Many begin the New Year with uphill goals and aspirations, but downhill habits. Try as you might, as John Maxwell noted, “You can’t go uphill with downhill habits.”

Without the good habits, you can’t reach eternally significant goals. Think of it in terms of a road trip. The goal is the destination. The plan is the GPS. A habit is getting in the car and driving until you get there, even if the trip takes awhile.

I’m thankful that my parents helped me make daily Bible reading a habit early in life. Today, I don’t have to think about whether or not to have that time with God first thing when I wake up. On the other hand, there are other habits I didn’t learn when young that I’m still working on today.

The habits you repeat may seem insignificant from day to day. But over time, they automate growth, creating lasting transformation. For good or ill, we are the sum total of our daily habits.

Today we’ll examine five strategic life domains in which to build habits. I hope these five life areas will help you craft your own habits for 2020.

1. Spiritual Habits

You’re as real a Christian as you are when you spend time alone with God. No one sees your devotional life, but everyone witnesses its results.

The most foundational spiritual habit is daily Bible reading and prayer. Are you spiritually thriving or spiritually starving? Do you have a time each day when you open God’s Word and seek His face?

Scripture memory is another wonderful spiritual discipline. It’s amazing how much you can memorize in only 10 minutes a day! As Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

2. Physical Habits

God put each one of us in a physical body. If we neglect that body, we minimize our spiritual effectiveness. Taking care of your body, the temple of the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 6:19-20), will enable you to run the race well, rather than limiting your impact through undisciplined choices. 

Consider habits like these:

• Cut sugar from your diet for a month.
• Drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day.
• Do 50 pushups a day.
• Run 5 miles a week.

3. Mental Habits

God wants all of you—body, soul, and mind. Because we have the truth, we Christians should be the deepest thinkers on the planet. Unfortunately, we sometimes fail to love God with our mind as we should (Luke 10:27). Here are a couple habit ideas to consider. 

• Read 1 book a week or 2 books a month. If you need ideas, check out My Library.
• Have a transformative conversation with someone you admire each week. Learn from them by asking good questions.
• Take a few hours a week to learn a new skill, like self-defense, gardening, carpentry, or public speaking. (To learn more about picking up new skills, check out my two-part post series How to Become a Lifelong Learner Part I, and How to Become a Lifelong Learner Part II).
• Spend 30 minutes a day learning a new instrument.

4. Relational Habits 

Life is filled with people—family members, co-workers, fellow believers, the lost. God placed us here to impact others. This year, I’d encourage you to intentionally invest in the most important relationships, those nearest to you. Here are a few habit ideas.

• Do a fun activity with one sibling each week.
• Create a couple more family traditions/routines, such as a Saturday afternoon walk, or Friday evening family night.
• Find one person to send an encouraging text to weekly.
• Visit a mall with a friend or family member weekly or monthly to pass out tracts and share the gospel.

5. Financial Habits 

Money is a simple but powerful tool that can be used for both good and evil. For good, money can be used to bless others, to create margin, and to provide for your family. 

On earth, Jesus talked about money more than anything else, except the kingdom of God. In fact, 11 of His 39 parables are about finances. Consider these financial habits.

• Create a monthly budget. EveryDollar is my current favorite budgeting tool.
• Set aside a couple hours weekly to study business. Read a great business book, or listen to a business, financial, or leadership podcast.
• Invest a fixed amount of money each month in mutual funds.
• Create a monthly generosity fund above tithe to bless others with.

One at A Time

Don’t try implementing all of these habits at once! Instead, consider picking one new habit at the start of each month and implementing it. As you do so, ask yourself, is there one bad habit that needs to go to make room for the good habit?

Once you’ve identified a habit to focus on, try creating a streak tracker to record your progress and create momentum. You could print off a paper and physically check it off, or if you prefer digital, take a look at a few of these apps.

The Power of Habits

Ultimately, habits aren’t just about having a more successful life; they’re all about making the most of what God has given us and glorifying Him in every area of our lives. Habits are about doing what we know God wants us to do, not what we feel like doing.

Habits aren’t flashy; they’re foundational. By God’s grace, the right habits can prepare you to be who God calls you to be and do whatever He calls you to do.

Question: Why are habits so powerful?