The early morning air in Kumasi has a certain kind of magic to it. As the sun begins to cast its first golden rays over the city, there’s a feeling of new beginnings.
But I have to be honest with you, about a year ago, I wasn’t feeling that magic. I was feeling stuck, like I was walking through thick, wet gari, making a lot of effort but not really going anywhere.
My days felt like a blurry loop of waking up, working, endless scrolling, and going to bed feeling… well, feeling nothing in particular. It wasn’t a dramatic rock bottom, but a quiet, creeping sense of being adrift.
I was reading all the personal development books and listening to the podcasts, but nothing seemed to click. I needed something different.
So, I threw the conventional rulebook out the window. I started experimenting with small, almost weird habits that didn't feel like massive life overhauls. And slowly, almost without me noticing at first, everything started to change. The fog began to lift.
This post is about those seven unconventional habits that took me from feeling stuck to feeling inspired. My hope is that they can do the same for you.
1. The 'Mind Dump' Before the 'To-Do List'
We all know the ritual: wake up, grab a coffee, and write a to-do list that’s a mile long. I used to do this religiously, thinking it was the peak of productivity. Yet, I’d often stare at the list with a sense of overwhelming anxiety, my mind too cluttered with random worries and mental chatter to even start.
Then I discovered the 'mind dump'. Before I even think about what I need to do, I take a blank page and for ten minutes, I write down everything that’s in my head. Literally everything. Worries about a project, a snippet of a song, the fact I need to buy plantain at Kejetia Market, a nagging insecurity—it all goes onto the page. It’s messy, unfiltered, and incredibly freeing.
Only after my mind feels a little lighter do I create a small, intentional to-do list from a place of clarity, not chaos.
Productivity expert David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, touches on this when he says, "Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them."
The mind dump is the ultimate tool for externalizing that mental clutter, allowing you to focus on what truly matters. It transformed my mornings from a frantic scramble to a calm, focused start.
2. Embracing 'Productive Procrastination'
This one sounds like an oxymoron, right? We're taught that procrastination is the enemy of progress. But what if we could harness it for good? I found that when I was facing a huge, intimidating task—like writing a massive report—my instinct was to escape to social media or watch pointless videos. This left me feeling guilty and even more stressed.
So I started practicing 'productive procrastination'. The rule is simple: if you're going to avoid the big task, you have to do something else that is still useful, just smaller and less daunting. Instead of scrolling, I might organize my computer's desktop, answer five quick emails, or read an industry-related article I’d saved.
This does two incredible things. First, it keeps the momentum going. You're still in 'work mode', which makes it much easier to eventually pivot to the big task. Second, it gives you a small hit of accomplishment, which builds the confidence you need to tackle the beast.
As organizational psychologist Adam Grant suggests, "The best procrastinators are 'active procrastinators' who put off one task to do something else that's valuable." It’s about redirecting your energy, not letting it drain away.
3. Scheduling 'Do Nothing' Time
In our hyper-connected world, we see boredom as a failure. Every spare second is filled—with a podcast, a quick email check, a scroll through Instagram. I used to be the same, until I started deliberately scheduling 15-minute blocks of 'Do Nothing' time into my calendar.
This isn't meditation. I don't try to clear my mind or focus on my breath. I just… stop. I might sit by the window and watch the world go by, or lie on my floor and stare at the ceiling. The first few times were excruciatingly difficult; my brain screamed for stimulation. But then, something amazing happened. In that quiet space, creativity started to bubble up. Solutions to problems I'd been wrestling with would pop into my head. New ideas would emerge from the silence.
We've forgotten how to be bored, but it's often in the moments of quiet observation that our best thinking happens.
As author and creativity expert Manoush Zomorodi puts it in her book Bored and Brilliant, "Boredom is the gateway to mind-wandering, which helps our brains create our personal narratives, and solve problems." Give your brain the gift of unstructured, unstimulated time. You’ll be shocked at what it gives you back.
4. Celebrating Tiny, 'Embarrassing' Wins
Personal growth can feel like a long, hard slog. We set these huge goals—get a promotion, start a business, run a marathon—and we only allow ourselves to feel proud when we cross the finish line. This leaves a lot of room for discouragement along the way. My game-changer was starting to celebrate the ridiculously small wins.
Did I finally make that phone call I was dreading for a week? That’s a win. I get up and do a little happy dance. Did I choose to drink a glass of water instead of a sugary drink? That’s a win. I give myself a mental high-five. It might sound silly, but this practice fundamentally rewired my brain's reward system.
Dr. BJ Fogg, a behavior scientist at Stanford University and author of Tiny Habits, explains this perfectly. He says, "Emotions create habits. When you celebrate, you're creating a positive feeling that wires the new habit into your brain."
By celebrating these tiny successes, you're releasing a little bit of dopamine, making you more likely to repeat the positive behavior. It shifted my focus from a far-off destination to the small, successful steps I was taking every single day.
5. Seeking Out 'Gentle Discomfort' Daily
Our brains are wired to seek comfort and avoid risk. But as we all know, real growth only happens when we step outside our comfort zone. The problem is, we often think this step has to be a giant, terrifying leap. It doesn't. I started practicing the art of seeking 'gentle discomfort' every day.
This means intentionally doing one small thing that feels just a little bit awkward or scary. For me, this looked like taking a different, unfamiliar route home from work, trying a food I was convinced I hated, or striking up a brief conversation with the cashier at the grocery store instead of just nodding. Each action is tiny, with very low stakes.
But cumulatively, they have a powerful effect. They act like small reps at the gym, building your 'courage muscle'. You’re constantly teaching your brain that you can handle the unknown and that new experiences aren’t as scary as they seem.
As life coach and author Jen Sincero says, "The universe will match whatever vibration you put out. And you will earn what you settle for." By choosing gentle discomfort, you're telling the universe—and yourself—that you're ready for more.
6. Ending My Day with 'What Went Well?'
Like many ambitious people, I used to end my day with a mental audit of my failures. I’d lie in bed thinking about the tasks I didn't finish, the email I should have worded better, or the workout I skipped. I was focusing entirely on the gaps, which was a surefire recipe for anxiety and poor sleep.
Then I flipped the script. Inspired by the work of Dr. Martin Seligman, the father of Positive Psychology, I started ending my day with one simple question: "What are three things that went well today, and what was my role in them?" It’s a subtle but profound shift from a mindset of lack to a mindset of gratitude and competence.
Some days the answers are big, like landing a new client. But most days, they are small. "A colleague complimented my presentation (I prepared well)." "I had a really lovely conversation with my mother (I made the time to call her)." "I cooked a delicious dinner (I followed the recipe and was patient)." This practice trains your brain to scan for the positive, building resilience and ending each day on a note of peace and accomplishment, no matter how challenging it was.
7. Creating a Personal 'Inspiration Archive'
Inspiration is not a lightning strike; it’s a muscle you have to exercise. It’s also incredibly fleeting. We see a quote, read a powerful article, or hear a song that moves us, and we think we’ll remember that feeling forever. But we don't. Life gets in the way, and the feeling fades.
My solution was to become an active collector of inspiration. I started an 'Inspiration Archive'—a simple folder on my laptop and a notebook by my bed. Whenever something resonates with me, I save it. It could be a screenshot of a beautiful design, a quote from a book, a link to a moving YouTube video, or a paragraph from an article. I don’t overthink it; if it sparks something in me, it goes into the archive.
This has become my personal first-aid kit for the soul. On days when I feel drained, unmotivated, or lost, I don't passively wait for inspiration to find me. I go to my archive and immerse myself in the things that have moved me in the past. It's a powerful reminder of who I am and what I value.
As the great Maya Angelou once said, "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." My archive is my personal wellspring, ensuring I never run dry.
Your Journey Starts with a Single Step
Looking back, it wasn’t one massive change that reshaped my year. It was the gentle, consistent application of these small, unconventional habits. They chipped away at my old patterns of thinking and behaving, creating space for a more positive, resilient, and inspired version of myself to emerge.
Growth isn't a race to a finish line; it’s a daily practice of showing up for yourself in small but meaningful ways. You don’t have to adopt all seven of these habits at once. Just pick one. The one that sounds the most interesting or the least intimidating. Try it for a week and see how it feels.
The journey to a more inspired life begins right where you are, with a single, gentle step in a new direction.
I'd absolutely love to hear from you. What is one unconventional habit that has made a positive impact on your life? Share it in the comments below—let's inspire each other!
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