Start 2026 Right with These 12 Simple Habits

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2026-01-01 21:37

Start 2026 Right with These 12 Simple Habits

Mr. L SaysFollow

This article originally appeared on the WeChat public account: Mr. L Says by Li Ruiqiu (Lachel)

Happy New Year, everyone!

It’s rare for my usual Thursday update to coincide with New Year’s Day. So, on this first day of 2026, I’d like to wish you all a year filled with smooth sailing, good health, and happiness.

For today’s update, I’d also like to take this opportunity to share some simple, low-cost habits that can genuinely improve your daily life.

I hope these small practices help you start 2026 on the right foot—making everything a little simpler and smoother.

1. Breathe More Slowly and Deeply

Do you sometimes feel easily anxious or tense, reacting strongly to minor issues?

If so, your sympathetic nervous system might be overactive—and you need to gently activate your parasympathetic nervous system to counterbalance it.

How do you activate the parasympathetic nervous system? The simplest and most effective method is slow, deep breathing.

Research shows that breathing roughly once every 10 seconds (5 seconds inhaling, 5 seconds exhaling) significantly increases blood oxygen levels, stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system,

and synchronizes your breathing rhythm with brainwave patterns—helping you quickly enter a calm state.

So try cultivating the habit of deep breathing—let your everyday breaths become slower, deeper, longer, and more relaxed.

This will help you stay calmer and face challenges with a better mindset.

2. Give Yourself Something to Look Forward to Each Morning

Many people try countless methods to sleep and wake up earlier—but often fail. One root cause is this:

We have too little personal time and too few genuinely enjoyable or fulfilling activities—so we’re reluctant to end each day.

At the same time, the next day feels just as dull, lacking anything exciting or motivating—making it hard to embrace a new morning.

So how can you make waking up easier? A simple yet powerful trick: find something you genuinely look forward to—and schedule it for the next morning.

It can be something very small: browsing a new website, trying a new app, exploring a hobby, reading an interesting article, watching 15 minutes of a favorite show,

or even just checking out the latest fashion or accessories of the season…

Generally, it just needs to meet two criteria:

First, it’s something you truly enjoy and anticipate from the heart;

Second, it’s simple and doesn’t take much time—ideally 15 to 30 minutes.

Try turning this into a daily routine—it’ll help you fall asleep with hope and wake up with anticipation.

3. Cultivate a Hands-On Hobby

Many people often feel unmotivated in daily life—lacking the drive to do anything. This is a classic sign of low dopamine.

How can you boost dopamine? There’s a surprisingly simple way: do something with your hands.

Literally—get your hands moving, ideally creating something tangible. This strongly stimulates dopamine release,

while also giving you a sense of achievement and satisfaction—fueling greater motivation and enthusiasm for other areas of life.

So if you often feel bored or demotivated, consider picking up one or two hands-on hobbies.

For example:

Building models or sets—like LEGO, scale models, painting miniatures, etc.;

Baking, cooking, mixology, pour-over coffee, making desserts, etc.;

Growing plants, pruning, watering, pest control, garden design, etc.;

Making toys or tools for pets, building models with kids, assembling kits together, etc.;

And other tactile hobbies like crafts, drawing, flower arranging…

You don’t need to become an expert or produce masterpieces—just let it be a relaxing, restorative break in your busy life.

4. Record Your Wins

Let me share a great habit: regularly record things you’ve done well—small achievements in daily life and work.

A few examples:

Today, my friend X shared some recent frustrations. I noticed these actually reflected his dissatisfaction with himself,

so I offered encouragement from that angle—and helped lift his mood.

Another example:

Today, I disagreed with colleague X. Her proposal didn’t align with our team’s goals, so I carefully crafted a clear, logical response

and successfully persuaded her to reconsider.

Why do this? First, consistently recording your wins builds self-esteem and confidence,

reinforcing the belief “I can do it”—giving you stronger resilience when facing challenges.

Second, it helps you discover your strengths. Think of it as a personal archive—

a rich, firsthand resource for self-reflection, helping you understand yourself more deeply.

5. Answer Questions Online When You Have Time

Answering someone’s question online offers at least three benefits:

1) If your answer solves their problem, you’ll receive genuine gratitude—a powerful form of positive feedback;

2) The act of answering clarifies your own thinking—it forces you to organize and refine your knowledge on the topic;

3) If the question sits at the edge of your understanding—something you know partially but incompletely—it’s even better:

You can use it as a prompt for focused learning—researching and filling gaps in your knowledge.

That’s why I always advocate “5-Minute Giving”:

Whenever you have a spare moment, answer a few questions online to help others overcome confusion.

It’s a win-win practice—consider making it a daily habit.

6. Occasionally Fix a “Good Enough” Annoyance

In daily life and work, we constantly encounter small friction points—minor inconveniences that slow us down.

Most of the time, they’re tolerable—we “put up with it,” so they never get fixed.

Over time, they become habitual—a state of “settling.”

But have you considered: what if you eliminated these “good enough” compromises? How much could your life improve?

Example: Many people get great ideas but don’t jot them down because it’s “too much trouble.”

But if you streamline that process—even capturing just 1–2 extra ideas per day—you’ll gain hundreds more annually.

Even if only 5% are valuable, it’s absolutely worth it.

So try this:

Set aside time weekly to review your routines—identify any recurring “friction points” you’ve been tolerating,

and then fix them to make things smoother and simpler.

Even if each fix only improves efficiency by 0.1% or 0.01%, the cumulative effect over time can be transformative.

7. Meet Friends In Person and Do Things Together

In this digital age, many are used to online socializing—but face-to-face interaction offers irreplaceable benefits.

In-person conversations strongly stimulate the prefrontal cortex—a benefit online chats can’t match.

And strengthening the prefrontal cortex enhances emotional regulation and mental control.

Moreover, offline interaction fosters a deeper sense of connection and being “needed”—

which significantly boosts your stress resilience.

What to do together? It could be casual chatting—or shared activities like shopping, exploring cafes, walking, or attending events.

This deepens your connection with the world and enriches your sense of fulfillment.

8. Make Walking a Daily Habit

Walking outdoors boosts serotonin, improving mood—and also benefits cognition.

Studies show that a short walk can rapidly enhance creativity—an effect that lasts over 15 minutes after you stop.

Why? Walking is a powerful form of mental relaxation. When your mind unwinds,

you temporarily reduce external input, allowing subconscious connections to form freely—boosting creative insight.

Additionally, the rhythmic impact of footsteps creates subtle turbulence in blood vessels, increasing oxygen flow to the brain and enhancing cognitive function.

Walking also promotes BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), improving synaptic plasticity—helping you remember better and think more clearly.

This is a habit I’ve practiced for years—I’m happy to share it with you.

9. Keep a Running “Memo” Note

I keep a note titled “Memo.”

Whenever I encounter something worth remembering—no matter what I’m doing—I immediately jot down a phrase or keywords in this memo.

It typically includes:

Interesting concepts, questions, or topics worth exploring later;

Actions I’ve taken and details that might be useful in the future;

My thought process and feelings behind a decision—for future reflection.

During downtime, I review this memo—looking for items to act on,

concepts to reinforce, or ideas to connect and synthesize.

When I need to recall past actions—like how I handled a project issue or resolved a specific problem—

I search this “Memo” file first to find my original notes.

Try building your own daily memo—stick with it for a month, and you may be surprised how much valuable information you’d otherwise lose.

10. Rate Books and Films You’ve Watched

I maintain a database of every book (including fiction) and film/show I’ve consumed.

After finishing each one, I give it a rating and write a brief comment—then save it to the database.

What’s the benefit?

First, it becomes a powerful “external brain”—extending your memory.

When you want to revisit past reads or draw inspiration from them, it’s invaluable.

Second, rating isn’t just a number—it trains your judgment and taste.

Each time, you ask: What made this good or bad? Why did I like or dislike it?

Then, record your answers—bringing subconscious reactions into conscious awareness, deepening self-understanding.

Over time, you’ll gain clearer insight into your own preferences and values.

11. Strike Up Conversations with Strangers

Who counts as a stranger? Fellow attendees at an event, someone you meet at a café, or a new acquaintance introduced by a friend…

The conversation doesn’t need to be deep or long—even 10–15 minutes discussing shared interests is enough.

This is a form of gentle healing—it restores energy, boosts dopamine, and keeps your social skills sharp.

Especially if your job mostly involves interacting with “things” rather than people, occasional stranger chats provide essential mental stimulation.

Try opening up a little—let others get to know you and build positive, light connections. It makes life richer and more joyful.

12. Turn Desired Items into Reward-Based Challenges

Do you have something you’ve wanted—but isn’t urgent or “worth” the cost? Something you fear might be a “waste of money” or labeled “paying for hype”?

If so, try this: treat it as a reward. Set a personal challenge—if you complete it, you earn the item.

It doesn’t have to be a physical object—experiences like trips, spa days, or concerts count too.

The key is turning it into a small, concrete goal—giving yourself something meaningful to work toward.

What kind of challenge? Building a habit, consistent action—reading, studying, skill-building, exercise…

Anything useful you’ve struggled to sustain can become part of this system.

Example: Read one article daily, summarize key insights into thoughtful notes. After 50 notes, treat yourself to that dream trip.

Beyond obtaining the item itself, this approach “gamifies” life—making ordinary routines more engaging and full of anticipation.

Let’s make 2026 great—together!

May your 2026 be filled with luck and delightful surprises.

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2026-01-01 21:37

用这12件小事，为2026年开一个好头

L先生说关注

本文来自微信公众号： L先生说 ，作者：李睿秋Lachel

大家元旦快乐！

很少碰到周四的例行更新时间跟元旦重合，那么，在2026年的**天，首先祝福大家新的一年万事顺遂，健康快乐。

今天的更新，我也想借这个机会，分享一些很简单、低成本，但能够让生活变得更好的小事。

希望这些小事，能够为你的2026年开一个好头，让一切变得更简单、更顺畅。

1.让呼吸慢一点、深一点

你会不会偶尔感到容易焦虑，紧张，经常对一些很小的事情产生较大的反应？

如果是的话，可能是你的交感神经太兴奋了，需要适当激活副交感神经来抑制它。

如何激活副交感神经？最简单有效的办法，就是缓慢地深呼吸。

实验发现，大约每10秒呼吸一次（5秒吸气，5秒呼气），能够充分地提升血液里的氧气含量，刺激副交感神经，

同时让呼吸的频率与脑电波耦合，从而让我们迅速进入平静的状态。

所以，试着养成深呼吸的习惯，让自己平常的呼吸节奏尽量慢一点、深一点，绵长，舒缓。

这会让你更放松，用更好的心态去面对遇到的问题。

2.为早晨设定一个期待

很多人尝试了各种各样早睡早起的方法，但总是很容易失败。这背后一个根源在于：

我们每天属于自己的时间太少，能够让自己感到愉悦和满足的事情太少，因此总是不愿意结束这一天。

与此同时，第二天也跟这一天一样，缺乏令你感到开心和有激情的事情。因而自然也就难以开启新的一天。

所以，如何让自己早起？一个简单但却非常有效的技巧就是：找一件事情让自己感到期待的事情，把它放在第二天早上。

这件事情可以非常小。可以是浏览一个新网站，尝试一个新APP，动手尝试一个新爱好，读一篇感兴趣的文章，看15分钟感兴趣的影视剧，

甚至可以是看一看当季新出的服饰包包……

大体上，只要满足两个条件就可以：

一是它是你比较喜欢的，是你发自内心期待的；

二是比较简单，无需耗费太多时间，大致在15-30分钟之间即可。

试着把它变成一个每天的日常惯例，这会让你每天带着希望睡去，在期待中醒来。

3.培养一个需要动手的爱好

很多人在日常生活中，容易感到缺乏动力，什么也不想做。这就是一种典型的缺乏多巴胺的表现。

如何提高多巴胺的分泌呢？其实，有一个非常简单的办法，那就是动手做一件事情。

字面意思，让你的双手动起来，**是能够产出一个特定的成果，这能够极大地刺激多巴胺分泌。

同时，又能为你带来成就感和满足感，让你对其他事情都能鼓起更大的动力和热情。

因此，如果你觉得自己的生活总是很无聊，经常缺乏动力，那么不妨试试培养一两个需要动手的爱好。

比如：

搭积木和模型，比如乐高、模型玩具、涂装等；

烘焙、做饭、调酒、手冲咖啡、制作甜品等；

培育植物、修剪枝叶、浇花除虫、布置花园等；

给宠物做各种小工具和小玩具，跟孩子一起搭模型、组装玩具等；

以及其他需要动手的爱好，比如手工、绘画、插花……

不需要做得非常出色，也不需要成为专家，只要它能够成为你忙碌的生命中，一种放松和休憩的方式就好。

4.记录自己做得好的地方

我想分享一个好习惯：定期记录下自己做得好、做对了的事情。也就是自己在日常生活和工作中小小的成就。

举几个例子：

今天和朋友某某聊天，他向我吐槽了最近生活中的一些烦恼，我敏锐地注意到，

这些事情的背后其实折射出他对自己的不够满意，于是我从这方面出发，给了他一些鼓励和肯定，让他心情好转起来。

再比如：

今天和同事某某发生争执，她提出了一个主张，但我发现这个主张跟团队的目标其实并不一致，于是我构思了一下，

用尽量有力、精准的逻辑试图跟她沟通，最终成功地说服了她。

这有什么用呢？一方面，持续记录自己的成就，可以不断增强自己的自尊心和自信，

持续为自己提供「我能行」的心理暗示，让自己在面对问题和挑战时能够有更强的底气。

另一方面，这也可以帮你发现自己擅长的地方。它相当于一份关于你自己的档案，

在你需要对自己进行剖析的时候，为你提供详尽又全面的一手资料。让你能够更加了解自己。

5.有空时，在网上回答别人的问题

回答一个别人的问题，至少能够带来三方面的回报：

1）当你的回答刚好能解决提问者的需求和困惑，你能够得到他衷心的感谢。这会是一种强有力的反馈；

2）回答问题的过程，其实也是一种理清自己思路、梳理自己关于这个问题所知所想的过程，能够刺激你把自己的知识体系整理完善；

3）如果这个问题恰好位于你认知区域的边缘，亦即你有一定了解、但不够完善，那就是最棒的：

你可以借由思考这个问题的机会，对它去做主题学习，去查阅和学习相关资料，把你关于这个问题的观点和见解补充完整。

因此，我一直提倡的就是「5分钟给予」：

也就是在你力所能及的范围内，有时间的话，在网上回答几个问题，帮助别人解决困惑。

这是一件利人利己的事情，不妨试试把它变成日常的习惯。

6.时不时改善一个「将就」

我们在日常生活和工作中，一定会遇到许许多多的小问题，它们会对我们的行动产生「摩擦」，让我们感到不便。

只不过大多数时候，这些不便并没有那么难受，忍一忍就过去了，这才导致它们一直没有得到解决。

久而久之，就变成了我们的习惯，成为了一种「将就」。

但你有没有想过：一旦把这些「将就」给解决掉，会对你的生活有多大改变？

举个例子：很多人经常会产生一些很好的点子，只是因为麻烦而没有及时记下来。

但一旦把这个步骤简化，每天能够多记录一两个点子，一年就能多产生几百个点子。

哪怕里面只有5%是有用的，也绝对物超所值了。

因此，不妨试一试：

每周定期拨出几个时间段，用来审视自己生活和工作的流程中有没有什么觉得麻烦、不方便、一直在将就的事情，

然后，试着把它解决掉，让它更顺畅、更简便。

哪怕它只能增加千分之一、万分之一的效率，日积月累，也能让你效率倍增。

7.多跟朋友在线下聚一聚，一起做一些事情

在这个网络时代，许多人可能已经习惯了线上的社交。但线上很多时候是无法替代线下的。

跟朋友线下见面的时候，大脑前额叶会得到充分的刺激和锻炼，这是线上交流所无法达到的。

而前额叶的锻炼，又可以反过来强化我们掌控大脑的能力，让自己能够更好地应对情绪。

另一方面，线下的社交比起线上的交流，可以让你感受到更强的联系感和「被需要」的感受。

这会极大地提升你的抗压能力。

那么，见面做什么呢？可以是随意聊一聊，也可以一起去做一些事情，比如逛街，探店，散步，参加一些活动，等等。

这可以极大地增进你跟这个世界的接触和联系，为你提供更丰富的生活满足感。

8.养成出门散步的习惯

出门散步，不但能够促进血清素的分泌，改善心情和情绪，同时对大脑和思维也能起到良好的作用。

比如，有研究发现：散步可以在短时间内快速提升创造力，并且这种效应在结束散步之后，还能维持15分钟以上。

原因在于：散步是一种高效的放松和休憩。当你的思维彻底放松下来时，你会暂时关闭外界的信息输入，

而任由思绪在后台随机地、踊跃地激活各种不同的节点。这就能有效地提升创造力。

并且，当我们步行时，脚步对身体的反作用力会在血管中形成细微的湍流。它可以让更多的血液和氧气进入大脑，从而提高大脑的工作能力。

以及，散步可以促进BDNF（脑源性神经营养因子）的释放，提高突触的可塑性，从而让我们对知识记得更牢、思维更清晰。

这是我践行了许多年的习惯，在这里把它分享给你。

9.维护一份日常的备忘录

我有一个习惯：开一页笔记，命名「备忘录」。

无论我在做什么，只要我觉得「这个信息值得记下来」，我就立刻用一句话或几个关键词，把它记录到这页备忘录上面。

它主要包括下面这几类信息：

有趣的、值得后面花时间去研究的概念、问题和知识点；

采取了什么行动，有什么以后可能用得上的信息和细节；

自己做出某个判断的思考过程和感受，供以后复盘使用。

然后，闲暇的时候，我就打开这页备忘录，做一个纵览，看看有什么可以进一步处理，

有什么需要我反复加深记忆，有什么是可以整合、串联起来的。

如果以后需要用到之前的某个东西，比如针对某个问题我采取的行动、处理某个项目时我遇到的问题和思考过程，

我都会**时间在这个「备忘录」文件里搜索，找到我当时做的记录。

不妨试试建立起自己的日常生活备忘录，坚持一个月，你也许会发现，原来有那么多有价值的信息，差点就被你完全抛弃了。

10.给看过的书和电影打分

我有一个数据库，里面记录了我看过的书（包括小说）和影视剧。

每次看完之后，我都会给它打个分，然后简要地写上一两句点评，把它存到数据库里。

这样有什么好处呢？

一方面，它可以成为你强有力的「外脑」，承载你的一部分记忆。

当你想回顾自己都看过些什么、想从看过的资料里面寻找灵感和联系时，就能派得上用场。

另一方面，打分这个行为，看起来很简单，但它其实是一种对你的思维和品味的训练。

每次进行打分，都会迫使你想一想：这本书/这部电影好在哪里？不好在哪里？我为什么喜欢它？为什么不喜欢它？

然后，试着去把自己回答这些问题的思考记录下来，把它们从潜意识里外化、呈现出来，让自己更理解自己的思考过程。

日积月累，你就会对自己的品味和喜好，有更高的掌控和理解。

11.试着跟陌生人聊聊天

什么样的陌生人呢？可以是一起参加某个活动的同伴，可以是在店里偶然遇到的路人，也可以是经由朋友介绍认识的新朋友……

不需要非常深入，也不需要很久，实际上，只需要一起聊聊共同感兴趣的话题，十几分钟就足够了。

这会是一种有效的疗愈，它可以极大地帮助我们恢复精力，输入能量，同时又能刺激多巴胺的分泌，锻炼我们的社交能力，使它不至于退化。

尤其是对于那些主要工作都是跟「事情」打交道的人，更需要偶尔接触一些陌生人，聊聊天、交流一下，让大脑得到锻炼。

试着适当地敞开自己，打开心门，让别人了解你，跟别人建立正向的关系。这可以让你的生活变得更充实，更有幸福感。

12.为想要的事物设计一个任务

你有没有一些一直想要，但又没有那么紧迫、那么「值得」的东西？想要拥有，但又担心花冤枉钱，被人说是「智商税」。

如果有的话，那其实可以这样做：把它作为一个奖赏，给自己设定一个任务，如果能够实现，就买下来犒赏自己。

不一定是实物，某种服务、体验和娱乐（比如一趟旅行或度假）也可以。

重点在于，通过这种方式，为自己设定一个小小的挑战，让自己有一个明确的、阶段性的目标可以去努力实现。

什么样的任务呢？可以是养成某个习惯，坚持某个行为，读书、做题、学技能、锻炼运动……

一切你觉得有用但一直没有能持之以恒行动的事情，都可以放进来。

比如，每天看一篇文章，整理知识点并形成言之有物的笔记。一旦积累了50篇笔记，就去自己一直想去的地方玩一趟，犒劳犒劳自己。

不仅仅是获得这件事物本身，这种做法的意义，还在于将这个过程「游戏化」，从而让平淡的生活变得更有趣，更值得期待。

新的一年，一起加油！

愿你的2026年，常常与幸运和惊喜相伴。

频道: 社会文化

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