We often look at successful people and view them as a different breed; people who are simply hardwired to achieve greater things. They see what we do not see and this allows them to do what we cannot do. However, their advantage isn’t genetics; it’s discipline, hard work, and a few tried and true habits that maximize their efforts.
These are six habits of highly successful people, and if you apply these to your daily life, you are capable of achieving the same success.
1) Successful People Wake Up Early
A poll taken by several CEOs states that over 90% of them wake up before 6 AM. Perhaps you don’t go to bed until 6 AM – how else are you going to marathon every episode of Game of Thrones? – but statistics show successful people tap into their biological clocks and make them conform to this schedule, resulting in great benefits.
You’re more productive.
We’re naturally programed to relax in the evenings; this is when we wind down. Even if you don’t wake up until noon, your body knows it’s the middle of the day and functions at a different capacity. By waking up early, you’re falling in sync with the natural rhythm of your body and operating better.
You have fewer distractions.
As few others wake up early, you’ll find there are fewer distractions. Social media will be quiet, your friends won’t be texting you, and any obligations outside of work will be many hours away instead of bearing down on you.
You literally have more time.
If biology wasn’t working against you, your mentality certainly is. Cultural influences have made afternoons a time for relaxing and evenings a time for recreation, courtesy of “Miller Time,” and the like. By waking up early, you have greater focus, since this time of day hasn’t been mentally programed as “watch Netflix” time or “hanging out with friends” time. Though the clock may be the same, you feel as more hours have been added to the day – hours that can be devoted to achieving goals.
2) Successful People Create Something
Polls have determined that the majority of successful people – CEOs, entrepreneurs, political leaders – take time at the end of the day to create something, even if they feel fatigued. It’s an outlet.
Outlets are very important to keep your mind operating smoothly. Stress and fatigue throughout the day begin to instill a sense of being “burned out.” Hobbies such as drawing, crafts, writing, and such allow you to drain out these negative emotions, clearing your mind for the next day. Success requires you to be functioning like a well-oiled machine, and outlets balance the mind and body.
It leads to inspiration.
These creations could service your productivity, inspiring something new for work. Perhaps you are drawing slightly embarrassing My Little Pony fan-art — something you’d never wish to connect to your work life — but as you are doing so, you have inspiration for a new color scheme in a client’s design or a different marketing method including a sense of community. These are leaps that may never have occurred to you with taking the time to unwind and let your mind wander.
3) Successful People Read
Every person who has experienced extra success boasts of their impressive collection of books. By reading often, you are broadening the scope of your knowledge. People of high intelligence are great achievers in life, as uncountable cases have proven, and the best method of increasing your intelligence is by reading. Many suggest nonfiction books both inside of your chosen field and outside. Inside to improve your knowledge on work-related tasks, and outside so you can learn new, unrelated methods and apply them to your field. For example, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is suggested by many CEOs, as it provides advice on leadership and strategy, which can be applied to more than battle.
4) Successful People Exercise
Not every CEO is Batman, but a great deal of them are physically fit – though this is intended to boost productivity, not fight crime.
This keeps you mentally alert.
Exercising releases chemicals like endorphins into the body that raise positivity and make you feel alert. This makes you think at your greatest capacity, accomplishing more. Successful people often work out in the mornings before work to prep for the rest of the day.
This keeps you healthy.
The mind is deeply affected by the body’s condition. By keeping a steady exercise routine – in a gym, not on rooftops – you are ensuring your body runs like a well-oiled machine, prolonging your life. Additionally, a fit body is a productive body, raising your endurance to handle overtime or strenuous activities.
5) Successful People Ask for Help
Successful people rarely achieve success all on their own. Humans are designed to be community creatures.
This allows more work.
The more hands on a job, the more can be accomplished, and this results in a greater profit for all parties. We often look to the CEO running a company and credit them the success, but their success is thanks to the many hands on the project.
This expands on creativity.
Two minds are better than one, and by outsourcing work to many people, you are setting many creative minds on the job. Others may see what you‘ve missed, or think of new innovative ideas.
6) Successful People Are Focused on Productivity
Successful people are in the habit of focusing their time to what truly matters. Answering emails is an important task, but takes several hours, distracting you from accomplishing vital work. Successful people know how to be objective; perhaps save email-answering for the end of the day, that way if time requires you to make cuts, it’s not your actual work which will suffer. Focus on the important things first.
Success is something that’s earned, not magically stumbled upon. By applying these six habits to your life, you’re equipping yourself to be highly successful.
CoWork. Collaborate. Create.
The opportunities are endless! Book a tour today to see if CoWorking is the right choice for you.
