It’s not by accident that certain people are more successful in life. Ok, so maybe it takes a little bit of luck too, but there are a number of habits that many successful people share.
The good news is, we can all benefit by taking a cue from these people and changing some of our own habits to be more in line with their healthy attitude and productive behavior.
1. Stay Organized
This is an obvious one, but how many of us are truly great at this? We often have good intentions, but are you following through? Are you keeping up with sorting your emails and can you pull up that file from last month in just a few seconds? Organization is the key to an efficient life. If you are not excelling in this area, add it to your to-do list!
2. Take Care of Yourself
With busy schedules and packed days, taking care of yourself can fall lower and lower on your priority list. A late night means a skipped morning workout. A full schedule means lunch is a handful of chips between meetings. It’s so easy to put ourselves last. The truth is, we need to take proper care of our bodies and minds in order to be the most productive versions of ourselves. To get the most out of your days, taking care of yourself needs to become a top priority on your task list.
3. Network
You can only learn so much holed up in your office. Getting out and meeting new people helps build relationships and could generate leads for your business. There is also a huge value in developing your people skills and practicing collaboration. It’s usually when people come together that big ideas get spawned. At Hanlon this skill is so important to us, that each employee is encouraged to get out and attend a few networking events per quarter.
4. Have a Positive Attitude
It’s no surprise why being positive is one of our core values. People are drawn to positivity and will want to work with you. Negativity kills productivity. How can you get anything done when you are constantly complaining about what you are tasked to do? You’ll get a lot further in life with an upbeat, can-do attitude.
5. Know When to Say No
If you’re always doing everything, can you really be doing any of it to the best of your abilities? It’s important to know what is worth your time and what would be better suited for someone else. If you receive a request that you know your company can’t handle or will need outside resources to complete, rather than taking it on and hoping to figure it out later, take a step back. If you get jammed up and are not able to pull through, it could damage you and your client’s relationship. Is it worth it? Though you never want to disappoint, there’s no shame in saying no. Sometimes it’s the responsible thing to do.
6. Listen
Simple enough, right? You hire your employees for a reason, they have some skill set that you either do not personally possess or do not have the time to tackle. They also have different ideas, experiences, insights, and new ways of looking at things. All of which could be beneficial to your company if you just take the time to hear them.
7. Take Action
While being organized and prepared is great, it’s all for nothing if you don’t take the next step. Successful people take action. They don’t let doubt override them, they take a chance and put their plans into motion.
8. Rise Early
Often, your mind is clearest and most productive first thing in the morning. Why not take advantage of that? You also simply have more day available to you. Before 8 am you could have already worked out, done the laundry, checked your emails, and prepped lunch for the week! Imagine how much smoother your schedule would flow with so many chores done before you even start your workday.
9. Commit to Personal Growth
Personal growth is contagious. If you commit to exercising more, you’ll notice that you’ll want to eat healthier. One good habit sparks another. If you are always striving to be better, and never settling, you will see changes in your business.
10. Feed Your Mind
Make an effort to learn. Follow and listen to inspirational speakers, read motivational books, whatever works for you, just make an effort to always be filling your mind with the knowledge of those who have been down your path before.
Anyone can change their habits, you just have to make the conscious choice to do so. Push yourself to be more like people who are doing it right and you’ll see just how far it can take you. So, what time is your alarm set for tomorrow?