The vast array of self-help books, seminars, films, podcasts, and Ted Talks all focus on one thing—providing you with tools to help you become a better person. This is how “self-help” got its name. Because they are less susceptible to being sidetracked by the media that permeates every aspect of life, those who are drawn to personal growth are a unique breed of people. If you are unsure of where to begin your self-improvement journey, I advise that you make small, easy habits for each of these areas. With consistency, effort, and time, I can assure you that you will be improving your life in all of its aspects, including your finances, relationships, health, self-awareness, and spirituality.

Here are the different types of habits that you need to build up on your 30s:

1. A Creative Habit:

If I’m being completely honest, I don’t think that participating in the arts is a talent of mine. I don’t enjoy music, have a primitive sense of colour, and can only draw things in stick figures, but I do enjoy writing, and I’m prepared to practise this skill over time. It is entirely up to you to develop your “creative” habit, and nobody should feel pressured to do so because that would be counterproductive.

As it allows you that leisure time as a respite from all of life’s duties, having creative habits is wonderful because they relieve stress, complement and enhance all the other areas of your life. Do not be scared to experiment and attempt something new if you feel unsure of your hobbies or feel that you lack creative outlets.

2. A Habit for Socialising:

An old adage says that no man is an island and this is totally true for everyone, if you want to live a happy and meaningful life, you have to spend time with other people and build up your relationships with those dearest to you. Research says that people who have built habits that involve socialising with others had higher life satisfaction ratings in the long term as compared to people who only have individual goals without needing much interaction with others. This just shows that creating meaningful social connections is one of the keys to improve your life dramatically.

3. Health Habits:

Health or well-being is defined by the World Health Organisation as a state of complete physical, mental and emotional well-being and not merely the absence of disease. When someone hears the word healthy, the first thing that comes to mind is being ripped, working out or having a perfect diet.

We have to reframe this kind of thinking because if your sole reason for creating healthy habits is to just look good, then you are in for a big disappointment. Your health permeates all the areas of your life. Why? If you want to travel the world, you must be physically capable to do so. If you want to create and take care of your family in the future? You must be healthy all around. If you want to maintain and create a career for yourself, then you can’t be sick all the time.

Creating healthy habits improve your mood and general outlook in life, that’s why there’s no better time to create healthy habits than now. The trick is to go for the easy ones, can’t have a full workout? Then do 20 push ups, crunches and 20 second plank and call that your exercise for the day. On days I feel like doing nothing, I make sure to just do the bare minimum and usually, the motivation follows not long after doing the action.

4. Habits for Learning:

Lifelong learning is a process that ensures that you are growing. To start, you have to set SMART goals which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound as vague goals are hard to monitor, which might lead you to lose motivation in the future as you have no idea if you are hitting your goals.

SMART learning goals look like “I will read finish a book in one month” or “I will read everyday for 20 minutes.” When you create smart goals that are time bound, you can fit it into your calendar and over time it helps you be more consistent with your learning habits.

Our learning habits should be reflective of how we are as a person- consider the times of the day when you are at your best for learning, also consider your personal interests and fields that you want to upskill yourself with.

5. Habits that Earn Passive Money:

The term “passive income” refers to money that you make without putting in any active effort. Examples are affiliate marketing payments from social media sites, rent from real estate, or dividends from blue chip stocks. Cash flow from passive income will create security over an extended period of time, especially if you make use of the compounding growth principle of money.

It’s common to think of passive income as money that you make as you sleep. It is a strategy that makes your money work for you as you gain income from the labour you have already put in, the commitments you have made, or the investments you have decided to make.

Earning a passive income helps you live life in your own terms as it frees up your time from working so you can spend it doing the things you actually love, allowing you to chase your dreams for yourself or your family, reduces mental stress created by an unstable future, provides more stability despite inflation and allows you to work anywhere.