10 Small Changes Which Make a Big Difference

By Ali Hale

When you want to change something in your life, it can feel overwhelming. Whether it’s losing 50lbs or switching careers, starting a side business or spring cleaning the home, it might be a change you’re desperately keen to make … but getting started is really tough.

You don’t have to take huge, sweeping, radical steps, though. Small and simple changes are often the best way forwards – they’re sustainable and manageable, and you’re not likely to give up after one half-hearted attempt.

Here are ten to try.

1. Set Your Alarm Half an Hour Earlier

There’s never enough time in the day – especially when you want to start something new. Maybe you’d love to write a novel, take up exercise, or have time to pray or meditate.

Rather than trying to overhaul your schedule or make massive efficiency gains, how about simply setting your alarm half an hour earlier? An extra 30 minutes in the morning, before you go out to work, could make all the difference.

2. Go For a Twenty Minute Walk Before Dinner

We all know how importance exercise is – particularly when it comes to keeping our energy levels up and reducing our chance of serious disease. But how many of us really manage to make exercise a consistent part of our lives?

Instead of coming up with yet another over-enthusiastic routine (which lasts for all of a week), go for a much simpler change: add in a twenty minute walk each day, before dinner. You could head to the local store to pick up fresh veggies, or simply walk around the block a few times.

3. Put a Bottle of Water On Your Desk

You may have taken on board the 6 – 8 glasses of water per day message, but do you really manage that? If you do, do you find yourself gulping down water when you get thirsty, after spending a morning or afternoon dehydrated?

One of the simplest tricks for drinking more water is to keep a bottle of it on your desk. It’s easy to take a swig regularly if you’ve got water in arm’s reach – and if you keep the cap on the bottle, there’s no chance of a spillage.

4. Hide the Television Remote (and Keep a Book by the Couch)

There’s nothing wrong with watching television. But for many of us, the TV becomes a default activity. It’s all too easy to come home, slump on the couch, and reach straight for the remote without even thinking.

If that’s a habit you’re trying to break, put the remote somewhere else. Hide it in a cupboard or on a high shelf. That way, you’ll have to make a real decision to watch television.

You can go even further with this by putting a book that you want to read, or something else you want to get on with, next to the couch.

5. Take a Packed Lunch to Work

Trying to save money or eat more healthily? Fed up of wasting half your lunch break standing in line to buy a sandwich? Then take your own lunch to work.

It costs much less to make a sandwich at home than to buy one out, and it only takes a few minutes. You’ll know exactly what’s going into your meal, so you can control the amount of fat and the number of calories, too.

6. Skip Your Usual Starbucks Trip

Many of us get into the routine of stopping at a coffee shop every day, maybe en route to work. Perhaps you started doing this as an occasional treat or a convenience when you’d not had time for breakfast – but it’s become a habit.

A few dollars a day might not seem like much – but it adds up over the course of a year. Why not skip that Starbucks stop and set up an automated transfer to put $5/day into your savings account instead? After just a month, you’ll be over $100 better off – that’s more than $1,200 a year.

7. Switch Your Light Bulbs for Energy-Saving Ones

Suffering eco-guilt? A lot of us want to do our bit for the planet – but we don’t know where to start. One of the simplest steps is to switch all your standard light bulbs for energy-saving ones. It’s not only much better for the environment, it’ll also save you money on your electric bill.

If you were put off energy-saving bulbs in the past due to cost or poor light levels, give them another try: the technology has moved on considerably.

8. Write a Grocery List

Do you find yourself spending more in the grocery store than you mean to? Do you constantly end up getting take-out because the cupboards are bare?

A little planning goes a long way when it comes to grocery shopping. Think through the meals you want to eat during the week, and write a list of all the ingredients that you need to buy. It only takes five or ten minutes, and saves you a lot of head-scratching (and wasted money) in the store.

9. Tackle that Thing You’ve Been Putting Off

We all put things off. Maybe it’s making that phone call, tidying your desk, sorting out a few little-but-annoying problems around the home…

It’s surprising how much better you can feel after getting a long-standing chore off your to-do list. Try picking one thing each day to sort out: it’ll only take a few minutes, and after a week or two, you’ll have got a bunch of energy-draining stuff out of the way.

10. Say “Thank You” to Someone

This is such a tiny change, you might think it’s hardly worth doing. Believe me, it is. Saying “thank you” to one person each day – whether it’s a colleague, friend or family member – can make a huge positive difference in your relationships and your own happiness.

Think how good it feels to be recognized and appreciated when you’ve worked hard at a task. By saying a simple “thank you”, you can give other people that same sense of appreciation (and you’ll be turning your own thoughts towards the positive aspects of your relationships).

Got any simple but amazingly effective changes to add? Drop a comment in the box below…

About the author: Ali writes about personal growth and development on her blog,Aliventures. As well as blogging, she writes fiction, and is studying for an MA in Creative Writing.

只要少少30分鐘
卻可以獲得百分百的自信!
一天有48個30分鐘！等於一天有48個成功率.
一個月有1440個30分鐘！等於一年有17520個成功率！
少了每天30分鐘,等於放棄一輩子的成功率!
一早就開始30分鐘,等於一生都活在信心中.

這是一本可以自動引導你，目標達成落實希望的書!
有了每天關鍵的30分鐘，你就可以拋棄其他的學習法了！

 為什麼要養成早上學習的習慣？
因為你可以從不堪使用的人，變成一流的人。

為什麼要限定早上30分鐘？
因為在限定的時間裡，你的注意力才會集中。

為什麼不選擇晚上的30分鐘學習？
因為晚上的30分鐘，你會以為有的是時間,而原地打轉……

為什麼一定要每天？不能一三五或二四六嗎？
因為最棒的運動選手都是每天練習的!
 
每天持續學習30分鐘，
就算再平凡的人都可以獲得成功！！！
讓你邁向勝利之路的速度倍增   達到完全效果的早上學習法

　　看過《每天只要30分鐘》的人會問，這本書和前一本書差別在哪裡？

　　古市幸雄第一本作品《每天只要30分鐘》，教你從不堪使用的人晉升成可以使用的人。

　　第二本進階版《每天早上只要30分鐘》，教你從可以使用的人晉升成一流的人!!

　　早上提早短短的30分鐘起床學習，就可以拉開平凡的我們和他人之間的差距。

　　只要每天早上短短的30分鐘就夠了。

　　人的基本能力大致上並沒有多大的差異。

　　每天持續做理所當然的事情的人擁有勝算較高的人生。

　　如果能夠持續每天早上學習的習慣，就形同獲得你在自己所屬的業界名列前10%的保証。

打開本書之前，請回答下列問題：
1. 你每年擬的新計畫都一樣？
2. 你每次立志說要學好英文，可是英文還是遜？
3. 你的工作很容易被取代？
4. 你以為義務教育結束了，就不需要學習了？
5. 你常把減肥掛在嘴邊，但仍然坐在電視機前不運動？
6. 你常找藉口，工作太忙？時間太少？環境太差？
7. 你很容易放棄？
以上答案只要一個Yes！你就岌岌可危了。
但你不用擔心，因為現在只要每天持續學習30分鐘，就可以打破半吊子魔咒！
每天只要給自己30分鐘，就是對自己最大的投資！

55個學校沒教的必勝學習法
每天持續學習30分鐘，是對自己最大的投資！

苗條健康是我的目標，可以！只要每天持續30分鐘「想要」運動不可！
我希望英文說寫流利，可以！只要每天持續30分鐘「不必」看電視！
我不是頂尖學府高材生，沒關係！只要每天持續30分鐘「忍一忍」學習孤獨！
留學托福考高分進榜，可以！「改變」你的飲食習慣，就可以集中注意力衝刺！
我不想在公司被看扁，可以！「記住」三分鐘熱度不是壞事！
我要年年薪水步步高升，沒問題！「學習」就是加薪的油門！

你需要的不是靠一支逆轉全壘打來扭轉頹勢，
而是適時的接連安打來獲取分數！！

你需要的不是每天學習五小時，只維持一星期就放棄，
而是每天學習30分鐘，拉長戰鬥力，效果才會有十倍百倍的差異。

每天24小時短暫的，容易被忽略的30分鐘，就算是好好充分睡一覺，
你都會成功！

誰會說，我沒有30分鐘！你要選擇白白浪費？還是用來創造自我奇蹟？
你過去的學習失敗必須「刪除檔案」了，《每天只要30分鐘》為你的人生解壓縮，另存新檔！