Here are 14 important habits to develop in your 20s.

Who has read Atomic Habits by James Clear? I can’t raise my hand just yet, though I am a frequent reader of his 3-2-1 Newsletter in which he shares three of his own ideas, two quotes, and one question to ponder. 

Many of the newsletter musings harken back to the theme of habits: how to create good habits and how to kill the bad ones.

Since I’m a big fan of lists and daily routines and most things related to self-improvement, you can bet that building good habits and habit tracking is right up my alley! 

Plus, I just turned 27, so I’m definitely starting to feel the looming cloud of Turning 30 and all its rude questions like, “Do you have your shit together?” “Are you on a road to failure?” “Have you been wasting your 20s on useless endeavors?” 

The usual, you know. 

But while I do truly believe that life doesn’t end at 30 and that we can continuously recreate, redefine, and reinvent ourselves, it does help if you’ve got at least some things in your life running efficiently on autopilot in the background. 

Enter the art of creating good habits—the ultimate snowball effect for personal growth.

It doesn’t have to be so hard. You can start today working on developing one new good habit—and then reap its benefits for all the weeks, months, and years you continue.

Whether you’re a young 20-something just dipping your toe into the world of adulthood or you’re rapidly approaching the 30-year-old milestone and you’re starting to panic, today is a great time to start.

Here are the best habits to develop in your 20s:

5 Good Habits to Develop in Your 20s for Your Physical Health

Ever heard the saying, “Health is wealth”? 

It may be a cliché, but it sure is true. Despite all those horrifying stories of billionaires trying to extend their lifetime with crazy diet and fitness routines, we’re all equal in one regard: We only get one body, one life. 

And even though you may feel young, strong, and invincible when you’re in your 20s, the day will eventually come when your skin starts to sag, your energy levels start to drop, and you start making that sighing noise whenever you get into or out of a chair. (And that’s if you’re lucky enough to grow old!) 

TLDR; take care of your body because you only get one. 

Here are 5 habits to develop in your 20s for your physical health:

1. Establish an exercise routine

The sooner the better. And no—it doesn’t really matter what it is. I’ve read countless articles with experts all quoted saying pretty much the same thing: The best exercise is the one you’ll actually do. 

So the next time someone tells you your workout is worthless because you’re not doing this exact, precise thing at the gym, you can tell them to kindly mind their own business. Basically, anything that gets your heart pumping and your body moving will do the trick. [Source: Harvard Health Publishing]

Personally, I’m all about yoga, pilates, and cycling. I try to do one of the above five times a week. Sometimes it’s three times a week. Sometimes it’s six. But I find that (like most habits) the more I do it, the more my body and my mind crave it. 

If you’re not a gym rat—no worries. Neither am I. There’s plenty you can do to get your body moving and your heart rate pumping without running nowhere on a machine under a fluorescent light like you’re in some kind of chilling dystopia. 

Instead, here are a few different types of exercise you can try if you don’t like the gym:

• Swimming
• Rock-climbing
• Kayaking
• Tai chi
• Jumping rope
• Jumping on a trampoline
• Hiking
• Roller-skating
• Dancing

2. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning

Here’s a horrifying statistic: Apparently, 47% of Americans don’t drink enough water. [Source: CivicScience]

I don’t think I have to tell you the many ill side effects of dehydration, like disease, dizziness, and confusion. [Source: Mayo Clinic] It’s no shock that not drinking enough water will start to make you feel like crap. 

But—are you drinking enough water in the morning? 

Up until recently, I didn’t. I would wake up, maybe have a sip or two of water, and then move on with my day. 

And then complain later that I was always thirsty. (I know, it seems pretty pathetic in hindsight.)

But last winter, I tried something different. In the dead of the dark and cold when I forced myself out from under the warm covers, the first thing I did was chug an entire glass of water. And no kidding—that’s exactly what my body was craving. After hydrating first thing in the morning, my body is awake, energized, and ready to go. 

This may be painfully obvious for some of you. But if you fall into the camp of people NOT drinking enough water (apparently, that’s 47% of us), then consider trying this trick. 

It may just make your early mornings a lot less painful. 

3. Don’t skip doctor’s appointments (Yes, you’ll have to schedule them yourself.)

I’m looking at you, you who hasn’t been to the dentist in the last two years. 

When we’re younger (if we’re lucky), many of us have parents/caregivers who are responsible for making sure we stay on top of all our doctors’ appointments. But once you’re out there in the big, wide world all on your own, Mom stops picking up the phone to pencil in your biannual dentist appointment. (Or, at least, she certainly should.) 

Of course, having healthcare and the means to pay for it is its own whole thorny subject, and I’m not going down that rabbit hole in this blog post. 

Instead, I’m here to give you a friendly reminder (once again) that health is wealth and that proactive healthcare (i.e., seeing your doctor(s) regularly) is NOT something you want to skip out on. 

Consider this: Preventive care can help catch early signs of conditions (like high blood pressure or high cholesterol) that could lead to bigger problems down the road. [Source: Temple Health]

Plus, remembering to keep your regular doctors’ appointments can help you save money! After all, if you can catch a small problem before it becomes a big one, you can stay away from larger health bills. [Source: Chicago Booth Review]

So don’t sleep on this one. This is one of the top habits to develop in your 20s—and keep throughout your life.

Of course, you know you better than I do. (And spoiler: I’m not a health professional.) So the specific appointments you need to keep is a conversation you need to have with yourself and your doctor(s). But in most cases, typical annual doctors’ appointments you may want to keep include:

• General physician
• Dentist (biannually)
• Gynecologist (for the ladies)
• Eye doctor

Every time you go, make an appointment right then and there for next year and put it in your calendar. 

4. Adopt healthy eating habits

This should really go without saying. I don’t think I need to highlight any studies here to point out how important healthy eating is for your health—today and for the rest of your life. 

Instead, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite resources for learning about healthy eating. 

The Nutrition Science Podcast by Dr. Adrian Chavez.

A new discovery that I like to listen to when I’m doing yoga. (How’s that for a double-whammy?)

Dr. Chavez has a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, a master’s degree in Exercise Science, and a Ph.D. in Nutrition and Health Promotion. 

Here’s what I like most about his podcast:

• He shares practical advice that people can implement in their daily lives.
• He’s not full of shit. Sadly, that is a real plus. Too many people (even well educated people) love to jump on the latest health trends. Dr. Chavez doesn’t do that. He truly does “follow the science” and shares information purely to educate people—not to sell them things. 
• He keeps the sales to a minimum. Every now and then, I’ll hear him promote something for which he is an affiliate partner. But it’s not that often—certainly not as often as he could. (And hey, he’s gotta make a living right?) 

I recommend this podcast if: you’re interested in learning more about nutrition from a credible source.

The Supernatural Show from Rachelle Robinett

This podcast is a bit more niche. Rachel is a Registered Herbalist of the American Herbalists Guild. Perhaps that’s already turning some of you away. I get it. The word “herbalist” can sound a bit woo-woo science—exactly the opposite of what I said I admire so much about Dr. Chavez’s podcast. 

But herbalism is not some witchcraft malarkey. It is a rapidly developing field, worldwide, and, again, far too big of a subject for me to broach here. If you’d like to do more reading on the subject, I suggest exploring the clinical and research issues of herbal medicine today from PubMed Central.

Back to the Supernatural Show.

Here’s what I like most about her podcast:

• Rachel knows her stuff. She is incredibly knowledgeable about herbalism and gets down into the nitty-gritty details—something you won’t find in many other places. 
• She shares recipes.
• She also adds a lifestyle element to her podcast, which I enjoy because I like learning about the creators behind the content. 

Unfortunately, what I don’t like about it is that it’s a paid podcast on Substack. 

Again, this is far too big of a subject for me to get into here. I believe that creators should be compensated for their work. But personally, I’d rather take that money from advertisers than readers because I believe content should be easily accessible to everyone. At least those are my thoughts today. I used to subscribe to this podcast, but during some re-budgeting, I decided to cut it. Sad—because I did enjoy it. 

I recommend this podcast if: you’re interested in learning about herbalism—and are willing to pay.

5. Start a simple skin care routine.

Just as your body will thank you later in life for exercising regularly, your skin will thank you later in life for loving it every day with a special skin care routine. 

Don’t panic. You don’t have to do anything crazy. (Unless you want to.) 

The Internet is certainly ripe with literally millions of videos, blogs, and pictures of skin care routines with an incredibly dizzying array of products, products, products. 

You do not need them all. (Unless you want them.) 

Instead, there are really only three things you need to do to your skin every day for optimal health: 

1. Wash. (You really only need to do this at the end of the day.)
2. Moisturize. (Twice daily. At night is most important.) 
3. Wear SPF. (Every single day whether it’s rain or shine.) 

If your head is swimming and you have no idea where to begin, I recommend you stay off of TikTok and Instagram. That’s only going to make things more confusing (and more clickbait-y). 

Instead, here are two very good resources for skin care health, both of whom back up everything they say with scientific articles: Marie Veronique and Beautypedia. 

Specifically, I recommend Marie Veronique’s 5 Steps to Skin Health for introductory reading.

My favorite skin care brands are: 

• Kora Organics
• KlarSkin
• Drunk Elephant

4 Important Habits to Learn in Your 20s for Your Mental Health

Exercise. Drink Water. Make regular doctor’s appointments. Eat healthy. These are all good habits to develop in your 20s for long-term physical health. But as we’re all (thankfully) starting to realize as a society, mental health is just as important. 

Here are some of the most important habits to develop in your 20s for mental health: 

1. Make mental health a priority

First things first, get used to making mental health a priority in your life. Easier said than done, right? 

I get it. We’re all busy. Between managing work, staying active, and trying to maintain any kind of social schedule, adult life feels like one big hamster wheel that’s constantly running at maximum speed.

(Maybe that’s why the melting face emoji is now a thing? 🫠) 

In an end-of-year report from the American Psychiatric Association, Americans said they anticipated higher stress levels and worse mental health in the coming year. Specifically,

• 37% rated their mental health as “fair” or “poor”
• 26% said they expected more stress in the new year

So, what can you do to start improving your mental health today? 

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few simple ways to help you prioritize your mental health on the regular:

• Make journaling a daily habit: Even five minutes or five written lines can be enough. Feeling stuck? Try out some journaling prompts to help you get started.
• Practice self-care: It might be feel a little silly, but that’s kind of the point. Self-care activities are supposed to give you a little respite from otherwise hectic, stressful days.
• Get lost in a good book: We all need a break from reality sometimes. Instead of scrolling for 30 minutes and feeling like a piece of shit afterwards, why not try picking up a book? If the idea of bookworm-ing is stressing you, start with something easy, like one of these classic novels for beginners.

2. Limit Your Social Media Use

It’s not just your annoying aunt complaining. Social media really is bad for your mental health. Even the Surgeon General is coming out and saying it. 

The 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory outlines some of the potential risks of using social media, including:

• Body dissatisfaction
• Disordered eating behaviors
• Social comparisons
• Low self-esteem

All of these factors are particularly a threat for teenage girls. (!!!)

Think you’re better at critical thinking than teenagers are? Sorry, adults also fall prey to the dangers of social media. 

Just look at the COVID States Project, where 5,000 adults with an average age of 56 from all 50 states were surveyed; as reported in Harvard Magazine, “those who used Snapchat, Facebook, and TikTok were more likely to report symptoms of depression.” [Source: Harvard Magazine]

Bottom line: Learning how to limit your social media use is one of the best habits to develop in your 20s for good mental health.

So, what to do instead of doom-scrolling? Try this:

• Read a book (paper is better)
• Go for a walk
• Meditate
• Take a quick nap
• Play checkers with a friend
• Learn to knit, crochet, cross-stitch, etc.
• Color in a coloring book
• Take up painting (it doesn’t have to be a masterpiece!)

3. Develop a Reading Habit

I was one of those kids growing up who could easily read a book a week. Even when I was older and studying in college, I still always made time for recreational reading. 

But once you get out of that student mindset, it can be harder to fit regular reading into your busy “adulting” schedule. 

But it’s important. And I don’t think I need to make a case for the fact that reading is good for your brain. So instead, I’ll just tease you with a few fun statistics (I can’t help myself): 

• Leisure reading strengthens memory skills [Source: Beckman Institute]
• Boost self-confidence 
• And evens support you at work [Source: Grand Canyon University]

Maybe you weren’t a bookworm when you were a kid. Or maybe you lost your bookworm-ing ways. No worries. It’s not too late to get back into it! 

If you’re not sure where to start, check out this round-up of the easiest classic novels for beginners.

4. Practice Self-Care 

I know. The term self-care is pretty lame sounding. But I think there’s a reason behind all the hype. (And I’m trying to ignore the cynic in me that says the huge marketing push behind self-care is just to sell us things…) 

Anyway. Truly, taking time to spend on yourself is hugely important. 

Not convinced? The University of Alabama at Birmingham had an interesting conversation with Sumayah Abed, M.D. and Kaylee Crockett, Ph.D. on why self-care is important for your health. 

You can read it in full here. These are some of the takeaways:

• Self-care can help prevent illness from occurring or reoccurring
• Self-care improves your ability to manage stress
• Self-care is part of maintaining positive mental health [Source: University of Alabama Birmingham]

Best of all, self-care doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be as simple as lighting a candle that smells good, going for a walk, or just taking a nap. These are all easy, affordable (or even free) things you can do on a daily basis—or just when you need a self-care pick-me-up. 

If you want to add more self-care into your life, but you’re at a loss for what to do—you’re in luck. I spent the time writing a huge list with a whopping 100 self-care ideas just for you. 

5 Healthy Habits to Start in Your 20s for Your General Wellbeing

Taking care of your physical health and your mental health are obviously good ideas—both in your 20s, younger, and beyond. 

But we are complex beings with complex needs. In other words, there’s a lot more to get out of life than just exercising, eating your vegetables, and remembering to go on your stupid little mental health walk. 

Here are five more good habits to develop in your 20s to improve your general wellbeing:

1. Wake Up Early

Not to sound super lame, but you know what? My grandparents were right. It IS nice to wake up early in the morning. 

For example, last week I signed up for a yoga class at 8:00 AM on a Monday. Naturally, by Sunday evening, I was regretting what I’d done and dreading waking up in the cold, dark hours, extricating myself from my cozy blanket, and biking in the morning bleakness to my local yoga studio. 

Somehow, I managed to convince myself to do it anyway. 

And I was really glad I did. When I walked out of the yoga studio at 9:15, the sun was shining and so was I. I was full of energy, all stretched out and limber, and walking down the street in a sparklingly good mood. 

(I don’t know about you, but my favorite time of day to walk through the city is during the morning hours. It’s quiet, calm, and clear. And it makes me feel relaxed and happy, rather than feeling like I’m crawling through the rat race with my plebeian peers down in the metro.) 

After yoga, I went to a cafe, indulged in a delicious cappuccino while reading for a bit, and was back at home, showered, and ready to work by 10:30. 

Obviously, I don’t do this every day because I can be really lazy. But I’m trying to get better at it, because learning to wake up early (at least somewhat regularly) is probably one of the best habits to develop in your 20s.

2. Explore hobbies

Once again, I feel like an old man saying this one, but I think this is one of those highly underrated habits to develop in your 20s. 

When you’re a kid and then later maybe a student, it feels like you’re constantly learning new things. (For one, you’re literally in school.) But beyond that, you might be taking after-school classes, playing sports, learning musical instruments, discovering new languages, etc. 

And then most people promptly forget all these extracurricular activities until they reach their Golden Years, get bored in retirement, and sign up for a bunch of classes at the local rec hall. 

But what about all the years in the middle? 

TLDR: Make it a priority to keep up with your hobbies as an adult. 

But why, though? 

Well, it’s fun. And if that’s not enough to convince you, consider this: 

One study reveals that participants who “engag[ed] in leisure” (AKA doing things you enjoy AKA having a hobby) had better moods, less stress, and lower heart rates. Meanwhile, related studies reveal that leisure activities are associated with: 

• More positive moods
• Better life satisfaction
• Less depressed moods
• Less stress [Source: The Society of Behavioral Medicine]

If you need yet another reason to keep practicing hobbies in adulthood, I suggest you read this article Kerri Duncan wrote for The Guardian: The joy of mediocrity: we need hobbies, even if we’re bad at them, to free us from perfection. 

3. Learn a Few Go-To Recipes

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not a big cook. 

But anyone who knows me also knows that I very rarely order takeout (which is partly because I’m a huge cheapskate). 

What’s my point? 

Not enjoying cooking is no excuse for not knowing how to cook. As you near thirty, you really don’t want to be one of those people who barely knows how to make pasta. It’s lame. It’s embarrassing. And it’s downright expensive. 

I’m not suggesting you spend your time learning how to become an impressive home cook. I’m not even saying you have to learn to love cooking. But you should at least know how to cook a few basic, healthy recipes without having to spend 30 minutes Googling. 

For example, I’m really lazy in the kitchen, so my quick go-tos are: 

• Roasted vegetables: Because roasted vegetables taste like candy. And roasting requires very little hands-on time in the kitchen.
• Tacos: Because who doesn’t like tacos? Again. They’re healthy, cheap, and require very little effort.
• Soup: This one takes a little more hands-on time, but I find it relaxing. Put on a good podcast. Pour a glass of wine. Chop all the veggies. Then basically do nothing while they simmer on the stove. Healthy, cheap, and requires very little effort. (Sensing a theme?) 

Now, for recipe inspiration from someone who actually knows what the hell they’re talking about, I invite you to check out my friend Ally’s food blog, Nigella Eats Everything. 

4. Contribute to the Community

Because nobody likes a selfish son of a bitch. 

But really, though. 

And if you are a little selfish (Aren’t we all, sometimes?), then consider this. Volunteering can contribute to:

• Lower rates of depression and anxiety
• Reduced stress
• More feelings of meaning (Don’t we all need that?) 
• Decreased risk of heart disease, stroke, etc. [Source: Mayo Clinic News Network]

Maybe you did a little (obligatory) volunteering when you were in college. But are you still volunteering as an adult? According to AmericCorps’ biannual survey, an estimated 23.2% of Americans (i.e., 60.7+M people) formally volunteered between September 2020 and 2021. 

I’ll be honest: I wasn’t one of them. But this is one of my goals for the year and another one of those good habits to develop in your 20s that I’m trying to make stick.

5. Start Making and Tracking Goals

Speaking of goals. When life gets busy, it’s easy to feel like we’re just going through the motions. Then, suddenly you wake up one day and you realize years of your life have passed you by and you were on autopilot the whole time. 

This is what I call passive living versus active living.

Passive living is when you kind of just go with the flow. You don’t actively make decisions about where you live, what you do for work, who you spend time with, etc. You just kind of roll with the punches. 

The problem is, when you live passively and fail to make any concrete decisions, your life becomes the side effect of what’s going on around you. It isn’t something you chose. 

Whereas with active living, you are actively taking control of your life. You reflect upon, decide, and take action to: 

• Live where you want
• Do what you want
• Be with whom you want

In the end, your life is something you created—and something you chose. 

To do this, you need to pay attention to what’s going on around you and make goal-setting a part of your regular routine. 

A Final Thought on Building Habits in Your 20s

Habits are hard to break. So make them good ones. Over the years, I’ve gotten pretty good at implementing most of the habits on this list—but I’m obviously not good at staying on top of all of them.

This year, I want to prioritize reading more, journaling more frequently, and volunteering.

What habits do you want to work on developing this year?

Before You Go …

When you think about habits to develop in your 20s, it doesn’t always seem so fun. Habits can feel like mundane chores that we (try to) force ourselves to do on the regular, like emptying the dishwasher or changing the sheets on the bed.

But habits can be fun things, too. Actually—they should be fun things. Particularly if you’re feeling stressed, burnt out, or just down in the dumps. That’s why it’s important to make self-care one of those habits you develop in your 20s—and stick with for life. If you need inspiration for cheap and/or free self-care activities, please read my next article to discover 100 things to do for self-care.

References

Business Insider The health billionaires trying to hack longevity and live forever

Harvard Health Publishing What are the best types of exercise?

CivicScience Forty-Seven Percent of Americans Don’t Drink Enough Water, Plus More H2O Insights

Mayo Clinic Dehydration

Temple Health Why It’s Important to See Your Doctor

Chicago Booth Review How Proactive Healthcare Can Save on Costs

American Psychiatric Association Americans Anticipate Higher Stress at the Start of 2023 and Grade Their Mental Health Worse

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ​​Social Media and Youth Mental Health

Harvard Magazine Social Media Use and Adult Depression

Beckman Institute Reading for pleasure can strengthen memory in older adults, Beckman researchers find

Grand Canyon University Why Is Reading Important? 11 Positive Impacts of Reading

University of Alabama Birmingham Self-care: What is it? Why is it so important for your health?

The Society of Behavioral Medicine Real-Time Associations Between Engaging in Leisure and Daily Health and Well-Being

Mayo Clinic News Network Mayo Clinic Q and A: Health benefits of volunteering

AmeriCorp Volunteering and Civic Life in America