your mental health. A study published in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine found that meditation can improve anxiety, depression, and pain scores, especially during times of crisis. It can also help lower stress.

Practicing meditation can even help you become more aware of your thought patterns, enabling you to learn more about yourself over time. It can increase your self-awareness and help you spot bad habits that negatively impact your mood and life. This self-awareness enables you to create and embrace positive change.

6. Start journaling

Journaling is a great complement to meditation and gratitude practices. It also makes for a fun new hobby.

Research published in the journal JMIR Mental Health found that journaling can improve well-being and reduce mental distress. The same study shows that participants’ resilience increased after the first and second months of continuous journaling.

When you start journaling, do your best not to censor yourself. Write what comes to mind, and don’t judge what comes out. You can write about your day, list the things you’re grateful for, jot down goal-setting quotes, and more. Using daily journal prompts can help get you started.

7. Nourish yourself with healthy foods

It’s easier to live your best life when you feel energized and well-fueled. Nutrition and mental health are closely tied, and what you eat can greatly influence how you feel.

Start watching what you put in your body. Eat a variety of foods in different colors across all food groups. Try to eat fresh foods whenever you can. If you don’t have time to cook healthy meals at home, look for alternatives, like meal kit subscriptions or healthy catering services.

8. Stay hydrated

While it might sound strange, drinking enough water also affects your mental health. Research published in the World Journal of Psychiatry found that drinking plain water is linked to a decreased risk of anxiety and depression in adults.

Proper hydration can improve your mood and give you more energy, which can lead to increased motivation to better yourself in other ways.

9. Add more movement to your life

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical activity helps you feel better, function better, and sleep better, improving your physical health and well-being. Even small movements throughout the day can impact your overall health.

There’s a variety of ways to start moving more. For example, you can start a new sport or exercise routine. If going to the gym isn’t your thing, try virtual workouts you can access for free from home.

If these activities sound too rigorous, consider taking a 10-minute walk each day. Even getting up to stretch every hour or so at your desk has its perks.

10. Practice kindness toward others

Giving out kindness is one of the best ways to become a better you. It’s free, doesn’t require much effort, and can help you feel better about yourself. Plus, it can improve the lives of others.

Showing kindness requires you to become more aware of those around you. By doing so, you’ll notice more of what people need, even when they don’t say it.

For example, you may notice a work colleague is struggling with something you can help with. Or, you may see a stranger who needs a hand opening a door while pushing a baby stroller.

Make it a goal to do one random act of kindness every day. If you’ve started journaling, note how your kindness made you feel and how the other person reacted.

11. Spend more time outdoors

If you work in an office or from home, chances are you don’t get to spend much time outside during the day. According to a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, spending just 15 minutes in a forest can decrease negative feelings like anxiety, fatigue, anger, and depression. Walking among trees was found to be more effective for decreasing negative feelings than walking in a city.

Find opportunities in your schedule to spend more time outdoors. If you work from home, consider working from your back patio or front porch for a few minutes each day to immerse yourself in nature. 

If your patio or porch is in the middle of a tightly packed city, try bringing nature to you by decorating your workspace with live plants, opening windows to reap the benefits of morning sunlight, or playing nature sounds in the background.

12. Develop a list of goals

If you want to improve yourself over time, it’s important to start setting goals. Writing these goals down can help you track your progress and identify potential barriers to success. It can also help you hold yourself accountable for the many things you say you’re going to do.

For example, you can set a goal to walk for 15 minutes every day through the end of the year. Another example could be to read one self-improvement book this month. Whatever you choose, make sure you’re setting SMART goals to increase your chances of achieving them.

13. Work to improve your fear of failure

A fear of failure can stop you from taking steps forward to achieve your goals. Even when fear is holding you back, if you want to better yourself, it’s important to build confidence and find ways to do things that are difficult. 

To overcome this fear, try asking yourself what you’re really afraid of. Balance out the equation by considering what would happen if you succeed instead of only asking what could go wrong.

Remember that failures will still happen, and that’s OK. Resist the urge to beat yourself up when you fail. Learn from your mistakes and use them as an activity for personality development and a stepping stone toward personal growth.

14. Limit activities that drain you

Try to notice what drains you throughout the day. Some taxing activities may be unavoidable, like updating your budget or going grocery shopping. However, others, such as scrolling through social media every few hours, are habits you can break. Limiting them can help you improve your sense of self-control.

For example, you can try a digital detox by deleting social media apps on your phone if you find yourself in a sour mood after too much scrolling. You can also try putting a time frame on your use to limit the amount of time you spend on an activity that’s draining. The goal is to do less of what doesn’t add value to your life and more of what you love to do.

15. Identify activities that energize you

Figuring out what fulfills you is just as important as identifying what drains you. Maybe you gain energy from spending time with those you love or engaging in certain hobbies. Think about the activities in your life that bring you the most energy. Then, figure out how to add more of these activities to your life.

Better yet, consider how you can replace draining activities with ones that fuel you. This can make it easier to schedule time to do things you love.

16. Practice saying no to assert your boundaries

It can be tempting to say yes to everyone and everything, even when you know you’re taking on too much. This can be true at work and in your personal life.

Setting healthy boundaries can ensure you have time to focus on yourself. For example, if a family member invites you to their home on a day you had set aside for self-care, you can say no and keep that day for yourself. Setting boundaries can also help eliminate distractions so you can work toward your priorities.

17. Do inner work

Inner Work® happens when you explore your inner experiences. It involves all the processes, values, and mental models you use to navigate the world. Some examples of inner work include decision-making, spiritual wellness, and self-awareness.

This concept consists of using mental activities and focusing on your “inner world” to achieve a purpose or result. Inner work can be even more effective when you combine it with support from a coach and a trusted inner circle that can help you reflect and take action. 

18. Become a volunteer

Volunteering is a selfless act that improves both your character and the lives of others. Much like doing random acts of kindness, volunteering can help you build empathy and a greater sense of purpose. It can also help you meet new people, expand your resume, and develop new skills. Becoming a volunteer can improve your people skills and professional skills for greater personal growth.

19. Nurture your relationships

Nurturing positive relationships is a form of self-care that can result in a more fulfilling life. Growing close to others can teach you a lot about how you give and receive love and support. By prioritizing your relationships, you can become a better friend, listener, and supportive partner.

A few things you can do to pour more into your relationships include the following:

• Scheduling intentional quality time
• Routinely checking in with those you love
• Engaging in healthy communication
• Building intimacy through deeper conversations
• Asking for help or requesting feedback

20. Work with a coach

One of the best ways to grow and learn how to improve yourself every day is to get support. By working with a coach, you get support from someone who can help you see yourself more clearly and who is there to help you succeed. 

Coaches at BetterUp know how to help you unlock personal and professional growth. They can help you set realistic goals, act as an accountability partner, and cultivate a personal development plan to improve your life. 

They can also help with specific aspects of self-improvement to help you thrive, like improving your diet, increasing your resilience, or taking the next step in your career. A coach can act as a third-party partner, giving you constructive feedback and offering a new perspective.

The benefits of learning how to work on yourself

Learning how to get better can positively impact your personal well-being and your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. Bettering yourself in one area of life can also lead to improvements in other areas.

For example, bettering your communication at home can help you become a more effective and productive leader at work. Similarly, improving your work performance can help you find more meaning in your personal life.

Working on yourself leads to many other benefits as well, including the following:

• Increased adaptability: Knowing you have the capacity to change and control your life can make you feel more confident in the face of uncertainty.
• Better mental health: Self-improvement can help increase your self-esteem and lower your risk of depression and anxiety.
• More career opportunities: Every time you learn a new skill, there’s a potential for you to advance your career by pursuing better job opportunities, an increased salary, or a higher-level position.
• Improved confidence: Knowing who you are and what you’re capable of can help you feel more confident when stepping outside your comfort zone, which is a great place for self-growth. 
• Greater sense of purpose: Increasing self-awareness can help you feel like you’re here for a reason greater than yourself.

Learn how to improve yourself every day to become a better person

Learning how to improve yourself every day offers endless benefits. It can positively impact your relationships, career path, and sense of identity. It can also promote self-worth and lead to a richer life.

Each person’s journey to self-improvement is unique. Working with a professional coach can help you develop a customized self-improvement approach designed to help you reach your goals faster.

Find more meaning in life by working with a BetterUp Coach to become your best self.