You make a plan, and then life throws a curveball at you.
Bad decisions, frustration, work, stress, kids, bills, health problems, toxic relationships, abandoned dreams—obstacles sometimes seem unrelenting and interminable. Your path has been long and winding, making you feel aimless and helpless, but as long as there’s breath in your lungs, there’s a chance to create positive change in your life.
We’ve put a list together with guidance on how to get your life together.
1. Set Clear Goals
Just because your plan didn’t go as you had hoped before doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try again. A plan is always better than no plan—at least when it comes to life.
Take time to think and write down clear goals that you want to achieve. Be conscious that some are short-term goals, while others may take longer. Be as specific as possible, and do not hold back in your ambition—shoot for the stars. Visualize your life, manifest it, and then work hard on it.
2. Create a Routine
Growing up, I vowed never to live a life of routines, but I now understand how precious they can be. They provide us with a sense of comfort and control over a life that may sometimes feel hectic.
Routines are also vital to success. At first, you may rely on willpower to stick it out, but soon, a routine can become indispensable in your life.
You can start small—go on a daily 10-minute walk, snack on fruit instead of chips, read a book instead of doom-scrolling on Instagram—and then build up from there. Remember that persistence and accountability are key.
3. Prioritize tasks
There are always more tasks to do than hours in a day. We tend to leave some unchecked for days, weeks, and months, spending more time dreading the thought of doing them than what it would take to get them done.
I once heard somewhere that if a task takes 5 minutes or less, you should get it done right away, and this has worked like a charm for me.
Working through your task list allows you to minimize your mental burden and increase your capacity to achieve more goals, which can ultimately be how to get your life together.
4. Manage Time Effectively
To increase productivity, focus, and overall well-being, try becoming more efficient in managing your time. Organize and plan how much time you spend on different activities and prioritize as needed.
Improving your time-management skills can decrease stress and boost your work-life balance and overall happiness, as you’ll have time to do more of what you love, including achieving more of those goals you set.
Work smarter, not necessarily harder.
5. Declutter your living space
Untidy and cluttered physical spaces can cause anxiety and disorganized thoughts. Clearing out clutter from your home can help you clear out the chaos in your mind, creating space for positive thoughts and emotions that can help you stay motivated on your journey to get your life together.
Decluttering your living space translates into almost every other aspect of your life, be it work, health, finances, and even your relationships.
6. Develop Healthy Habits
Similarly to setting up daily routines, healthy habits should become part of your everyday life. Take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible, or fill your plate with more veggies than greasy mac and cheese.
It can be as simple as drinking water every morning. Or maybe it’s about time you give up cigarettes for good.
It may take time and patience, but every little healthy decision you make will start adding up to a healthier you.
7. Budget and Manage Finances
Worrying about our finances is intrinsic to our human experience. Everywhere you look, there’s an expense. Oh, look, another expense! We have little control over certain kinds of monetary expenditures, but we certainly can control others.
Start budgeting for minor expenses such as eating out, shopping, and streaming subscriptions, and eliminate or minimize as much as possible.
Identify your bad habits—are you overspending on accessorizing your dog, or do you have 10 too many lipsticks?—and strategize how to control your impulses or swap them out for others less damaging.
Be honest and be ruthless. Reducing financial strain may be a long-term goal, but it will help you achieve even greater ones than enjoying your daily Starbucks.
8. Build a Support Network
We can all get by with a little help from a close friend or two. Help can be found all around us through friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, or therapists.
Learn to feel comfortable asking for advice whenever you feel anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, or unmotivated.
Building a support network means you don’t have to go through life (the good and bad) alone, and this can be essential to getting your life back on track.
9. Learn New Skills
Learning a new skill can be a great way to keep you motivated and can provide you with a purpose other than simply going through the motions of life. Seeing your skills develop can also boost your confidence and overall happiness.
Honing new skills and knowledge can improve your quality of life, which can lead to positive change and success.
10. Take Care of Your Physical Health
Health, both physical and mental, allows us to enjoy life and those we love. Some aspects of our health are beyond our control, but others, we are able to change.
Consider taking time each day for any sort of exercise—a brisk walk during lunchtime, a pilates class in the morning, or a basketball game with friends every other evening.
Additionally, ensure most foods and drinks you consume have a high nutritional purpose. Make sure you consume foods rich in minerals and vitamins that can help you maintain a strong immune system.
Be intentional with every action you take, as each impacts your mind and body.
11. Foster Positive Relationships
Toxic people weigh you down. They clog your mind with negative thoughts, tear down your confidence, and cause an incredible amount of stress. All of these are detrimental to your health and your life.
Cutting out toxic people from your life is not always easy, especially if they’re family, long-time friends, or work colleagues. If you’re not able to end the relationship, minimize exposure to this kind of people. Protecting your mental health should always be a priority.
12. Practice Mindfulness and Self-reflection
Living a fulfilling life takes a lot of work. Balancing family and leisure time with a career can be overwhelming. We may often find ourselves thinking of the future or the past, worrying about things, and wishing for better times.
Practicing mindfulness keeps us rooted in the present time, allowing us to become aware of the entirety of our situation and not just the bad parts.
Likewise, taking time for self-reflection is a great way to understand our current situation and the actions we took that got us there—as well as those we can take to improve it.
Leave the chaos of life behind for a few minutes and sit with yourself for a moment of reflection and gratitude. This can boost your enjoyment of life and overall well-being, improving your relationship with yourself and others.
13. Set Boundaries
Say it after me: boundaries are healthy.
All relationships come with difficulties. Some become toxic, while others are simply complex. In both instances, setting boundaries is paramount.
You can do this at home, school, work, and other places. A nosy mother, a demanding boss, a selfish friend—make them all aware of your boundaries before things get out of hand and relationships are ruined.
14. Stay Organized
Similarly to decluttering your space, organizing your schedule and other parts of your life can work wonders. Being efficient in certain aspects of your life means you have more time and energy to enjoy leisure time. Stay on top of your bills, and make time for exercise, socializing, and meditation; you can’t have it all, but close it!
15. Pursue Personal Growth
Accepting your current situation is a huge step towards personal growth. But personal growth also requires work.
All the other points on this list can lead to personal growth. When you develop new skills, habits, behaviors, or attitudes that benefit your life, self-growth happens naturally.
And there you have it. If you’ve been wondering how to get your life together, I hope you’ve found answers to your questions here.
Step by step, little by little, that growth and change you desire will become reality. Stay persistent; whenever you encounter a roadblock, remember that you possess every aptitude and tool required to overcome it.
