7 Simple Habits That Help Me Be a More Joyful Person
Keep reading this post to learn:
Seven simple habits that help me experience more joy
How I add whimsy to my everyday routines
The sleep habits that make a noticeable difference in my mood
My current four-step journaling method
How I use the Brick to spend less time on my phone
I have a confession: I’m naturally a pretty pessimistic person. 😅
A pessimistic person tends to focus on the negative parts of a situation, approach life with doubt, and assume the worst possible outcome is probably the one that will happen.
People who follow me online don’t always believe me when I say that I lean more pessimistic than optimistic, but it’s true! I have to be very intentional about choosing positivity because it doesn’t always come naturally to me.
The good news? After practicing the habits I’m sharing today, joy is much easier for me to access than it used to be.
Before we get into the habits, I want to acknowledge that my joy is rooted in Jesus.
When I prioritize time in the Word, prayer, and worship, I’m able to access joy much more easily than when I neglect those things. I know not everyone shares my faith, so I’m also sharing seven practical habits that make a genuine difference in my daily life—but for me personally, true joy begins with who Jesus is.
Okay, besties, let’s get into the seven habits that help me be a more joyful person!
01. Adding touches of whimsy to our home
When I say whimsy, I mean those little things that don’t necessarily serve a practical purpose other than making you happy when you look at them.
For me, that looks like:
Opening my cabinet and getting giddy over my collection of cute coffee cups
Displaying seashells on our kitchen windowsill
Making silly clay magnets shaped like ice cream cones
Hanging photo strips on our refrigerator
Putting disco balls around the house so they reflect sunlight in the afternoon
Keeping seasonal fresh flowers on the table
Adding whimsy to your home means choosing something because you think it’s fun, not because it’s the most practical, neutral, or on-trend option.
I think we can get so caught up in making our homes functional that we forget they’re allowed to be fun, too.
Our environments affect us more than we realize. A calm, happy space can support a calmer, happier mind. We spend so much of our lives at home, so we might as well make our spaces feel like places we’re genuinely happy to be in.
Make your home a vibe just because you can!!
02. Going on walks and spending time outside
I will die on the hill that fresh air is healing for us as humans.
I especially notice this during the summer here in Florida, when it’s so hot that we spend most of June through August cooped up inside. When I’m not getting outside regularly, I notice a major downshift in my attitude.
Even something as simple as taking a 10-minute walk around the block after dinner or sitting on the patio for five minutes after the sun goes down can fill my joy tank and make me a more pleasant person to be around.
Being outside also has a way of getting me out of my own head. It reminds me (in the best way) how small I am compared to the world around me.
It grounds me, recenters me, and gives me a much-needed perspective check.
03. Getting good-quality sleep
Listen, I am a different person when I’m not getting good-quality sleep.
When I’m sleep-deprived, every minor inconvenience sets me off. I am constantly teetering on an emotional ledge, lol.
But when I’m prioritizing my sleep hygiene, it’s much easier to access joy, even when my circumstances aren’t ideal.
Obviously, we can’t control every aspect of our sleep. If you’re a mom of little ones like I am, you know we don’t always get to decide whether we sleep through the night. In this season, we usually wake up with Everly once or twice a week, typically because she needs someone to put her blanket back on. 😂
But even when we can’t control the number of uninterrupted hours we get, we can create habits that support the quality of our sleep.
Here’s what my current sleep hygiene routine looks like:
I diffuse lavender essential oil in our bedroom around 8:00 PM.
I put my phone away by 9:00 PM.
I stop watching TV by 10:00 PM.
I get in bed and read until I fall asleep, which is usually around 10:30 PM.
Nothing groundbreaking—just simple and intentional.
Sometimes Adam and I get into the habit of falling asleep on the couch, waking up around midnight, and then dragging ourselves to bed. Let me tell you: it is not the vibe for getting good-quality sleep.
04. Actually smiling
Okay, hear me out because I know this one sounds sillllllly!
But the physical act of smiling genuinely makes me feel like a more joyful person.
I have RBF (look it up if you don’t know what that means, lol) so I don’t naturally walk around smiling. I decided to start habit stacking my smiles instead.
Yes, I know that sounds a little unhinged. Stay with me.
As soon as I get out of bed in the morning, I smile.
When I finish my workout, I smile.
After I make my coffee, I smile.
You get the idea!
And this isn’t just in my head. Research on the facial feedback hypothesis suggests that intentionally smiling can create a small boost in our mood.
Is smiling enough to overcome something serious like depression? Of course not. But it’s a simple habit that helps me access a little more joy throughout my day, and I’ll gladly take it.
05. Celebrating things, especially the little things
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw that my daughter started preschool last month.
You better believe I decorated our dining room so that when she woke up on her first day of school, she could feel the excitement in the air!
I want her childhood to be filled with enthusiasm and wonder, and it’s my job to help create that for her. Pursuing that has also helped me become a more joyful person.
I was happy while decorating the dining room, and then I got to experience that happiness all over again when she woke up and saw the streamers, balloons, and sprinkle pancakes.
Celebrating is what makes our lives feel special. It keeps our days from blending into one giant blur.
Take the time to celebrate milestones—both big and small. Decorate for the seasons. Make a big deal out of the first day of school. Create a special treat for an ordinary Friday.
BE EXTRA. I love being extra, and it genuinely makes me more joyful!
Y’all know I’m all about romanticizing our lives. Romanticizing your life means approaching everyday routines with care and looking for beauty in ordinary moments. It helps us slow down, stay present, find joy in the mundane, and shift the way we experience our daily lives.
Want to be more joyful? Start celebrating more!
06. Gratitude journaling
You knew this one was coming, didn’t you?
I can’t talk about becoming a more joyful person without mentioning gratitude journaling because journaling, specifically gratitude journaling, quite literally changed my life for the better.
When I know I’ll be writing down a handful of things I’m grateful for each morning, I find myself looking for them throughout the day.
When you look for things to be grateful for, you find things to be grateful for.
Gratitude helps train our brains to notice and appreciate the good things that are already present in our lives. That shift can lower stress, improve our moods, and help us experience more lasting joy.
If you’ve been in a journaling rut lately, allow me to introduce you to the method I’ve been using since the beginning of the summer. It has completely rekindled my love for journaling!
I originally saw a similar framework in an Instagram Reel by @rubysarahaas. Her version was:
Gratitude
Let It Out
Own Your Desires
Wait
I used that as inspiration and adapted it to fit my own journaling and prayer routine:
Gratitude
I begin by filling out the left-hand page of my Peacefully Productive Journal. There’s space to write what I’m grateful for, track my hours of sleep, and jot down how I’m feeling that day.
Lay It Down
On the top half of the blank “On My Heart” page, I write a paragraph about what I’m laying down at the feet of Jesus. These are usually things that are making me feel anxious, overwhelmed, or stressed.
Own Your Desires
On the bottom half of the page, I write a paragraph about something specific I want to see come to fruition and pray about that desire.
Wait
To close out my journaling time, I read what I wrote out loud.
Y’all know I love a framework, my brain just works well with them! Having this method guide my “On My Heart” page has been so helpful. I’ve been consistent with journaling, and I’m actually excited to do it every morning.
If you want to try the journal I use, you can use the code PODCASTJOURNAL10 to save 10% on a Peacefully Productive Journal!
07. Getting the F off my phone
This one is a no-brainer, but I couldn’t leave it out because I notice a stark difference in my attitude when I neglect it.
The higher my screen time, the more anxious, creatively drained, stressed, and overwhelmed I feel.
The lower my screen time, the more present, grounded, creative, and joyful I feel.
AMAZING, RIGHT??? 😅
I don’t think I even need to pull out a bunch of statistics to convince you of this because most of us can feel the difference in our mental health, mindset, and attitude when we spend less time on our phones.
I know I never shut up about my Brick, but it has seriously changed my life.
The Brick is a small physical device that works with an app on your phone. You decide which distracting apps you want to block, and then you have to physically tap your phone against the Brick to unlock them again.
I have mine scheduled to block social media at 9:00 PM, and I can’t access it again until 9:00 AM.
Someone in our Hustle Sanely Study Hall community recently shared that after she started using her Brick again, she spent much less time scrolling Instagram and TikTok, and more time reading and being present.
I know some people wonder whether the Brick is worth the investment because it’s around $60, but it’s genuinely one of the best investments I made in myself in 2025.
If you want to get one, I have a code that will save you $10!
Joy is something we can practice
Those are the seven habits that help me be a more joyful person as someone who naturally leans pessimistic:
Adding whimsy to our home
Spending time outside
Prioritizing good-quality sleep
Intentionally smiling
Celebrating the little things
Practicing gratitude journaling
Spending less time on my phone
None of these habits is dramatic or complicated, and that’s kind of the point.
Joy doesn’t always come from changing our entire lives. Sometimes, it comes from intentionally noticing and nurturing the good that already exists within them.
Choose one habit from this list to practice this week.
Put fresh flowers on the table. Sit outside for five minutes. Decorate for a random milestone. Write down three things you’re grateful for. Put your phone in another room.
Start small and pay attention to how you feel.
Links Mentioned:
Shop the Peacefully Productive Journal — use code PODCASTJOURNAL10 for 10% off!
Follow Jess on Instagram: @jessmmassey
Follow Hustle Sanely on Instagram: @hustlesanely
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