5 Simple Personal Development Activities For A Life Reset

You got bit by the personal development bug and are now ready to become who you always wanted to be. So, you take the next obvious step and jump onto Pinterest to find all kinds of personal development plans, tips, and routines for your personal development journey. But that kind of backfires; instead of feeling inspired, you start feeling overwhelmed (who has the time for a three-hour morning routine?!). Does that sound familiar?

I’ve been there and know how this can make us feel like giving up on the whole process. But fear not! In this post, I’ll share some of the best self-development activities and ideas I learned during the years. When put into practice, they can keep you going and give you amazing momentum, all in under 10 minutes a day.

So buckle up, Buttercup, pin this for later, and let’s get this party started!

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Personal Development Activities Examples

One: Mindful Mornings

The snooze button can be very sexy. It gives you five more minutes in bed every time you hit it. How not to love it?

But then, when you finally get up, you are late, rushing through everything to make yourself presentable enough to go outside the house.

That tumultuous morning can cause you to start the day feeling behind, and this mood can carry on through the next 24 hours.

Although common for most people, consistently having mornings like this can be damaging in the long haul!

That’s because being intentional about our mornings is essential for your self-development.

This intentionality is crucial because your subconscious is extra vulnerable during the first minutes of the morning. See your subconscious as the little guy responsible for all your decisions and perspectives about yourself. Ultimately, they are ruling your life.

Throughout your first few minutes awake, they strongly absorb all the input you are giving them.

When you hit snooze ten times and wake up looking at your clock and saying, “NO, NO, NO, I’m late,” the subconscious process goes like this:

“OK, so we are not good at keeping commitments to ourselves. We are always behind. Life is chaos, and that’s normal. Got it! Let’s apply this to all other areas of life now!”

The subconscious is just doing its job! To save energy, it applies the rule that “the way we do one thing is the way we do all things.”

With that in mind (pun not intended, but now appreciated), can you start to imagine how this might spill into other areas of your life?

Personal Development Morning Routine Ideas

The good part is that you can also give positive inputs to your subconscious mind and absorb them like a sponge in the same way. Also, it doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t need to wake up at 5:00 a.m. to have effective results.

Let’s suppose you need to wake up at 7:45 a.m. to leave the house at an acceptable time, OK?

Would your life be over if you woke up at 7:40? No? That’s awesome!

Because if you’ve got 5 minutes, you totally got this!

What I want you to do with those 5 minutes is something I like to call mindful mornings.

The way to do that is to wake up with one clear goal in mind. Preferably, it should be one task related to your personal development that you want to complete as soon as you leave bed.

Here are a few simple ideas to get you started:

• Meditate for 3 minutes (here is a good one to start)
• Make yourself some fresh coffee as you listen to calming music.
• Have a moment to pray and read a daily devotional (currently, this is the one I am doing)

Choose something that will give you a sense of groundedness and clarity. It doesn’t have to take too long or be too complicated.

Remember: less is more when starting a new habit. Consistency beats intensity in personal development.

Committing to those things (even for three minutes) will send the following message to your subconscious:

“We are very committed! We put ourselves first and can do anything we set our mind to. Now, let’s apply this to all other areas of life!”

That’s much, much better input, don’t you think?

Personal Development Books For Women

Two: The Right Book Can Change Your Life

Reading is magic. Maybe I am a little biased about it since I have been an avid reader from a young age reading (my first blog ever, at the age of 7, was called “I love to read”… good times).

There is something exceptional about pausing and concentrating on taking in a piece of knowledge. As you absorb the new information, it transforms you inside.

This is good for brain health and gives you a sense of growth and accomplishment. Since we are focusing on your personal development, I recommend reading books that explore this subject more deeply.

If you think you don’t have time to read, think again.

What about your time on public transportation, in waiting rooms, in line at the store, or on lunch break?

I like to call those moments “time gaps.”

They are those minutes we have between our standard daily tasks that pass by unnoticed, doing mindless tasks like scrolling on social media.

Those are the precious seconds to sneak your reading in!

If you want to use your mindful mornings for reading, go for it! They are a great match!

To inspire you to get started, here are some book lists that will cover from beginner to advanced in personal development. Pick whatever book you feel called to, and have fun with your new best friend:

• The 7 Self-Development Books Every Woman Should Read
• 5 Life-Changing Fiction Books For Self-Development
• 7 Books You Need To Read As a Woman in Her 20s, 30s & 40s

Daily Personal Development Routine Ideas

Three: Finding Your Life Routines & Rituals

I once heard on a podcast that rituals can be anything you do mindfully. Setting the intention to reconnect with yourself or something higher than you.

Considering this definition, everything can become a ritual, from meal prep to prayer to a luxurious bubble bath.

You may already have some of your very own rituals going on!

Look around for the things you do, big or small, that make you feel good. What are some of the things you do that make you feel connected with yourself?

Going on walks, cleaning and organizing while listening to music, knitting, self-care baths?

Once you identify these things for yourself, it’s time to start thinking about ways to add small bits of them to your routine.

Let me share some of my favorite rituals to get your creative juices flowing!

My Simple Morning Routine For Personal Development

A daily ritual of mine is starting my mornings by listening to worship music as I light candles around the house.

It’s a simple habit that connects me to myself and the attitude I want to set for the day.

Although simple, candles are actually one of the reasons why this ritual became so memorable.

I love a good candle and always look for new scents!

The Confidence + Freedom from Chesapeake Bay Candles is a current favorite for this morning ritual. The warm scent gives any room a fancy feeling.

As I light the candle, I start thinking about the woman I am becoming and the life I want to build. I take all those feelings and wishes in as I feel the aroma and all the sentiments it evokes inside of me. It’s just the perfect mindful morning.

After that, I make coffee and jump straight into my daily meditation. It makes all the difference in my day!

My Self Care Routine For Personal Development

Another little ritual I adopted, which also takes less than 10 minutes, is a mindful shower.

I close the bathroom door and light some candles. Then, I turn on my shower Bluetooth speaker with some chill music and let the warm water run.

During the shower, I pay close attention to the feeling of spreading the soap all over my body, washing my hair, and the water running through.

Through those minutes, I think about everything I am grateful for and let the water take away negativity.

It’s so simple yet capable of giving us so much energy! After those showers, I feel like a brand new woman.

You can use a special body lotion after the shower to make the experience more memorable.

I have been using The Grown Alchemist body cream specifically for those moments. It’s made with mandarin and rosemary leaves and just… divine!

More Self Development Habits & Ideas

Four: Finding The Beauty in Solitude

Solitude is one of my favorite words. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, let me start by saying that solitude and loneliness differ.

Solitude is the choice of creating a situation where you are alone. The ultimate “me time.”

When we are always giving to others, sometimes we can feel a little empty. If you are only pouring into everyone, who is pouring into you?

That’s when solitude comes in! Those are intentional moments crafted to recharge yourself.

When I was single, I committed to make solitude my priority. I traveled around the world, went on long walks and hikes alone, and took myself on dream dates.

During that season, I also learned the importance of regular life solitude breaks, like leaving the house one hour before a medical appointment to spend some time reading in a coffee shop near the doctor’s office. Or waking up 15 minutes before everyone in the house to make coffee and watch the sunrise.

Now that I am married and can’t go on a trip by myself every month, those sacred solitude breaks keep me going. They honestly make me a better partner. I don’t feel like I am empty and have no time for myself.

Where can you create solitude breaks for yourself? Here are a few ideas:

• During lunchtime, find a coffee shop to read at
• Wake up before everyone in the house
• Go for a short walk while listening to a podcast
• Knitting with a chill playlist in the background

It’s also important to understand that solitude breaks are not to be used to scroll through social media or watch a random TV show. They are here to help you reconnect with yourself.

Productivity in Self-development

Five: Apply The Rule of 3 For Productivity

Are you an overachiever like your girl over here? If your answer was “yes,” you probably know how frustrating it can be to create the perfect to-do list only to finish the day with merely half of it done.

“What is wrong with me? Why am I not being productive?”

It may be because you create unreal productivity standards for yourself!

You think you are not good enough when, in reality, you are a real-life goddess! However, you are projecting impossible standards, even for your cute little self. Let’s tone it down and start with the basics.

Instead of writing down a 20+ item to-do list, plan three primary goals for your day before bed or during mindful mornings. Yep, THREE, TRÊS, TROIS! No more than that, at least for now.

This method will help you to focus on what is essential. Creating momentum with small daily wins.

The power created by those wins will start a change in your self-perception. You will start thinking of yourself as someone who gets things done, creating a sense of pride in who you are. And that’s amazing!

Don’t think you are taking steps back for deciding to keep only three daily main goals.

You will work on personal development and learning to prioritize while doing this exercise. Also, if you finish your three and still have time, add one more and take it from there.

Last Thoughts ♥

That’s it! You are making the self-development thing happen for you!

Remember: You only need a small dash of commitment to start your self-development journey. All positive decisions will add up and create real, lasting change.

Like real, everlasting love, it’s not about the once-in-a-lifetime demonstrations of affection but about the small everyday things. Those are the real game-changers.

Which idea do you think you are going to try first?

Let me know in the comments!

♡ Other Posts You Might Like

6 Simple Morning Habits That Changed My Life

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How To Figure Out Your Daily Routine: 3 Simple Steps

The Ultimate Realistic 3-Step Morning Routine Checklist