Success habits turn those of our daily actions automatic that make time management & stress management more effective.
In this video we are exploring
- Which habits common for most successful people help optimize time.
- Habits help you use your energy efficiently daily as well as in the long run, and
- which ones help maintain an environment where your routines and habit systems keep working smoothly, making the best use of your mental and emotional resources.
A. Daily success habits to optimize time
Who better to learn which daily success habits are most useful than from successful people themselves because their habits are geared towards making them constantly better at what they do, manage their time super-efficiently, and keep their mind-body-attitude in perfect shape ready for any challenge.
Are they superhumans? No, they are just normal human beings with the right attitude. One that helps them see what truly deserves their time & which ones don’t.
1. Morning Routine
And one of the most important things is the habit of starting the day off right – a morning routine that works for them. It’s important because you know how everything usually seems to go wrong from the moment you are late in the morning and the whole day seems to fall apart? Yeah, so that’s why a morning routine that works is important.
2. Staying organized
Mary Erdos, The CEO of JP Morgan, in an interview to CNBC said that calendar management was the single most important thing for her.
Whether it’s a clutter-free work area, living area, or an efficiently managed to-do list, the habit of staying organized goes a long way in managing our time efficiently because it minimizes distraction.
In fact, it’s a very good idea to set some time aside in your morning routine to plan & organize your tasks for the day.
3. Exercise
This is another favorite habit of people like Bill Gates and Jack Dorsey of Twitter should be a part of your morning routine. Just simple stretching, breathing exercises, and a brisk walk is good enough to begin with.
When we take care of our body, stay physically active, it helps with our focus, concentration, energy levels, and mood throughout the day. And optimizing your health will help optimize your productive time as well.
B. Success habits to optimize energy
And like yin and yang, exercising and relaxing both help optimize our energy. When we exercise, it not only boosts our energy levels but also helps release emotions…relax mentally.
1. Daily stress relief
Take stress management seriously and make stress relief your daily success habit because stress basically busies up our brain’s focus. We get into the fight or flight mode, feel drained out and are basically unable to deal with the situation effectively.
Ariana Huffington, the founder of the Huffington Post swears by short relaxing breaks which she takes throughout the day. She feels it’s really effective for stress relief & boosts her productivity.
Take a walk in the park, a short nap, or make a lunch date with your best friend, anything that can squeeze into your schedule & change the pace for you.
Click here to know how to do it when busy.
2. Choosing friends carefully
Speaking of stress relief, mind the kind of people you surround yourself with. Because according to studies by the Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology at Friedrich Schiller University, our brain reacts with a strong stress response when dealing with toxic behavior from people.
Develop the habit of carefully choosing your friends. Audit and edit from time-to-time the people you associate with.
We gain from collective knowledge, get inspired from the tenacity of others. We feel we can do it too because the next person has done it but were once where we are right now. And the opposite also holds true.
So a habit of gravitating towards people who are also interested, or excited about the same things as you, who have the same mindset as you is going to make your journey much faster, smoother, and more enjoyable.
C. Success habits to optimize resources
One of the most important resources we have is our brain.
1. Reading daily
Keep learning to keep your brain young…it encourages new brain cell and neural pathway formation.
Bill Gates reads 50 books a year and it still remains one of his primary ways to learn new things and test his understanding.
It’s amazing how confusing things start making sense, falling into place, following a pattern of something totally unconnected when you open your mind to a variety of topics.
When we diversify the topics we learn about, it helps us make better decisions, look at problems in 3D. It’s based on the same idea why teams include experts on different topics to arrive at an effective solution.
2. Introspection
But for our brain to have the time to make these connections, we need to develop the habit of spending time alone with our thoughts. These times of introspection help us find “how do I make the best of the cards dealt to me”, “how do I take responsibility of my own life.”
We get a chance to monitor our self-talk when all the external distractions are removed.
3. Positivity
Introspection gives us an opportunity to refocus on the positives of any situation – the learning & possible solutions. Because those are the things that make us unstoppable.
Take the example of JK Rowling. Her is one of the most inspirational journeys about how she channeled her hardships into one of the most successful fiction series of our time.
That’s how powerful a habit of focusing on the positive, on action, ok-so-what-can-be-done, looks in real life.
Why Success Habits
Each habit shows what kind of a person you appreciate, which things you feel add to your quality of life or empowers you as a person. They make you feel good about yourself and boost confidence
because habits act as evidence for the qualities we value ourselves for – it’s not just ‘well said’, it’s ‘well done’. And the things we offer to get any kind of result matter a lot because you can’t make a fabulous dish with bland ingredients. Can you?
The key is to create habits that last.