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Daily Habits and Routines of Successful People

We all strive to be successful, but, every person has their own definition of success. For some people it is getting a promotion at work, for others, it is starting their own business. Indeed, the notion of success is different for everyone but there are some daily habits that will bring you one step closer to success once you incorporate them into your daily routine.

If you’ve ever wondered what is the difference between persons who achieve great things and mediocre people, let us reveal that secret to you. Highly successful people always go the extra mile and they have their special daily tendencies. 

Keep reading to find out what are the daily habits of a successful person and how successful people start their day!

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You must have heard this at least once in your lifetime – the way you start your day affects how the rest of your day will go. And, whether you agree with this statement or not, it is true. Just compare those days when you sleep in and have to rush to work to the days when you wake up early and have some time for yourself in the morning. In the first case, it’s quite likely that you will be stressed and unfocused the entire day, whereas in the second case, a pleasant start to your day will make you a much more productive, less stressed, and pleased person for that day. 

The morning routines that successful people have truly brought them one step closer to success. And, if you ask several CEOs what their morning routine is, you will get very similar answers from all of them. How successful people start their day is not a mystery and you can easily incorporate all these steps into your morning routine.

Come Up With Your Morning Routine

Successful people have a consistent morning routine and they practice it every single day. For example, Jean Paul DeJoria always starts his day with quiet reflection, no matter where he is or what his day might entail. No one can control their destiny, but what you can control is the first few hours of your day. If you take control of your first waking moments, then you are quite likely to seize the day. So, come up with a morning routine and make sure that you stick to it.

An Early Start

As we already pointed out, the key to a good day is a good morning routine. But, you will hardly have the time to do it if you don’t wake up earlier than you usually do. Richard Branson stated that he wakes up at 5 am every day because that gives him a head start.

The thought of waking up at 5 am might make you cringe a little bit. But, the truth is that no one is naturally a morning person. People simply get used to waking up at 5 am and going to sleep at 10 pm. Waking up early will allow you to do much more before the world wakes up or perhaps just your family. Having some time to yourself in the morning will make you more productive and help you prepare better for the coming day.

Surround Yourself With Positivity The Moment You Wake Up

What many people tend to do the moment they wake up is to check their inbox. Even though successful entrepreneurs are known for speedy responses, they avoid checking their email or daily tasks the moment they wake up. Many of them, including David Karp, the founder of Tumblr, believe in the “first in, first out” principle.

This principle means that the first thing that enters your brain in the morning will set the mood for the entire day. So, instead of reading emails that may set a negative tone for the day, trying reading some inspiring quotes. You can try installing motivational apps on your smartphone to ensure positive ripples throughout the day.

Practice Gratitude

Even though the “first in, first out” principle is influential, it can become even more powerful when combined with something else. It’s not only what you first read that matters, but also what you first say. You are probably aware of the fact that words carry great power. So, make sure that your first words are words of gratitude. You can follow the example of Tony Robins and start your day by saying out loud what you’re grateful for.

Now that you’re aware of the proper way to start your day, you can go on and learn what are the daily habits of a successful person. Once you develop these habits, you will get one step closer to achieving your fullest potential.

Successful people have certain daily habits that helped them get where they are. Luckily, those habits are ordinary and you can try to acquire them as well. Keep reading to discover what are the daily habits of a successful person!

Plan Your Day

One habit that makes successful people stand out is that they always know what they are going to do. They plan their next day ahead and make sure that every minute of the day is accounted for. This way, they don’t get sucked into things that are not driving progress. Successful people plan everything ahead – from workouts, clearing out emails, to dedicating time for thinking and brainstorming.

As we know, things don’t always go as planned, but once you have an idea of what your day should look like, it’s easy to adjust and adapt your plans if necessary.

Find a Way to Manage Stress

Every single person on earth gets stressed out. But, not everyone gets rid of the stress that accumulates. Find some activities that help you relax and get rid of stress both physically and mentally. Successful people usually go for activities such as yoga, cardio exercises, or even extreme sports. You can try one of these activities or combine all of them. In any case, the end result will be stress management and increased performance.

Prioritize Yourself

There is one common misconception about successful people – they don’t have time for themselves and they have to sacrifice something, such as their health or their free time, to achieve great tjomgs. Of course, this is not true at all. The majority of successful people prioritize their health and they also set aside free time for activities they enjoy doing and for spending time with their family.

Overworking yourself will not bring you incredible results. Instead, it will have a completely opposite effect. Everyone needs to take a break and rest so they could come back with a fresh attitude. Keep in mind that you should always put yourself and your health first.

Become an Avid Reader

A daily routine of successful people usually includes reading. You can try reading something in the morning, while eating your breakfast, or right before you go to bed. However, make sure that the content you read is not related to your work. This way, you will calm your mind and go to work or bed more relaxed.

Reading is an excellent way to escape reality for a short period of time and jump into a new environment. In addition, it will undoubtedly help you broaden your perspective and learn new things. Try incorporating reading even for a few minutes in your daily routine and you will get one step closer to achieving your goals. Speaking of goals…

Set Realistic Goals

It will be quite hard for you to become successful if you don’t define clearly what success means to you, what are your goals, and what do you want to achieve. However, be careful when setting your goals. Ideas such as “become rich” or “become a boss in the company you work for” are too broad. Instead, write down a few smaller goals that will bring you closer to that ultimate goal you want to achieve.

For example, if your dream is to become rich, you need to break down that goal into several smaller goals. Your first goal could be finding a job. Once you do, you can list a few more goals that will help you get promoted and start earning more money. And, when you have the desired salary, you can think of more goals that will truly help you become rich, such as investing money into something or starting your own company.

Now that we covered what are the daily habits of a successful person and how successful people start their day, it’s time to see some real-life examples. Hopefully, these people and their daily routines will help you understand our tips better and motivate you to start incorporating their habits.

Jack Dorsey, CEO Square & Founder of Twitter

Running Square and Twitter required some serious devotion from Jack Dorsey. So, he made sure to put in 8 hours of work at each company (=16 hours of work) every single day. Now, that’s some serious dedication! This is an example of his weekly schedule:

Monday: Management and running the company

Tuesday: Product

Wednesday: Marketing and communications, growth

Thursday: Developers and partnerships

Friday: Company culture and recruiting

However, Jack made sure to relax on Saturdays and spend Sundays on getting ready for the rest of the week. Working two full-time jobs is incredibly difficult, but it is possible with serious discipline. And, if you organize yourself as well as Jack did, you will even manage to find some free time for relaxation.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was always keen on self-improvement. He even came up with a thirteen-week plan to practice certain virtues and each day he would track his progress. Franklin also had a strict daily routine and he planned everything in detail, including his time for sleeping. In addition, he developed a habit called a daily “air bath.”

Air bath refers to sitting in your room without any clothes for some period of time. While sitting naked, Franklin would do some reading or writing. He claimed that this period was very productive for him and if he went to bed after the air bath, the sleep would be incredibly pleasing.

Leo Babauta, Founder of Zen Habits

Leo developed a morning routine that he finds very important to setting up his day in the best way. Of course, he had to experiment for some time until he found what works the best for him:

  • Wake at 4:30 am.
  • Drink water.
  • Set 3 Most Important Things (MITs) for today.
  • Fix lunches for kids and myself.
  • Eat breakfast, read.
  • Exercise (run, bike, swim, strength, or yardwork) or meditate.
  • Shower.
  • Wake wife & kids at 6:30 am.

Leo claims that this mourning routine instills a sense of peace and purpose to his day and also helps him achieve certain goals every day.

Takeaway

The truth is, nobody knows what the future has in store for us. Maybe you will get lucky and achieve more than you desired without putting in too much effort. Maybe your success will be the result of years and years of hard work. But, one thing that you can do is speed up the process slightly by using the above techniques and adapting the habits of people who are already successful. And, always keep in mind that success can only be achieved by those who are seeking it.

Tommy P.
Tommy P.

My very first thought when I became aware of my very own consciousness in this earthly world was... "whoa... why are we here? what's the meaning or purpose to life?" I was never able to shake these questions... So come join me on my podcast of rants on many different topics that will assist you in seeing things through a rose-colored lens and on living a life of well-being.

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