We all have a few daily routines:

Wake up.
Hit snooze.
Get up.
Drink Coffee.
Shower. (Optional)

But is there anything that actually makes your life better on a daily basis?

Here are 7 things that I’ve found to be extremely helpful when done at least 5 days a week:

Make the bed. Everyday.
This sounds ridiculous, and I thought it was just my tendency to be accused of having OCD. But then I read that one of the beginning cures for depression is to prescribe making the bed.  If nothing else good happens, you at least have accomplished one thing.  Or as I tell my kids – it’s your first win of the day.

Drink water first.
I’d rather have coffee.  But I know that I need to get 12 glasses of water in a day.  So, why not get started quickly.  First thing, lukewarm water so it’s easier to chug, and get your body re-hydrated asap.  Then a gallon of coffee. 

Read something from the Bible.
I spend some time every day reading from the Bible.  Not message prep, just me and God. Most of us don’t start this because we don’t know what to read, where to start, or what it means. The YouVersion Bible app takes the guesswork out of it.  Download the free app and you’ll have access to thousands of Bible reading plans based upon whatever you are going through.  In fact, many of us are struggling with anxiety – so here’s a good one:

Prayminder
I used to feel really bad when people would tell me what they are going through a difficult time and I’d say I’d pray for them… then the next time I’d see them I’d think… Oh no! I forgot…  This amazing app helps fix that by making prayer ever-present in your busy day.  Simply download the free app, type in your prayer list, and randomly throughout the day Prayminder will send you a notification “Take a moment to pray for….” So the next time you say “I’ll pray for you” you can just immediately put it on the list on the app, and they’ll do the work of reminding you!

Walk with my wife.
Every night Lorrie and I walk the dogs.  It’s not only their favorite time of the day… it’s mine as well. We talk, catch up, decompress from whatever drama happened over dinner with two teenage girls, and then we come up refreshed. Oh, and it’s exercise.

10-year journal.
I know, I used to hate journaling as well. Partly because I’d stare at a blank page and think I needed to fill it. And partly because it felt like a diary. But this one is really cool because you can look back and see what God has done in your life over the years, and the entry space is really small so no pressure to write a lot!  You can purchase one here.

Breathe.
Seems simple to do, but most of the time our breathing is rather shallow and doesn’t exercise our entire lung capacity. As a result, we carry a lot of stress in our shoulders that could quickly dissipate if we sat on the edge of a chair and took some deep breaths.  I love this app called Pause because you can pick your time (1 min, 3 min, 5 min) and it helps you breathe and pray.  I try to take 5 deep breaths… counting to 10 on the way in… holding for 10… and exhaling for 10.  I try to do this at least 2 to 3 times a day. Trust me, you’ll feel the difference when you are done.

If you’re interested in implementing some things that can help your next year, check out the new book by Mark Batterson called Win the Day. It gives 7 must do’s for each day!  I’m loving reading it.