When I first started planning the article for this topic, I soon realized that any analysis of the way successful people formed good habits very much depended on what aspect of their lives we were examining at that time. We all have different aspects to our lives such as family and friends, work and personal philosophy and I feel it would be better to address the subject of daily habits in the context of those different aspects of life.
As such, this article will look at the Daily Habits of Successful People through the lens of their personal belief system (their philosophy on living); their work routines (how they maximize their productivity) and the habits they form around their personal traits (the things they do differently) that collectively make them more successful.
Morning Habits:
- They are early risers for the most part. They are up and thinking about how they are going to tackle the day before most others are awake.
- They have a daily exercise routine, which is another reason for their early rising. This could be anything from a brisk walk to a full workout in the Gym. The point being that they are getting the blood flowing to keep their body in condition and help them to clear their head and focus on the coming day.
- They always eat breakfast; even if it is just a light one with a fruit smoothie. The point is that without this essential fuel, you will likely start to experience fatigue in the afternoon and it will impact on your performance all round.
- They typically set their most important tasks for the day in the morning. They will literally ask themselves; “What would be the most productive use of my time today?” The answer to that question forms the list of priorities that they set for themselves.
- Prioritize. Their ‘To-Do List’ may have a number of items, however there may only be one or two that are top of the list and represent their top priorities. Highly successful people tend to look at their tasks as part of a larger project. They will break down their tasks into priorities, the least of which can be delegated if possible to free up more time.
Work Habits:
- Most successful people are in the habit of working even when they don’t have to. They do not have a mindset that says “ I will only work during certain times of the day.” It could be the evenings; weekends or anytime that inspiration strikes them. Of course, we must be aware of the degree to which we do this. If we become workaholics and our family members suffer, this habit then becomes counterproductive. The main point here is that Successful people invest long hours in their work; while others will be spending long hours in passive activities.
- They are proactive in their work, not reactive. They realize that to succeed, they need to seize the initiative and take action on important matters. They do not put things off that need to be done. It’s the planning they have done in the morning that helps them to stay focused on being proactive. Without this planning, they would be reacting to everything that happens to them. The old 80/20 rule still applies. Ordinary people will spend about 80% of their time doing the things that will give them 20% of their results.
- Eliminate Distractions. Successful people realize that unwelcome distractions will happen. So they are proactive in managing their email response time, checking and returning phone calls and any other distraction that may take their time (and attention) away from their ‘priorities’.
- They don’t panic when their plans don’t work out. Successful people realize that they cannot control everything. Things can and do go wrong sometimes. They plan for mistakes occurring and then they do occur they deal with them rationally and effectively.
- They work with their team. Part of the daily habits of successful people is to work with their team. They realize that as one person they cannot do everything. So they choose a team that they can work with effectively, and will provide the skills and talents that they may not personally possess.
- They work on their internal dialogue. This does not mean that to be a successful person you need to be too self-absorbed. It means that you are ‘honing’ your communication and motivation skills by staying in control of your internal thoughts and not let negative self-doubt set in.
- They form the habit of continuous learning. This a very empowering habit to develop. Having a formal education is not the end of learning, it is just the beginning. One of the most important daily habits of successful people is to continually be learning. They do that by reading a lot and listing to podcasts. They realize that learning about new developments and ideas expands their knowledge and vision of the world. Successful people are always looking for new sources of inspiration.
- They manage their risks. An average person will typically think that a successful person is just lucky. That the successful person took risks and won! This is not correct. Successful people do take risks. As the old saying goes “Nothing ventured; nothing gained.” However, most successful people are not reckless risk takers. They don’t believe in being ‘Lucky’ and would rather calculate and minimize their risks wherever possible. They will always try to put the odds of being successful in their favor.
- They do not fear change happening. They realize more than anyone that change will happen whether we want it or not! Successful people will take opportunities to step out of their comfort zone and try new difficult things. When change occurs they recognize that its part of the process of growing and progressing in life, so they adapt and move on.
- They schedule time for their family. Many people believe that in order to be successful, personal (family) life needs to be sacrificed! However, this does not have to be the case. Having quality time with family members can also be a vital ingredient in success. It can be the reason for being successful. They realize that life is multi faceted and that Real Success needs to be happening at home and at work. When each one supports the other, then our mental health is balanced and supporting everything we do in a positive way.
Mental & Personal Habits:
- They meditate and visualize their goals. Many successful people will use meditation to help them to visualize achieving their end goals. Meditation helps to clear their mind of distractions and focus on what’s really important. When performed every day as a habit, it becomes a very powerful way to energize their actions.
- They have gratitude for all the good things in their life; even the challenges. One of the daily habits of successful people that others don’t often see is their practice of gratitude. Why practice gratitude? Because it is a great way to keep you grounded in what is really important in your life, particularly when you are beginning to succeed.
- They have passion for life. Successful people don’t seem to do anything in half measure. They chase the things they are passionate about and don’t get involved in things that don’t excite them. If they are doing the things that they love, then they know they are much more likely to find success.
- They have relentless persistence. This naturally flows from their passion. It is passion and persistence together in motion! Persistence sees the roadblock and immediately plans the best way over, around or under the obstacle to reach success. The daily habit of persistence is their way of keeping momentum and not accepting defeat.
- They have personal integrity. All consistently successful individuals stay true to themselves and their values. They know when to say “No” to ideas and actions that are not in alignment with their core beliefs. Some people may appear to succeed through deception, but it is rarely a form of lasting success.
- They have good friends and mentors. One of the best daily habits of successful people is to surround themselves with other likeminded successful people. They also know the importance of staying away from negative people who may try to sabotage their efforts. They will also have one (or even a few) mentors or teachers from whom they learn new successful habits.
Conclusion:
These are just a cross section of the main habits and traits acquired by successful people in the pursuit of their dreams and goals. Did you notice I said ‘acquired’? It is too easy to assume that successful people are somehow pre-programed for achievement. They may certainly have some innate personality traits that served them well on their journey.
However, almost all of the successful people I have had the good fortune to meet had travelled a long way on their road to success. Learning through others and their own failures, making adjustments and moving forward again. The one thing they never considered a possibility was permanent failure; it’s not in their vocabulary.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading this article. You may see a few ‘Habits’ that you also want to adopt and use on your own journey! Choose the ones you thing you need the most; practice them and make them part of your habits.