8 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself

Updated in 2026

This post will share nine practical ways to improve yourself.

Forget everything that has happened so far.

2020 is not over yet, and it still has the potential of becoming the best (and maybe worst) year of your life.

Yes, we’re all mostly on lockdown, which is gradually easing.

But if nothing else, I want to remember this period as a turning point in my life.

So far, I like to think that I’m in the right direction;

• My blog has finally kicked off after I abandoned it for 3 months.
• I’ve also taken steps to monetise it and am working actively to increase my earnings.
• I’ve also launched my first product and am currently working on my first course for my business.

All within 2.5 months.

I know it doesn’t seem much.

But when I consider my mental health at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, I know I deserve a cookie.

It was not easy to be focused and consistent, but I did.

While I sometimes still rely on motivation to be productive, I’m gradually working towards creating healthy habits and routines.

So, I thought maybe there is someone somewhere who still wants 2020 to be meaningful for them.

Someone who still wants to take practical steps to achieve personal growth and development.

Are there things that they can still do?

Of course, there are.

Here are 8 Practical Ways to Improve Yourself in 2020.

Start a blog

Like I mentioned in a previous post on self-motivation, I started my first blog at 19.

While I was mostly clueless about many things, I learnt and picked up a lot of skills along the way.

The skills helped guide me in choosing a career path.

Starting a blog will help you identify existing skills you already have, such as writing, editing, photography, coding, video editing, graphic design, and web development.

It will also help you pick up new skills that appeal to you.

You’ll never know how much you enjoy photography until you start taking pictures for your blog.

The same applies to video editing and graphic design.

You’ll be able to identify what skills you excel at and those that you don’t particularly enjoy.

Blogging is a lifelong skill that will come in handy at any point in your life.

Either when you need a break, when you want to leave your 9-5 or start a side-hustle or business.

Blogging is always a great way to earn an income.

Start a business

Just like blogging, having business skills can never be underestimated.

Starting a business will teach you essential lifelong skills, including sales, marketing, customer service, client management, and more.

Along the line, you might also find out that you’re not quite business savvy.

Which is also fine.

Starting a business, even if it fails, will never be a waste of time.

So start and start small. Start with marketplaces like eBay.

Start by selling off stuff in your closet.

Then find an easy product to sell. Flex your business muscles, and you will never regret it.

Read self-help books

I know a lot of us have evil attention spans lately.

But that doesn’t negate the importance of reading.

Reading books will always be important.

If you don’t particularly like books or you’re not sure which ones to choose for personal development, start with self-help books.

Depending on what you pick, they will teach you different things, including self-discipline, self-motivation, time management, money management (Clever Girl Finance is my fave personal finance book for women), career planning, etc.

If there is one area of your life that you think needs improvement, pick a self-help book that addresses it.

If you’re not disciplined enough to finish a book, pick the audio version as well.

This way, you can alternate between text and audio.

Check out 7 Tips for Dealing with your Inner Critic.

Listen to podcasts

If you cannot read books to save your life, try podcasts.

Podcasts are bite-sized knowledge that can be consumed on the go.

So, you really have no excuse not to improve yourself, even if it is just 30 minutes a day.

Pick any category on the podcast app that appeals to you.

Pick a podcast and just listen.

Pay attention and note down key points.

You never know how much it will improve life.

Watch inspiring YouTube videos.

Yes, YouTube is a rabbit role.

But it is the same platform that people are learning self-taught skills to improve their careers and start businesses.

Don’t be left out.

Yes, it’s nice to catch up with favourite creators.

But let there be a balance.

If your fave creators are not teaching you new skills, then they shouldn’t be a priority.

Prioritise your YouTube watch time and make sure you’re learning something new.

Take online courses

Just as it applies to books and podcasts, take online courses that are hyper-relevant to you.

There is such a thing as information overload.

Also, you don’t want to waste time and money on courses you won’t implement immediately.

You need to invest in practical ones you can apply to your life without stress.

So, choose wisely.

Join conversations on LinkedIn

When I was very active on LinkedIn, I learnt so much new stuff from the platform.

I know LinkedIn has a bad rep for being disingenuous and curated, but it all boils down to the quality of your network.

When you follow amazing people with great content, you will learn so many things that will change your life.

It can be either a career, business or general life hacks that people share.

Watching from the sidelines is sometimes my favourite thing to do.

Especially if I’m not in the mood to join a conversation.

But you shouldn’t hesitate to do so when you can.

In all, LinkedIn is incredibly underrated for personal development.

Learn new skills or improve on your existing ones.

If you feel like you’re not where you should be in your career or in life generally, then you should learn new skills.

If you think you already have all the relevant skills you need, but you’re still not making progress, then improve them.

It’s straightforward.

Research your industry and see what skills are currently in demand.

If you don’t match up, decide on the most crucial course of action.

Then follow through.

You never know.

You might land your next promotion by just improving your skills.

As you can see, there are still practical ways to improve yourself before the year ends.

You just need to be focused and determined.

Don’t feel pressured to do so many things at once.

Pick one and stick to it.

By the end of the year, take stock and see how far you have come.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

What ways are you currently working to improve yourself?

Share in the comments!