1. Appreciate the little things
The smell of coffee brewing. Listening to your favorite song on the radio. A hug from your best friend. Tasting a hot, chocolate-chip cookie. Seeing the smile of someone you love. Engage fully in life by appreciating your day with each of your five senses. If it helps, let it be a daily ritual to write in your journal: what did I smell? Taste? Hear? Touch? See?
2. Stop comparing yourself to others
There will always be someone skinnier, smarter, and more talented than you. But why obsess when there is only one person who can be just like you? Compare yourself to yourself. Make goals for yourself and feel good about achieving them. If you expect yourself to be perfect, than you won’t be able to feel the satisfaction that comes from self-improvement. Besides, perfection is boring.
3. Do about 3-5 hours of homework each night
Schedule 3-5 hours of homework each night with fifteen minute breaks in between. Giving yourself 3-5 hours to study will cover each subject. You can spend one hour on a subject, and then take a break by studying another subject in the second hour.
4. Eat a diet that includes all the colors of the rainbow
It’s easier to follow diet advice that tells you what to do rather than what not to do. Getting as many colors in your diet as possible assures that you are also getting a variety of nutrients.
5. Make your bed in the morning
Making your bed in the morning is a simple habit that takes about five minutes and makes your room look a little closer to belonging in a catalogue. There is also a great satisfaction every night to getting in to a made bed.