11 Essential Habits For a Balanced Life

In an ideal world, we would always do all the right things to maintain balance in our lives. But we all know that’s not how it works—life gets in the way, hormones get in the way, and our energy and mood fluctuate.

Still, I believe it’s important to be aware of the essential habits that help us feel our best. Even if we don’t follow them perfectly, keeping them in mind allows us to get back on track when needed.

1- Go to Bed and Wake Up at the Same Time Every Day

Research shows that maintaining a consistent sleep schedule improves your circadian rhythm, which helps regulate your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. When you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, your body learns what to expect, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed.

It’s one of those habits you don’t fully appreciate until you experience the benefits firsthand. Here are a few ways to make it easier:

Give yourself a buffer of about 30 minutes—not more, or you’ll risk falling off track. This allows for some flexibility without completely derailing your routine.
Shift your mindset: Instead of seeing it as a restriction, view it as self-care. You’re giving yourself the gift of predictability and better rest, which will positively affect your energy, focus, and overall well-being.
Set alarms: Don’t rely on willpower alone. Set an alarm at least 30 minutes before bedtime as a reminder to wind down. Establishing an evening routine that helps you relax, like reading or gentle stretching, can also make it easier to stick to your sleep schedule.

2- Take the Time to Get Ready for the Day

This applies whether you work from home or leave the house. Taking the time to wash up, get dressed, maybe put on some makeup, brush your hair, and eat breakfast helps signal the shift from “night mode” to “day mode.”

Even if no one else sees you, feeling put together can change your mindset and boost your productivity. Staying in pajamas all day can make it harder to feel motivated, while getting ready—even in a simple way—sets the tone for a more focused and intentional day.

3- Eat Well And At Defined Times

Nutrition is a vast topic, and saying “eat well” can feel vague. But what it really comes down to is being intentional with your food choices. Instead of waiting until you’re starving and grabbing whatever’s easiest, decide in advance what works best for you.

Food provides energy, but it also affects mood, focus, and overall health. Eating erratically or choosing highly processed foods regularly can leave you feeling sluggish, irritable, or constantly hungry. Planning meals and snacks—even loosely—can prevent energy crashes and help you make healthier choices without extra stress.

For example, my principles are:

Breakfast should be nourishing—oatmeal keeps me full for hours without constant snacking.
For a morning snack, I’ve made it a habit to have a fruit and some nuts. It satisfies my sweet craving but avoids having a quick glucose crash.
I don’t buy packaged snacks. If I want something sweet, I either have some dark chocolate or I have to bake my own treat. This helps me avoid mindless snacking on processed foods while still allowing for treats.
Lunch and dinner always include a vegetable, a carb, and a protein source. This balance ensures I get a variety of nutrients and stay full for longer.

Eating at consistent times naturally follows when you wake up and go to bed at regular hours. Of course, you’re not a machine—some days you’ll be hungrier earlier or later. The key is avoiding extremes, like having lunch at 11 a.m. one day and 2 p.m. the next, because that can disrupt digestion and hunger signals.

4- Take Deep Breaths

woman taking a deep breath, illustrating an essential pillar of creating your best life

We all know meditation and deep breathing are good for us, yet we put them off, thinking we don’t have time or we’ll start “when things settle down.”

But that’s just the thing. These practices are not meant for when “everything will be aligned”. They’re the practices that help you feeling like everything is aligning!

It doesn’t have to mean sitting in silence for an hour. It can be as simple as:

Taking five deep, slow breaths when you feel stressed.
Spending a minute focusing on the sensation of breathing.
Practicing mindfulness while drinking your morning coffee or tea—really noticing the taste, smell, and warmth.

The key is consistency. Small, frequent moments of calm can add up over time, helping to reduce stress and improve focus.

5- Talk to Friends Regularly

It’s easy for our world to shrink when we’re caught up in daily responsibilities. If we don’t make an effort to stay connected, our mental health can suffer. Alone, it’s easy to spiral into overthinking and feel like we’re the only ones struggling.

Maintaining friendships helps us keep perspective. Conversations with friends remind us that we’re not alone, that life isn’t just about to-do lists and responsibilities, and that laughter and shared experiences matter.

If life feels too busy to reach out, consider:

Setting a recurring reminder to check in with a friend.
Sending a quick voice message instead of waiting for a long chat.
Scheduling a regular coffee date or virtual catch-up.

Even little interactions can make a big difference in feeling connected and supported, so try not to push relationships to the bottom of your priority list.

6- Practice Gratitude

Gratitude is such a powerful habit. Taking just a few moments each day to reflect on what you’re grateful for can shift your mindset and bring more joy into your life. Whether that’s writing down three things in a journal or just pausing to appreciate something simple, practicing gratitude makes a huge difference in the way you live your life.

7- Do Something Creative Every Day

women's hands working clay, illustrating an essential pillar that supports your best life: creativity

It doesn’t matter if it’s manual or intellectual—just something that gets your creativity flowing. Maybe that’s drawing, cooking, writing, or even coming up with new ideas. Keeping that creative energy alive every day makes life more interesting and engaging.

Especially if you work on a computer all day, having a creative outlet that doesn’t involve a screen is highly beneficial for your well-being.

8- Keep Your Mind Sharp

Reading, listening to a podcast, taking a class, or tackling a project that pushes you to learn—these all help keep your mind sharp. And the best part? You’ll actually feel the difference—better focus, improved problem-solving, and just feeling more engaged with the world around you.

9- Have a Clean and Organized Space Around You

Another essential habit for a balanced life is to maintain a calm and tidy space.

But if this is something you struggle with, it’s worth taking the time to figure out a system that works for you. Once you get it under control, everything feels lighter.

A great place to start? Check out my article on “How to Create a Home Management System.”

10- Deal With Annoying / Important / Scary Things As Soon As You Can

So they don’t turn into this enormous weight that haunts you.

This is a big one. Just think about how much stress you put yourself through every time you postpone something you dread. It’s like hitting snooze on your alarm clock—except instead of extra sleep, you just get extra anxiety.

And have you noticed that every time you put something off, it seems to get bigger and scarier?

One more thing—if there’s a task you always dread, it might be worth learning how to do it better. Because let’s be honest, we usually dread things we don’t really know how to do.

11- Have Routines for the Things That Have to Get Done Every Day

If you still have to think before loading the dishwasher, making your bed, or dealing with laundry, you’re using way more mental energy than necessary. The best way to handle those daily tasks that HAVE to get done is to put them on autopilot.

Create a routine—a sequence that flows naturally—so you don’t have to make any decisions about it. It’s just preset for you, making life easier.