We all wish to adopt the habits of successful people. Some people seem to be able to make a success of any task that they undertake. This can sometimes look as though some people are born lucky or more advantaged in some ways. While there may be elements of luck and advantageous financial or educational backgrounds, most successful people make their own luck.
So what are the common behaviours that make a person become successful. Below are some of the daily habits and routines that are adopted by accomplished individuals.
By changing some of your own behaviours, you can help transform your habits to become more productive in work and in your personal relationships.
Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People
A hugely influential example of developing habits for success was created by Stephen Covey. In his book 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, covey developed seven habits which successful people employ.
The work of Stephen Covey can be adapted to inspire people in the workplace, in positions of leadership or management. They have been used by many people to help improve their productivity, goal achievement, business growth and personal success.
The seven habits are valuable for parenting, counselling, relationships, mediation and more:
- Control your environment: By being proactive, you can take control of a situation rather than letting the situation control you.
- Lead your mind in the right direction: Always consider your objective and have this in mind throughout all activities that you undertake. You will find that you become more productive when you avoid distractions and focus on important jobs.
- Manage your activities well: Ensure that you organise your activities according to your aims and objectives. This is the habit of managing your physical activities effectively.
- Find success co-operatively: When you work with others you can achieve more. Thinking win-win when considering interpersonal leadership produces better results than thinking win-or-lose.
- Communicate both ways: Make an effort to understand the person or organisation that you are communicating with. By using skills of empathy, you can better make yourself understood and build more fulfilling relationships.
- Work well with others: Creative co-operation with others will produce a more positive result for all. You will produce higher achievements collectively than you could by yourself.
- Keep growing: Ensure that you are always expanding your spiritual, mental, physical, emotional and social self. All these aspects of yourself require continual renewal and review.
The seven habits developed by Covey are simple rules that everyone can live their lives by. Adopting these habits in your life should help you find fulfillment, success and improved relationships.
Morning Habits
Successful people make the best use of the mornings through routines that help them to achieve the most from the day. Waking early and adopting a solid ritual will help you achieve better results.
Making a good start in the morning ensures that you are one step ahead of the competition from the outset. This time of day is when you are mentally and emotionally strongest. So make it a priority to use your mornings wisely.
- Don’t miss breakfast: Enjoying a good breakfast in the morning will help you to stay focused throughout the day. Ensure that your breakfast is healthy and nutritious so that the fuel that you put in your body releases energy slowly and consistently.
- Find your mantra: Discover a positive mantra that inspires you. Repeat this to yourself every morning to reinforce it. You will now be able to focus clearly on what motivates you throughout the day.
- Rising early: Getting up an hour earlier can provide you with extra time that you never had before. People who make a habit of waking early can perform better in a range of skill-sets. Early risers are better problem solvers and are more optimistic than those who sleep in.
- Tackle the biggest job first: If you have one job which is filling you with dread, then complete that one first. You will find that the rest of the day will be a lot easier without the shadow of the big job ahead of you. The longer you put off the hardest job the more difficult it becomes as you become more fatigued.
- Find clarity: take a few minutes in the morning to reflect on the day ahead. Think about your goals and the things that need to be done. A short period of positive thinking and quiet reflection can help you to think clearly throughout the day and continue in an improved state of mind.
- Clear out clutter: Waking up in a cluttered environment can make it harder to focus. With piles of junk and paperwork piling up you wont be able to concentrate fully until it has been cleared out.
- Enjoy the calm of the morning: For a few moments before your busy day begins, learn to enjoy the silence of the morning. This will allow you to be alone with your thoughts and prepare your mind for the day ahead.
- Exercise: Exercise has been proven to benefit your physical health and improve your mental alertness. Early in the morning, there are fewer interruptions which means that you can fit in a quick workout to boost your energy levels.
- Smart snacking: Bring healthy snacks with you to revive your energy levels throughout the day. Plan ahead so that you have a healthy alternative available and do not be tempted by unhealthy snacking.
- Get a good nights sleep: Getting a good nights sleep is important if you want a sharp mind and healthy body. If you are not getting enough sleep, your biorhythms become out of step which effects your whole body. Ensure that you go to bed early so that you wake up feeling fully rejuvenated.
Become inspired by some morning habits of the most successful people in this article.
Weekend Habits
Successful people understand that every day should be used to its full potential. This includes weekends. The weekend is the perfect time to rejuvenate and prepare for the week ahead. But how you manage your time over the weekend can also give you the edge over the competition.
- Make the most of the morning: Our brains are at their most efficient within the first two to four hours of the day. Sleeping in is not an option for successful people. Remember, while you are snoozing, someone else is using this time to improve themselves in your field.
- Set daily goals: Plan your day ahead of time. If you know what you are aiming to achieve over the weekend, you can find time for study, research, networking as well as relaxation, family time and socialising.
- Remain Focused: Whatever activity you decide to undertake, ensure that you are fully present. Don’t let yourself get distracted by email, social media, phone calls or sports results while doing something else. Multi-tasking means doing many things inefficiently.
- Stay physically active: Most successful people understand the importance of staying active in their free time. Physical exercise is the only proven way to keep your body fit as well at the same time as improving your mind.
- Do what is important to you: Working throughout the weekend on your profit margins may feel productive but you need to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Prioritise visits to friends or family during the weekend so that you keep in touch with what you are working for.
- Do something interesting: Making time for hobbies or interests over the weekend is important to your personal development. Some activities are great for networking while others allow you time to become creative and reduce stress levels.
- Take time out: Weekends can become busier than week days. So it is important to prioritise some time for reflection and quiet contemplation. Sitting still and silent for 20 minutes twice a day will improve your creativity, reduce stress and make you more productive.
- Forget what everyone else is doing: Social media is constantly bombarding us with images of our friends having fun in exotic locations without you. It can feel as though you are missing out and need to get involved. Successful people usually recognise that where they are now is exactly where they want to be.
- Personal reflection: Keeping a daily diary is a great way to record your thoughts, ideas and emotions throughout the week. Use some time in the weekend to look back at your achievements during the week so that you can develop a strategy for improving over the following week.
- Donate your time: Helping others is a common trait amongst successful people. You can provide funding for projects to help those who are more disadvantaged than you. Or you can volunteer your time to assist community projects. Helping others can be of benefit to yourself by providing a sense of fulfilment, reducing stress and putting your own problems into perspective.
- Get Prepared: The weekend is the perfect time to begin preparing for the week ahead. If you have a strategy ready for Monday morning, you will hit the road running while everyone around you is deciding what to start working on.
Use the weekend to reflect on feedback and achievements from the past five days. Using this time to plan carefully will give you a real advantage over the competition. - Don’t stop: Ambitious people don’t see the weekend as a time to stop trying to achieve their goals. Successful people are working towards the bigger picture 24 hours a day 7 days a week. If you want to succeed higher than the competition, that means working smarter.
Using the weekend to your advantage will give you the edge over people who only work towards their dreams for five days a week. Knowing the most effective way to spend your weekend and knowing what to avoid doing will push you in the right direction for success.
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