People Are Sharing Things That Take Less Than 30 Minutes, But Can Drastically Change Your Life

Let us make our lives a little more bearable.

Life can be really stressful, right? From waking up in the morning to going to bed at night, we are always running.

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I am a recent adult. With making the bed, planning what to eat three times a day, going to work, paying bills, and doing my own laundry, adulting has been more work than I expected. And because of all this, I am always on the lookout for things that improve the quality of my everyday life. You know, like every other person in the world.

Anyway, the answer I have been looking for was served on a platter to me by u/Pitiful_Potential599 through this thread on r/AskWomen. People here are sharing the habits they have incorporated into their daily lives that take less than 30 minutes, but can drastically change the quality of your life.

1. Setting up for the next day before going to bed.

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"Preparing for the morning before I go to bed — clothes laid out, coffee maker set, lunch packed, purse and work bag ready to go. Eating a good breakfast also makes a big difference for me." 

—u/yeswayvo

"Planning and prepping for the next day. I check my agenda and make any necessary adjustments, pack my lunch, and pick out the outfit for the next day. Sometimes, I lay out any hair styling tools or things to take to work. Makes my mornings easy, and I don’t feel caught off guard." 

—u/lickmysackett

2. Stretching.

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"Stretching both in the morning and before bed. It's really helped my joints and helps me not get stiff as easily as before."  

—u/MsBritLSU

3. Practicing gratitude.

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"I make a point to sit every day and allow myself to feel thankful for everything good in my life. It doesn’t matter how bad my day is. I really think the spirit of thankfulness has improved my perspective on life." 

—u/Strange_Mine2836

4. Staying in bed after you wake up.

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"Staying in bed, after waking up, at least 10 minutes before beginning the day. Then at night, fully relax in bed at night." 

—u/AngelaJ28

5. Journaling.

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"I was so lazy to start and still only do it most days rather than all days. But it’s helped me cope so much with stress and anxiety, and after doing it for a few weeks, you really start to feel the benefits (for me it was increased confidence, less worrying, a greater sense of gratitude and peace within myself) — it helps me sort out feelings and issues I don’t quite understand at the moment. For some reason, writing things out gets my mind working in the right ways, and after a few days, I find myself having a better understanding of why I feel the way I do and how I can help myself depending on what it is I want to work toward/accomplish. Some days, I just write a few sentences; others I’ll spend almost a full 30 minutes just filling out pages — but no matter how much or little time I dedicate to it, it’s always 100% worth it." 

—u/queenbusybee

6. Dancing.

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"It doesn’t have to be good or even on the beat. Just blast some music you love, and sing and jump around like an idiot for 30 minutes. Feels amazing." 

—u/Halieghghhielah 

Author's note: I can personally vouch for this.

7. Opening the blinds.

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"Opening the blinds to let some light into the house." 

—u/raysreality

8. Gardening.

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"It probably sounds stupid, but even just walking through it and seeing the daily progress brings me a lot of joy. And there's something really special about eating a meal made with your produce or eggs or meat you raised or drinking tea made with your herbs." 

—u/Similar_Craft_9530

9. Snuggling with your dog.

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I set my alarm for 30 minutes before I have to get out of bed, because when it goes off, my dog knows it’s snuggle time. She likes to sleep under the bed when it’s warmer, but when the alarm goes off, she bounds up onto the bed, and I wrap her up in my fur blanket, calling her a spicy bean burrito (her name is Bean) and sing her wake up song. then we doze a bit until my actual alarm goes off." 

—u/helicopter_corgi_mom

10. Drawing.

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"Drawing my own clothing designs in my sketchbook." 

—u/TheTeaYouWant

11. Cleaning.

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"Tidying my home. Like, instead of waiting for a pile-up of dishes, clothes, trash, disaster, etc. and having to do a giant cleaning day, just tidy up and hand vacuum for a few mins every day." 

—u/kortiz46

12. Skincare.

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"Taking off your makeup at night." 

—u/svckafvck

13. Showering.

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"Can be mindful or grateful while at it, imagining stress leaving you along with your filth. I shower daily, more for my mental wellbeing than anything else." 

—u/Sultry_Sass  

14. One-minute planks.

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"What I love about that is that there is no pre- or post-time for it. It is literally: Do you have a floor and one minute? Yes. Do it. It's faster than instant noodles. Sometimes it happens two or three times per day, but at least once. After a few months, or a year, your core is noticeably stronger, and it's a very good basic back-pain prevention." 

—u/mastah-yoda

15. Earthing.

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"I walk around barefoot in the dirt for even 15 minutes, and it’s mood changing." 

—u/Southern-Weight3447 

Do you have a routine you would add to the list? Let us know below!