13 Overrated Habits That Aren’t Changing Your Life Like You Think
Look, you’ve probably tried them all—the miracle morning routines, the extreme diets, the endless hustle culture hype. And let’s be real: How many of them are actually stuck? Probably about as many as there are unicorns in your backyard, right?
It’s time to cut through the extra and take a hard look at some of these overrated habits that promise the world and deliver…well, not a whole lot.
Let’s get down to why these so-called life changers might just be wasting your time and energy, and what you could be doing instead that actually makes a difference.
1. Making Goals
You’ve been told a million times: set massive goals. But let’s be honest, those often lead to massive letdowns. Instead of aiming for the moon with some absurd goal that looks good on Instagram, start working towards what you want to achieve.
That’s the life-changing habit you need to start doing. It’s the habits it takes to reach your goals, not the goal itself, that matters. These mini-wins stack up and keep your motivation high, which is what really matters.
2. Self-Care
Self-care has become synonymous with treating yourself, often involving spending money or indulging in excess. But true self-care? It’s doing the tough stuff that actually maintains your long-term well-being—like setting a budget, paying bills on time, or sticking to a workout plan when you’re tired. It’s not glamorous, but it’s what genuinely keeps you running smoothly.
3. Extreme Productivity Apps and Tools
There’s a booming market for apps that promise to track and optimize every minute of your day. Believe me, I’m interested in it too.
While some tools can aid productivity, obsessively using apps to micro-manage every task can actually increase anxiety and decrease creative flow. Sometimes, a good old-fashioned to-do list and clock is all you need.
4. Romance
Relationships are nice, but so is a fancy dinner. But the thing is, plenty of people are happy without relationships, so love isn’t enough to change your life.
Romance is a nice supplement, but it’s not the main thing. The main thing is having supportive people in your life and spending quality time with them. So, go make that happen.
5. Finding Your Passion
“Follow your passion” sounds great, but it’s also a quick way to feel inadequate when you’re not sure what that passion is or your stuck doing the regular life things that it takes to survive. Everyone has to do things that don’t always feel purposeful and meaningful.
Instead, find your why in life and live towards it. Do what you have to do for work and cultivate curiosity and joy on a regular basis. Try new things not because you’re desperate to find some grand passion, but because the world is interesting. More often than not, passion follows a good life, not the other way around. Just don’t put too much stock into finding your passion and forget everything else. Life isn’t always glamorous.
6. Reading Self-Help Books Like a Religion
The ironic thing about self-help books is that they’re all the same…just packaged differently. You can get the same advice from your best friend and your mom, and they’ll move you in two different ways.
Drowning in self-help books can feel like you’re doing something for your life, but it’s easy to get stuck in “learning mode” and never actually do anything. Cut down on the motivational fluff. Read one, then stop and apply what you’ve learned. Action beats intention every time.
7. Waking up Extremely Early
Sure, the “early bird gets the worm,” but if you’re just waking up early to scroll through your phone or stare blankly at your coffee cup, what’s the point? Often praised as a habit of successful people, waking up at 4 or 5 AM isn’t necessarily beneficial for everyone. It can disrupt natural sleep cycles and reduce productivity if it doesn’t align with your personal biological clock.
It’s not about when you wake up; it’s about what you do with your time. If you’re more productive at midnight than at dawn, own it. Sleep in, stay up late, and make those hours count.
8. Multitasking
Multi-tasking is a great way to do a lot of things poorly. It splits your focus and often doubles your time on tasks without doubling the quality. Buckle down on single-tasking. Give one task all of your attention, finish it, and then move on. You’ll be surprised how much more you get done.
9. Drinking Excessive Amounts of Water
You’ve heard the old adage: drink eight glasses a day. But let’s be real—drinking excessive amounts of water is just overrated.
Your body knows when it’s thirsty. Instead of obsessing over water intake and walking around with heavy, humongous, unattractive water bottles that are unsustainable and turn your bladder into a non-stop party, drink when your body tells you to.
Instead, Let’s ditch the waterlogged advice and focus on maintaining a balanced diet that naturally supports hydration—like including fruits and vegetables high in water. Just drink water like a normal person.
10. Daily Cold Showers
The cold shower brigade will tell you it’s like a coffee shot for your soul, but if you’re jumping into cold showers and just suffering through it, you’re missing the point. If it energizes you, great. If it just makes you miserable, try something else that boosts your energy and mood. Maybe a hot shower and an actual coffee?
11. Detox Diets
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Detox diets—glamorized as the fast track to wiping your health slate clean—are mostly just marketing fluff. Your liver and kidneys are already ninjas at filtering out toxins; they don’t need a fancy juice cleanse to do their job. Instead, focus on a balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, and whole foods that naturally support your body’s detox systems without depriving it.
12. Daily Intense Workouts
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Over-exercising can lead to burnout, injury, and exhaustion. Balance in fitness routines is crucial, and rest days are important for muscle recovery and overall health.
Crushing it at the gym daily might seem like you’re rocking it, but it can actually be a fast track to burnout and injury. It’s about quality, not just blind intensity.
Diet plays a larger role than intense workouts in being healthy anyway. So, mix up your routine with moderate activities, rest days, and different workouts that keep you fit and fired up without frying your circuits.
13. Tracking Everything
Fancy planners with trackers are the latest craze to hit IG. However, from steps to sleep to sips of water—if you’re obsessively tracking every detail of your daily existence, you might be missing the forest for the trees.
Life isn’t a spreadsheet. It’s important to be mindful and make healthy choices, but also remember to enjoy the ride. Try setting general goals without micromanaging every aspect of your life. Live more, track less.
13 Quiet Behaviors That Speak Volumes About Someone’s True Character
In the intricate tapestry of human interaction, behaviors weave the most telling threads, revealing the true fabric of our character. Far beyond the masks of curated personas and rehearsed responses lies the raw truth of who people are.
It’s not in the grand gestures or the spotlighted moments that one’s authentic self shines through, but rather in the everyday actions, the small decisions, and the way they navigate the quiet crossroads of their lives.
Behaviors can reveal a lot about a person’s true character, intentions, and values. However, it’s important to note that one instance of any behavior is not definitive; people can have bad days or make mistakes. Consistent patterns over time are more telling of someone’s true character. Here are 13 quiet behaviors that might expose who someone really is.
This Is Why You’re Lonely…Even If You Have Lots Of Friends
Ever find yourself flipping through your contacts or scrolling down your social feeds, feeling like friends surround you and yet, somehow, utterly alone? You’re standing in a room full of people, but there’s this nagging feeling like you’re wrapped in a bubble nobody can pop. Why?
It’s not because you’re inherently unlovable or because everyone secretly hates you. It’s often because what’s going on beneath the surface of those friendships isn’t hitting the deeper notes of connection you crave.
Unfortunately, it’’s more common than you think. Here are 14 reasons why you’re lonely even if you have lots fo friends.
