How to Get Your Life Together: 15 Rituals to Live Your Best Life

Not feeling like you have your life together? You’re not the only one. Life can be hard, but there are some tools for how to get your life together.

If you’re feeling that you want to jump back on the horse and start doing something positive for yourself, well, then it’s time to learn how to get your life together. You’re the one who decides when you’re ready. And if you’re reading this, it looks like the time for change is approaching.

How to get your life together

I’m pretty sure until I was twenty-five, I spent most of my nights partying and my days spent wasting away on the couch. I didn’t have the “university experience” when I was in school, so my partying phase came a little late in life.

Do I regret it? Not at all. There are some genuine life lessons I learned during that time. I remember at one point, thinking to myself, “Shit, I’m going to be twenty-six, and I haven’t done anything.” And that’s a scary thought to have. You start to panic, thinking you screwed everything up.

[Read: How to escape the Peter Pan syndrome and grow fearlessly]

But you didn’t mess your life up. There’s no textbook that tells you how you should be living life, and if there is, well, don’t read it. Everyone is different and takes their own time figuring out their life’s course. It took me a while, and I wouldn’t take back anything.

It’s not always easy to keep things in line, but you can follow these tips if you want to know how to get your life together.

#1 Make your bed. I know this sounds weird, but it’s not. I never used to make my bed. I would strategically get out of bed so that I wouldn’t have to make it. But that’s just laziness *and intelligence, if you ask me*.

But seriously, making your bed is the first thing you should be doing as a part of your daily routine. It not only is a nice way to tidy your space, but, psychologically, it freshens your mind. [Read: Your guide to growing up and facing life like a mature adult]

#2 Get yourself a planner. Who knew being an adult would need this much organization, but the older you get, the more things you have on your plate. Get yourself a planner, and actually use it.

Scribble down things you need to do, thoughts you have throughout the day, and appointments. It’ll help you stay on track with your time.

#3 Make some small goals. No, you don’t need to plan to climb Mount Everest *unless you want to*. These goals shouldn’t be huge. Instead, they should be small and achievable. Your goal could be to save $100 each month towards your savings or spend twenty minutes a day reading a book. These goals just need to improve your life in small ways. [Read: How to take care of yourself emotionally and avoid falling apart]

#4 Get your space organized. Whether you live with parents, roommates, or on your own, organize your space. Go through your closet and give away items you don’t use anymore. Go through your bag and throw away old receipts. Cleaning up the small things around you automatically has a positive effect on your mental state.

#5 Get a plant. That’s right; get yourself a fern. Or any other plant, but make sure it’s a real one. You need to start introducing responsibility in your life. A plant doesn’t cry or talk back, but they do need to be watered and tended to. If not, they’ll literally die. It’s a small step, but if you can keep a plant alive and well, you’re on a good path. [Read: Don’t stay stuck – 16 strategies to get your shit together]

#6 A relationship isn’t the answer. You may be thinking that finding a partner would be a good idea; they’ll help set you on the right track. But what happens if you break up? You’re back to square one.

Don’t rely on a relationship to fix things for you. Focus on fixing them yourself. If someone comes along and you like them, great. But you shouldn’t be searching for someone to help get your life together.

#7 Change how you talk about yourself. It’s funny how language can affect the way we think about ourselves. I used to make jokes about my small breasts or my inability to find a partner, and yes, we shouldn’t take ourselves so seriously, but there are limits. Instead of talking about yourself in a demeaning way, change that. Rather than saying, “I could never do that,” say, “I haven’t tried that.” [Read: How to focus on yourself positively and create your own sunshine]

#8 Surround yourself with the right people. If you want to get your life together, you need to surround yourself with people who want the same thing as you. If you’re hanging out with people who just want to party all night and day and aren’t interested in moving forward, they’re going to hold you back. It’s time to let go of the people who aren’t positively adding to your life.

#9 Stop living in the past. Yes, you should have done this and that; I know, I know. But the past is the past, and it’s already far gone. Now, you must think about the present and future. If you want to get your life together, start thinking proactively. If you remain in the past, then you’ll never accomplish anything. [Read: How to stop ruminating over your past and live your future]

#10 Stop complaining. This is a hard one for me because I love to complain. I get it from my mother. If there’s an opportunity for me to complain, I’ll do it. But listening to someone complain is exhausting and emotionally draining. If you want to get your life together, you should stop complaining. I learned this the hard way.

#11 Practice gratitude. If you’re wondering how to get your life together, remember that chasing happiness isn’t going to make you happy or bring your shit together. Having 100k Instagram followers isn’t going to make your internal problems fade away. Right now, that’s what most people are doing; chasing happiness. But that isn’t what you should do. Instead, practice gratitude. What do you have in your life right now that makes you happy? [Read: How to be happy again – 20 ways to draw happiness from within]

#12 Self-reflect. If you want you to get anywhere in life, you need to reflect on yourself. Where were you last year? How have you changed since then? Are you accepting of who you are and your flaws? If you want a better life and to be a better person, always check in with yourself and make sure you’re working through difficult emotions and thoughts.

#13 Get physical. The body and mind aren’t separate. They’re connected entities. If you want to feel good, you need to take care of your physical health. This means making sure you get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet, and exercise. I know it sounds dull, but when you feel amazing, you won’t regret it.

#14 Focus on your passions. You may not be doing a job you like, and that’s okay. Most of us are working jobs we don’t necessarily love, but we don’t have many options. If you’re not able to turn your passion into work right now, at least focus on your passions in your spare time. Eventually, something will work out. [Read: How to find your passion and seek it in simple things]

#15 You’re not a genius. Listen, the more I live, the more I realize I don’t know anything. I’m not a genius and neither are you. There are some things you simply don’t know, and that’s completely okay. If you want to get your life together, accept the things you don’t know and be open to learning them.

[Read: 15 ways to live your life to the fullest]

Now you have the tools to know how to get your life together. It may be a challenge in the beginning, but once things settle down, you’ll be happy you pushed through the obstacles.