Get All Access for $5/mo

#10 Daily Habits to Learn from Successful People To steer yourself onto the path of great success, you first need to have a routine of small but profoundly impactful habits

By Justas Markus

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock

Whether you are just getting your startup off the ground or you have a regular 9 to 5 job, you need a couple of habits to help you develop, grow, flourish, and turn into a success. These habits, when repeated enough time, will create the healthy and balanced lifestyle that you ought to be working towards in the first place.

To steer yourself onto the path of great success, you first need to have a routine of small but profoundly impactful habits. Exercising, completing the toughest projects when you get to work, and spending quality time with your family and loved ones are just examples of tasks that will promote success and productivity every day.

Other habits to add to your daily routine include:

1. Create a Morning Routine

Start by building a habitual morning routine to help you start each day in the best way possible. You should stick to this routine every day – including a weekend. Although allowing some slack and imperfect over the weekend is important, you should not diverge from the routine you created too much.

Instead of late nights and big sleep-ins, consider turning in early and doing a short workout in the morning. Followed up with a cold shower, this is one of the best daily habits to keep your body charged, fresh, and ready to take on any project that comes your way.

2. Plan Strategically

Every famous/successful person you know got to where they are today by making planning one of their crucial daily habits. Without substantial, strategic, and thought out plans, you are bound to fail. As Benjamin Franklin said, failing to plan equals planning to fail.

As you make your plans, ensure that they are perfectly aligned with your top goals. By so doing, you will be able to prioritize your plans according to what you need to accomplish to actualize your deepest dreams.

Most entrepreneurs actually plan out each day the night before. As a result, they can wake up with a plan and purpose for what they need to achieve during the next 8 to 12 hours. The plan also empowers them to get going with an agenda for the day – one that will be difficult to stall or hide from.

3. Focus on Revenue Generation

This daily habit will work out perfectly for you if your startup is in its early stages. Every day, focus on those activities that actually add to your bank balance. Therefore, if what you are doing will not pin for a profit, you need to stop.

For instance, with regards to social media marketing, you'll be required to make daily posts on different social media platforms. Why not create a sound social media content plan and auto-schedule these posts in advance? Say, on Sunday night? This strategy will enable you to free up time over the week to work on something that will eventually make you wealthier.

If you have been completing tons of time wasting activities, create a new daily habit to refocus your energies and skills and to give you the clarity you need to become richer and financially stable.

4. Make Affirmations

Every morning, give yourself a short but impactful positive self-talk. Tell yourself that you're already successful, sensible, attractive, innovative, intelligent, humble, inspiring, leading, loving, influential, confident, productive, and creative.

This strategy will give you the positive boost you need to get started on the right footing. It will also add that extra confidence that will see you going through anything that comes your way and emerging successful.

5. Find a Zone of Genius

Successful people can identify the gifts and strengths they are bringing to the table. They are also aware of those tasks will take them out of this zone of genius.

By identifying this zone, you will be able to master the strategies of team building, outsourcing, and delegation. After all, not everyone can do everything all the time. You need a support team of similar geniuses around to take up anything you are not talented in. Pay them well, and the returns on your investment will come back to you in multiples.

All savvy business owners find other people to complete any task that is outside their zone of genius, as well as activities that won't generate revenue directly for the company.

This daily habit will keep you in tune with your skills, abilities, and unique talents. You will also have enough time to activate these gifts for purposes of meeting the goals/objectives that should be done that day.

6. Learn Persistence and Consistency

By setting up consistent systems and rhythms and sticking to them, you will be able to move forward and grow any project you are working on. Persistence, especially in the face of great loss, adversity, and fear, will also help you stay on track instead of focusing on the problems or giving up.

7. Tackle the Hardest Projects First

For more productivity, you should learn how to work on the hardest projects first thing in the morning. According to Laura Vanderkam's research, most successful people devote their mornings to their most important to-do project.

To be more productive and successful, this is a daily habit you need to cultivate. Make your to-do list the night before in order of priority, get good sleep, exercise, practice the morning ritual you set, take a proper breakfast, and fire up the day by working on the hardest project first.

8. Work Nights

Like Barack Obama, think about giving yourself a head start for the next day each night. After everyone has retired to bed, Obama stays up working on the odds and ends that were left over from that day.

Having time to yourself at night will give you the focus you need to catch up on your work as well as to get ready for the coming day. You will also free up sometime the coming day by accomplishing a couple of projects at night – which you can use to exercise and take breakfast with your loved ones (family, friends, etc.).

9. Be Creative When Tired

The human body has natural clocks which determine the best times to work, exercise, sleep, and eat. Although you might not be able to do every single thing right every time, you should listen to this body clock.

When you feel bogged down and tired, engage your brain in something a bit creative and fun. For instance, if you like swimming, take an hour off work to get some exercise done before resuming your duties. When you get back, you will feel instantly re-energized to take on an even more complicated project.

10. Remain Flexible

In all of the above, learn the art of flexibility. Tim Ferriss, for instance, makes every day different because that's his unique way to remain productive and successful. Of course, even as you do this, ensure that your schedule is organized; otherwise, everything will get out of hand.

Flexibility is great because it keeps you energized and excited about otherwise boring tasks. Knowing that you only have to focus on something for an hour or two will compel you to give your all to it – leading to better chances of success.

Conclusion

Over and above everything, there are tons of other lessons that you can learn from the truly successful. However, adopting a couple of key daily habits ranks among the most important things you can do to brace yourself for success, financial stability/wealth, and a balanced lifestyle. Adopt the above tips and enjoy the positive changes they will bring to your life.

Justas Markus

Marketer, Blogger & Entrepreneur.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Leadership

I've Spent 37 Years in Business — Here's How I Beat the Odds and Stayed Ahead

For over thirty years, I have led a successful media production and communication consulting company. Only 25% of new businesses survive for 15 years or more, so I have beat the odds. But having staying power is not a matter of luck.

Business News

'I'm Not Trying to Land on Mars': Mark Cuban Takes Dig at Elon Musk to Explain Why His Online Pharmacy Isn't Trying to Make More Money

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. is an online pharmacy co-founded by Cuban and radiologist Alex Oshmyansky.

News and Trends

Talent, Digital Infra, Policy, and Startups Driving India's GCC Ecosystem

By leveraging its demographic dividend and evolving policies, India is uniquely positioned to become the preferred choice for global enterprises seeking scalability, resilience, and a future-ready operational base.

News and Trends

India Moves Towards AI Regulation: IT Minister Highlights Need for Balanced Approach

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, emphasized the importance of addressing fake news while upholding freedom of speech

Growth Strategies

Indian Graduates' Employability Rate Reaches 54.81 per cent: Report

By addressing regional disparities, fostering gender diversity, and equipping graduates with both technical and soft skills, stakeholders can harness the full potential of the nation's workforce.