These 14 tiny life changes allow me to live with more peace than 98% of people
Jim Rohn once said:
“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan.
And guess what they have planned for you?
Not much.”
When I was younger, I’d struggle with continual dramas that would show up unannounced.
Others would give me drama. I’d stumble into problems I didn’t see coming.
I was fighting fires like I’d just joined the Texas fire department.
I realised this was mostly due to not taking actions within my control to ensure my peace was protected.
Over time, I learned that even small shifts in how I do things have a fast and immediate effect on the level of peace I now enjoy.
Here’s what I mean:
1. I stopped checking my phone for the first hour after waking.
I get straight out of bed. I wash. I read. I meditate.
This single change protects my mental state from being hijacked by other people’s urgencies before I’ve even had a coffee.
My mornings became mine again, not a reaction to notifications.
2. I cut out people who created recurring problems.
Some people are chaos generators. They bring the same drama repackaged differently every few weeks.
Removing them graciously honours my energy.
3. I just quit complaining.
(okay, okay, at least 97% of the time).
I stopped complaining with those I knew, and I stopped complaining to myself.
It’s amazing how much optimistic energy opens up when complaint simply isn’t an option.
4. I became ruthlessly intolerant to stressful thoughts.
My twenties taught me that overthinking wasn’t a character trait, but rather a habit that got out of hand.
We can be addicted to thoughts, and we can end the addiction. I do this by noticing how I feel. If I’m sad, it’s because I’m entertaining sad, ruminatory thoughts that do nothing for my well-being.
I catch this early now, take a breath, and move on to the next thing. It’s changed my life.
5. I started saying ‘let me think about that’ to any request.
This tiny pause prevents me from agreeing to things I’ll regret.
Most manipulation relies on getting your yes before you’ve had time to consider what you’re actually signing up for.
I’m very slow these days to make big decisions.
6. I keep my living space minimal and organised.
Clutter creates low-level anxiety you don’t notice until it’s gone.
A clear space means a clear mind, and I’m not constantly losing things or feeling visually overwhelmed.
7. I walk at least 7,000 steps every day.
I used to dread walking, but now it’s a joy.
I measure the steps on my phone.
It’s my time to allow my thoughts to unravel, come up with solutions to problems, and it tires me out, so my sleep is now deep and healing.
8. I go to bed at the same time every night (before 11pm).
I’ve set boundaries with people who aren’t happy that I cut the night short, but that’s on them. Irregular sleep was making me irritable and reactive.
A consistent sleep schedule means I wake up rested, rather than starting each day already behind.
9. I turned off all notifications on my phone.
I’m not a rat on the end of a cocaine pellet dispenser. I put my life and focus first.
Nothing, except emergency calls, is more important than the priorities I’ve set.
10. I keep my calendar ruthlessly protected and biased towards what makes me happy.
I block out time for my priorities first, then fit other things around them. I barely have any Zoom calls anymore (about 3 hours per week, max).
This stopped me from being perpetually available to everyone else’s agenda while my own goals sat untouched.
11. I learned to sit with boredom instead of instantly reaching for stimulation.
When a quiet moment appears, I let it be quiet.
I’ve grown to love the weird itch of longing that comes with boredom. This is good. It’s the birthplace of my next creative thought.
This trains my brain to find peace in stillness rather than constantly needing external input to feel okay.
12. I stopped trying to convince people who didn’t want to understand.
Some people aren’t interested in getting it. They’re interested in being right or creating conflict.
I save my energy for people who are switched on by healthy conversation.
13. I keep a small list of non-negotiables that I protect fiercely.
These include daily walks, one hour of reading, creative time in the morning, and eight hours of sleep.
When these are threatened, I say no to whatever’s threatening them, regardless of how that’s received.
14. I stopped consuming news and outrage content.
Most of it is designed to make me angry about things I can’t control.
Removing this input freed up mental space previously occupied by impotent rage about distant problems.
None of these changes cost money or required a dramatic life upheaval.
They’re small design choices that add up to a completely different experience of daily life.
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