You never know what small habits, over time, can be the difference-maker during those key moments of life where success or failure can have an outsized impact on its trajectory. It could be something as small as whether or not you use face cream that decides whether you get to see your grandkids or that offhand compliment you gave somebody who keeps you around during the next round of downsizing. You never, never know.

Getting into the habit of saying please and thank you. I’ve seen endless horror stories about people in retail getting verbally abused by ungrateful and entitled customers, so I made a resolve to try and be as amicable and cooperative as I can. And it really made a difference. It really helps smooth things along when both people are working together to get things done as efficiently as possible. It’s a great feeling helping make someone’s day easier. Goes to show a little bit of kindness goes a long way.

Flossing. There are a lot of people who don't floss, but it's an important habit to get into. Once you start flossing, you'll feel gross when you don't do it.

Every time you leave a room take something that doesn't belong there and put it away. As soon as it is a habit you're house will stay tidy.

Drink water instead of pretty much anything else.Except coffee. I'm not a monster.

Exercise at least 3-5 times a week. You don't need to train like a an Olympic athlete. Going for a walk or jog is good enough. Do pushups and crunches right after you get up. As long as you get your heart rate up.Small steps, it'll all add up.

1) Trying to see the other person's point of view, or at least not reacting explosively negative to it when you disagree. (This helps immeasurably with in-laws.)2) knowing when to keep your mouth shut. It’s not necessary to always express an opinion or make a remark, especially when there's no hope of changing another's viewpoint.3) It costs NOTHING to be kind, to affirm other people by recognizing them, to say please & thank you.

Stop drinking soda. In the long run soda is bad for you and after a while of not drinking you will realize that it tastes to sweet.

Healthy eating. If you make it habitual, you look and feel a million times better than when you eat like c**p. You don't even crave c****y food often.

Meal planning.You save so much more money if you pre-plan what you're going to eat for the week than if you wing it.

2 minute rule.If you see something that needs doing that will take 2 minutes or less; go ahead and do it. Put away those clothes. Pick up that toy as you walk by. Empty that dish washer when you go to get a drink. Scoop the litterbox when you go to take a p**s.Things will stay neater, you'll be more organized, and you'll find you have more time in the long run for stuff you want to do, instead of having to take care of stuff you've been putting off.

Somewhere in Europe you pay a 10-cent deposit on all your beer bottles, my small habit of alcoholism gives me a nice return on bottles when I hand them in for recycling.

Replacing items before they run out. E.g.. detergent, toilet paper, shampoo, etc.

Brushing your teeth, your smile look good, you save money and your health, benefits quite a lot from a healthy mouth.

Regularly going to the gym and eating well. I wasn't skinny because of metabolism. I was skinny because I wasn't eating and exercising enough. I'm up 20 pounds since this time last year.

Making a habit of being kind. Positivity that has the possibility of infinite growth.

Wearing daily face cream with sunscreen UV protection.

Eating a little less. You don’t even have to eat better, just leave 1/4-1/3 of your food on your plate. Get a smaller bowl of ice cream. Eat one less slice of pizza. Don’t eat all the fries. If everything else stays the same you’ll lose weight, and it’s a start towards being healthier.

Making your bed in the morning. It takes 3 minutes, and it makes your room look neat and presentable, as well as giving you the feeling that you accomplished something for the day. It's easy from there to just let that productive feeling snowball into being productive in other areas in your life.

Most things related to hygiene. Brushing teeth, showering daily, washing your clothes regularly. Hygiene is the #1 thing that the opposite gender cares about, and the first thing people notice.

Sleep well.It isn't even the long run, the next morning you'll become 10x better.

The concept of no zero days. On days when I'm feeling lazy and unproductive, I try to do something even if it's as simple reading or cleaning my room for 5 minutes.

Saving money.I have lost count of how many people who got themselves into serious debt simply because they spend more than what's necessary.

Positively impact someone's day. And I think that's a small habit, because you don't have to do anything huge.You could go really simple and just give a random, genuine compliment. "I like that jacket."You could go slightly more advanced and compliment someone to someone else. "Man, Martha has been killing it lately with her work." There's a chance the compliment gets back to her. But even if not, you're boosting your image to the person you said that to, because of your willingness to compliment others.You could do a slightly more advanced move like complimenting someone in the form of requesting their expertise. "Sam, you seem to really understand pivot tables in Excel. If you have time, do you mind showing me how they work?"All 3 of those tactics are *slightly* manipulative, because you have to consciously manufacture those moments with regularity, at least at first. But they breed nothing but benefits. The other person feels better. You feel better. And you're easing that gap that separates people, unless one takes the initiative of lessening it.

A book a month

Mine is less sugar intake. The amount that most people eat is really disruptive to our bodies. Instead of getting that ice cream, get a yogurt or fruit. :)

Take the stairs, if you have a choice.

Doing dishes at night so I wake up to a clean sink and clean dishes. I live in a tiny studio and don’t have a dishwasher so this makes a big difference for me.

Budget your money.That is the only solid way I know to get "rich" quick.

If something needs to be done, *just do it.* Most people spend more time whining about work, whether household chores or employment related tasks, than if they'd just get in there and do it. Work and productivity is not the earth-shattering concept most people, of all ages, act like it is and no type of honest work is beneath anyone. Bathrooms are dirty at your high school job? Volunteer to do it. Your roommates not cleaning the common areas? Short-staffed at your adult job? Stay the extra thirty minutes to cover a task when everyone else acts like its moving mountains to do so.

After a while, you'll find there's a lot of personal satisfaction that can be found in this productivity for very little lost time in the big picture. Maybe you can only watch one episode on Netflix tonight instead of two for getting something done - so what? No, it's not always going to be fair, just like nothing else in life will be either. But, you can confidently say that you are humble enough and willing enough to take ownership and pride in your piece of the world when virtually no one else does the same. And in the end, it will be noticed by the right people. You will have better friends, better relationships, and better treated as an employee because genuine people in all of these categories know just how rare this trait is in a sea of total mediocrity. And there's no special skills required, just an open attitude you can start today with at any age.

Wake up at the same time. Every. Single. Day. Even on weekends. You stop waking up tired and start waking up naturally before your alarm.Yes, I’m well aware this doesn’t work for everyone.

Learning everyone's name at work.Once they stick, you'll be like glue in the workplace. It's impossible to get rid of the guy everybody loves without destroying the camaraderie.

Drink water with every food item you eat, even if you're having a small snack.

Pick a room in your house (I chose bathroom) and every time you exit that room, do X number (I do 20) of push-ups, sit ups, whatever. I thought it seemed odd when my buddy told me he did this but after a bit you notice some changes.