12 Habits Of Highly Successful People

What’s the secret to success? First, there’s no secret. But those who studied the habits and daily routines of highly successful people identified they often do things that make them more likely to succeed than others who aren’t willing to do those same things. If you aspire to be a highly successful individual, these 12 habits, commitments and rituals are ones some of the world’s most admired achievers do every day.

1.      Rise early, aren’t snoozers

To take advantage of the hours before the business day begins, many high-achievers wake up early—Richard Branson wakes at 5 a.m. and Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, is on the tennis court by 5:45 a.m. They use this time to plan their day, exercise or work on personal projects such as writing a book.

2.      Exercise

Successful people exercise not just to keep their bodies in shape and to have the stamina to tackle all of their commitments, but also because exercise keeps the brain healthy, reduces stress and helps improve memory, creativity, and productivity. Regular exercise also helps ensure a good night's sleep, critical for being your best self the next day.

3.      Read voraciously

From Mark Cuban who says he reads three hours almost every day to Warren Buffett who reads up to six hours each day, successful people read to gain critical knowledge that lets them rise above the competition. All types of books—fiction, non-fiction, biographies, personal development, business, etc.—are effective.

4.      Rigorous about their to-do lists

Successful people focus on their key result areas and allow others to handle their assigned duties without micromanaging. They understand what tasks will drive the most results for them and delegate any other tasks that aren’t important for them to personally do to others on their team. 

5.      Take breaks outside the office

Successful people break free of the office walls to gain new perspectives and get reenergized for the rest of the day. Whether it’s a brisk walk around the building or just a moment to reflect on a beautiful day, successful people give their minds and bodies a break from sitting in front of the computer or in the boardroom.

6.      Journal

There are many different ways to leverage journaling to your advantage, but many successful people use it to plan goals for the day and to reflect on opportunities for improvement at the end of the day. Others use journals to write down what they are grateful for.

7.      Embrace failure

Successful people know that mistakes get them one step closer to succeeding. They don’t fear failure; in fact, they try to accelerate their learning experiences by failing early and often. They have an attitude of never giving up and use failure as an opportunity to learn and become better the next time around.

8.      Plan to succeed

Whether it’s the first thing they do each morning or the last thing they do each day, successful people are consistent in planning their days and weeks. Some people use time on Sundays to get organized and set their priorities for the week. Regardless of the particular routine, successful people create a plan for success.

9.      Take vacations

It might be easy to assume successful people work all the time, but in reality, they do understand the power of a break from work to decompress and gain perspective to come back to their goals and professional lives renewed.

10.  Meditate

Successful people are able to take a breath and quiet the noise in order to be more productive when they return to the task. This can be as simple as 5 minutes of deep breathing or a more dedicated meditation practice.

11.  Spend time with inspiring people

Successful people tend to spend their time with a highly motivated personal and professional network. They limit their exposure to negative and toxic people because they believe you are as successful as the closest people you hang out with.

12.  Control their schedule

To maintain their schedule, successful people control when they do certain activities such as check email only a couple times a day or stay off of social media except for designated times. They don't react to other's requests; they plan their day and schedule to prevent interference with their priorities. For example, some people have meeting-free days and don't allow meetings to be scheduled on that day regardless of how much another person believes it's imperative.

These are just 12 of the habits of highly successful people. Rather than try to adopt each and every one, select just one on the list and commit to doing it until it becomes a habit. Then, you can add another one to your repertoire.

What habit, routine or commitment do you believe drives success and should have a place on our list?

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About Bernard Marr

Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, blockchains, and the Internet of Things.

LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that reaches millions of readers.