Whether or not you realize it, what you do on a daily basis forms the core of who you are and how successful you are in life.
Recently, I read an article listing the routines of top CEOs, world leaders, stars, and other notable figures. What I found interesting was the fact that no two routines were exactly alike.
That being said, there were a few key habits shared by many of the world’s most successful people — habits that anyone can adopt.
So, though you’ll have to discover what a successful routine looks like for you, you can start implementing these habits of success today.
3 Habits of Success
1. Make sleep a priority
I don’t care who you are — consistent sleep deprivation will negatively impact every area of your life. It doesn’t matter when you sleep, but that you sleep, and enough. Some people (like President Obama) are night owls and find they work best late at night when there’s nothing to distract them.
Morning people (like former president George W. Bush) find that “early to bed, early to rise”… well, you know the rest. The key is to ensure that rest is a priority in your life, since it will improve the quality of your waking hours.
2. Allow yourself down time
Just as our bodies are designed to need rest, so are our minds. The advent of mental work that doesn’t involve physical labor has given many people the illusion that they can work incessantly without any negative affects. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Giving yourself mental breaks — even for fifteen minutes during the day or an hour before bed — can alleviate mental stress and greatly boost your outlook, vitality, creativity, and general ability to succeed in your work. Trying to cram work into every nook and cranny of our days is yielding negative affects on our productivity, decision-making abilities, and general health.
3. Unplug from technology
Even if you think you’re enjoying down time, beware of too much time spent on social media, the Internet, or other technology. Besides the eye strain from staring at screens, being constantly subject to an onslaught of information is not relaxing.
Consider switching out your iPad for a book, or playing a board game. Simply unplugging your phone for a few hours and interacting with the world directly in front of you is a good place to start. However you do it, find time to reconnect with yourself and build habits that lead to success.
Which habits do you consider essential for success?
{ read the comments below or add one }
One habit I think is most important is to have breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day. It is what gives us that kick start in the morning from that good nights rest we all had and it also provides the fuel not only physically but mentally that we use through out the day.
I’ve found that be unplugging and reading a book before bed allows me to fall asleep much faster. I’ve also realized just how important sleep is. I’ve always made it a point to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, but the last few weeks I’ve been getting between 5-6. I felt run down, unmotivated and less positive. I’ve since made it a point to prioritize sleeping again and in the past few nights have been getting my full 7-8 hours and feel much better.
I envy you who can run at full speed with just 7-8 hours! I could have wrote the exact same comment, but with 7-8 hours written as 9-10 hours! I’m full of energy with 10 hours of sleep but anything less equals less positivity and productivity!
I wish I knew the cure!
I love all these habits and I practice them regularly. Underneath sleep would be to have a healthy diet and exercise. Cliche but it makes a world of difference on all aspects of your life. As far as number 3, using a timer or setting a cutoff point on the internet has helped me out tremendously. Majority of the time we are just wasting time online…except for reading Moneyning of course 😉
Haha so true Bry. If you start with MoneyNing.com as soon as you go online, you will never have to worry about hearing that alarm in the middle of a great article! 🙂
But seriously, exercising is soooo important!
That ‘early to bed, early to rise’ business is so true.
*sipping a smoothie at 6:40 after waking up @ 5*
But the problem I do have is unplugging from the internet. Perhaps I’ll schedule some time away. 😉
Good for you Will for being able to rise early! I like to sleep more so though I want to wake up early, I rather sleep early and wake up late for now haha.