10 French Lifestyle Tips To Steal For A Happier Life

The French lifestyle is less a single secret than a collection of small daily habits: eating slowly, walking often, buying fewer and better things, and protecting your time outside work. To live like a French woman, you don't need to move to Paris. You just need to borrow a few of those habits, one at a time. Here are ten worth stealing.

What stands out most about France for many visitors is the French lifestyle and the country's very chic women. Polished and confident at every step of the way, French women have a way of carrying themselves that sets them apart.

The allure of French women may be hard to beat, but you can borrow some of these habits and build your appeal over time. No single habit will change your life, but together they add up.

This post is about everyday habits. For the look and attitude, read How to Embrace Your Inner French Girl, and for skincare, see my French Girl Beauty Routine guide.

The 10 French Lifestyle Habits at a Glance

Habit	What you'll often see in France	Try it this week
1. Confidence	Sitting alone at a café, unhurried	Have one coffee alone this week, phone away
2. Posture	Walking with purpose, shoulders open	Do a posture check each time you cross a street
3. Signature style	A consistent, easy-to-repeat look	Pick three outfit formulas and rotate them
4. Quality over quantity	A small wardrobe of pieces that mix and match	Before you buy, ask if it works with three things you own
5. Life outside work	Real time off, meals that aren't rushed	Close the laptop at a set time one evening a week
6. Eating and movement	Long meals and everyday walking or biking	Eat one meal a day without screens; walk one errand
7. Seasonal eating	Markets built around what's in season	Cook one meal from whatever looks best at a market
8. Self-care	Small, steady routines	Put one 20-minute ritual in your calendar
9. Saying no	Clear boundaries, politely kept	Decline one thing this week without over-explaining
10. Slow Sundays	A slower day, often around a long meal	Leave one Sunday afternoon unplanned

How to Live Like a French Woman: Start With People-Watching

If you've been to France, you already know the importance of people-watching, but you don't need to travel to Paris to do this at home. Take some time out of your itinerary, or your day, to sit down and watch the people walking by. Try this: sit somewhere public for 20 minutes, phone away, and notice how people walk, what they wear, and how they greet each other.

You can pick up so many details by observing how people walk, where they shop, how they interact with those around them, and, most importantly, how they carry themselves in their surroundings.

In Paris, becoming an observer allows you to pick up tiny details and uncover the so-called ‘secrets’ that make French women fascinating. From all my previous rounds of people-watching on many terraces and benches, here are ten lifestyle tips I picked up that genuinely make a difference in my daily life.

French Style and Confidence: Four Habits to Borrow

1. French confidence: be at ease in your own skin

Clothes, makeup, and accessories all come second. For me, confidence is the habit that makes all the others easier.  Yes, you have your flaws (who doesn’t?), but instead of running away from them, embrace them and live your life around them.

One of the best ways to build confidence is to go to a cafe or restaurant without anyone accompanying you. Let yourself settle into your skin without distractions like your phone or a book. There’s no need to feel awkward; there will be times when you’re alone, and you have to learn to be content with yourself.

2. French posture: walk with purpose

Have you ever noticed yourself walking with slumped shoulders? It's often involuntary, like we're afraid of taking up more space than necessary. A part of being more confident is not being afraid of taking up space in everyday life. Open up those shoulders and walk with purpose. There should be no shuffling, no slouching.

Be mindful of your posture, and correct it whenever you find yourself hunching in on yourself. Good posture will boost your confidence and add a little bounce to your step.

Try this: each time you cross a street this week, roll your shoulders back and lift your chin.

3. French style: develop a signature look

Clothes are a big part of building confidence, so take time to develop your signature style. Think of it as your uniform – when you know what looks good on you and what fit flatters your body, the task of shopping and deciding what to wear every day becomes a piece of cake.

Create your signature style, and make sure it’s comfy enough to wear every day and chic enough for different occasions. Now all you have to do is replicate your style day in and day out. Don’t hesitate to experiment, as you never know what interesting finds you may stumble upon.

For outfit ideas, see my guides on how to dress like French women.

4. French wardrobe: choose quality over quantity

Remember, quality over quantity. And yes, yes, it is a cliché we all grew up hearing, but it holds true in this case. It is far better to have fewer high-quality clothes you will wear again and again than shelves full of pieces you barely look at.

Many Parisians are known for small, carefully chosen wardrobes: a capsule collection where most pieces can be matched with several others. Before you buy anything, ask whether it works with at least three things you already own.

I've written more on this: read my French Lifestyle Tip: Quality Over Quantity post, and see how the same idea works for men in French Men's Fashion – How To Dress Like A Parisian Man.

French Work-Life Balance, Food and Movement: Three Habits to Borrow

5. French work-life balance: build a life outside work

France backs this up in law: employees get a legal minimum of five weeks of paid leave a year, and since 2017, companies with 50 or more employees have had to set rules on switching off from work outside working hours. (The law doesn't ban after-hours emails, but it gives people a framework to push back.) The best way to practice this is by not living to work.

Take time off, avoid eating on the go, and invest in self-care routines. Have hobbies that you dedicate time to, get together with friends for casual meals, and learn to explore your city more.

Try this: pick one evening a week to close the laptop at a set time and sit down to a proper meal. 

6. French eating habits: enjoy your meals and keep moving

France has some of the most delicious pastries and fluffy croissants that quite a few people have for breakfast. I've seen a lot of Parisians eat full meals and drink a glass of wine and also stay fit with all this food around them. One reason full meals may not feel excessive is pace: according to OECD time-use data reported in 2023, people in France spend about 2 hours 13 minutes a day eating and drinking, compared with about 1 hour 2 minutes in the United States. Be mindful of what you're eating and how much you're eating.

Moderation is the key, so if you’re having that pain au chocolat for breakfast, make sure you add proteins and veggies to your other meals.

Another important factor is being on the move. Paris, for example, had more than 1,000 km of cycle lanes by 2021, according to the city, and it has the Vélib' bike-share system. This makes it easy to walk around the city and ride bicycles from one point to another. Walking or biking is part of many Parisians' daily routine, so they move around without needing a gym.

Try this: eat one meal a day without screens, and walk or bike one errand you would normally drive. 

7. French seasonal eating: cook by the season

French savoir-faire has several traditions, but one of the best known is to cook and eat by the season.
Markets are where this is easiest to see: the city of Paris lists 91 food markets (open-air, covered and specialized), and the open-air ones typically run from early morning to about 1:30 pm.

No matter where you live, take time to learn what produce each season brings. Not only will you add quality and different tastes to your meals, but you'll also support your local community and farmers’ markets.

French Self-Care, Boundaries and Slow Sundays: Three Habits to Borrow

8. French self-care: make it a routine

Self-care in France often looks small and steady, like a simple skincare routine, a proper coffee break or a walk, rather than a big occasional reset. For a full skincare routine, see my French Girl Beauty Routine guide. Take time out for yourself to do the things you enjoy, be it sitting and reading or hiking and exploring.

Feed your mind and body, and let them rest equally. Sometimes, it can be as easy as leaving your apartment and changing the scenery. Get a good night’s sleep, step away from the hustle, and limit your screen time; it will do wonders.

Try this: choose one 20-minute ritual (a proper coffee, a bath, a walk) and put it in your calendar. 

9. French boundaries: learn to say no

Part of what looks effortless about French life can come down to boundaries: time that isn't for work, evenings that aren't for favors, and a polite but firm “non, merci.” It can seem blunt if you're not used to it, but it is often just a clear way of protecting your time.

So, you need to learn to say no without feeling guilty. It takes time, but once you get the hang of it, you'll feel more balanced in all aspects of your life.

Try this: decline one thing this week without over-explaining. “Thanks for thinking of me, I can't make it” is enough. 

10. The French Sunday: slow down on purpose

The art of French Sundays is a notorious concept that often leaves travelers and tourists disappointed. By default, most shops can't open on Sundays, although bakeries, cheese shops, butchers and other food shops can open until 1 pm, and cafés, restaurants, pharmacies and florists can stay open all day. Designated tourist zones, including parts of Paris such as Le Marais, Les Halles and Montmartre, are exceptions, and the rules in Alsace-Moselle are stricter. Traditionally, Sunday has been a day for family and time at home. Many families have long meals together where conversations and drinks have a steady flow.

Slow down your Sundays and catch up on family time or self-care. Don’t make plans, so you can have time on your hands. Time to eat, time to sleep, time to just ‘be’.

Try this: leave one Sunday afternoon completely unplanned. For more on how everyday life works in France, see my French Customs and Traditions guide. 

Everyday French Rituals: Mornings, Home and Slow Errands

Beyond the ten habits above, the French lifestyle shows up in small daily rituals. Here are three worth borrowing.

Slow mornings. Start the day with something small and unhurried, like coffee and a light breakfast at a table instead of on the go. My guide to a typical French breakfast shows what that can look like. Now that I live in Portugal, this is a sacred part of every day. I don't start my job until noon, so I keep my mornings slow and meaningful, taking my time with everything.

Simple entertaining at home. The idea behind the French apéro is to invite people over for drinks and small bites before dinner without turning it into a production. Keep the menu simple and put the focus on the conversation. Instead of a big meal, we tend to invite people over between lunch and dinner and prepare charcuterie plates with wine. This simplifies our preparation and lets us focus on our guests.

Slow errands. Turn a chore into a small ritual by walking to the market instead of driving, and stopping for a coffee on the way. Paris's open-air markets typically run from early morning until about 1:30 pm, which makes it an easy morning habit. Mr. Misadventures and I tend to shop early, when the stores open, and then head to a cafe to reward ourselves with a coffee and a pastry, knowing we can take our time. Then we will do another errand, have lunch, then another errand, which makes the day much more enjoyable!

French Lifestyle FAQ

More French Lifestyle Guides

• French Customs and Traditions: A Francophile's Guide for everyday etiquette and quirks
• French Girl Beauty Routine for skincare and pharmacy finds
• How to Embrace Your Inner French Girl for the look and attitude
• A Typical French Breakfast for a slower morning
• How to Dress Like French Women for building a capsule wardrobe

If you enjoyed this article, check out How to Embrace Your Inner French Girl

How about you? Have you adopted lifestyle changes from other cultures (or maybe from your own family's heritage)? I'd love for you to share!

Sources: Paid leave: Business France · Right to disconnect: Littler, 2017

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