After reading about and studying a great many of the lives and habits of successful entrepreneurs and people who are rich today, we could say that there are huge differences, above all in the way they think (we discussed this in 10 ways the rich think differently from everyone else). In the end, it all comes down to habits and discipline. It’s not that the rich have certain habits; it’s that certain habits are what made them rich.
Although we’ve already published a full article on the 25 habits of successful people, this time we’re going for the simplest ones: the foundations of change, habits you can start adopting tomorrow and keep up day after day, adding others each week.
1. Wake up earlier
Most rich people have this habit. In fact, they agree that getting up early, even 3 hours before going to work, is what got them where they are.
They use that time to relax, exercise, read the papers, have a leisurely breakfast and get to work feeling calm, instead of flustered because the clock is breathing down their neck.
We’ve already published 5 compelling reasons to get up earlier, along with some tips to help you become a natural early riser.
2. Make a to-do list and stick to it
I don’t know if you’ve noticed how many people have so much to do that they end up doing nothing. From Richard Branson to Warren Buffett, they agree that having a list of priority things to do first means you won’t waste time thinking about what you should be doing.
That to-do list should be our work bible for the day, and so it has to be completed, no matter what, before the day is over.
3. Stay away from the phone and email
Sending WhatsApp messages and answering emails first thing in the morning may seem like a simple thing, but the vast majority of successful entrepreneurs agree that it isn’t the smartest move. If we spend our time on these tasks when our energy is at 100%, then by the time we move on to the more productive tasks that really matter, those tasks will tire us out much sooner.
Tim Ferriss didn’t check his email until well into the morning, and Arianna Huffington wants no technology early in the morning, except to catch up on her reading.
All of this brings us to one of the most important points…
4. Manage your time
A day has the same number of hours for everyone, but the rich use those hours much better than the rest of us. They don’t want to waste a single minute of the day, because they know that time management is one of the biggest competitive advantages they can have, especially in business.
If something that takes up our time is productive, we do it. If it isn’t productive, we don’t. If something absolutely has to be done by us, we do it, but if even a monkey could do it, we delegate that task while we do something more productive.
In other words, if we need to call a client to invite them to a party, our secretary or assistant can do it while we focus on calling another client to close an important sale.
And remember: whenever possible, the hardest thing should be the first thing we do, when our energy is at its peak.
See also: The world’s most successful people have these 7 habits in common
5. Learn something every day
Jim Rohn used to say that a person can skip a meal, but can never skip a minimum of 30 minutes of reading a day.
Daily reading and learning is one of the 3 habits that sum up Warren Buffett’s success, in his own words.
6. Look after your health
Our mind is our greatest asset, but our body is the vehicle that carries our mind, so we have to look after it properly.
Start a daily exercise routine and a healthy diet. But take Tony Robbins‘s advice and don’t set yourself the goal of losing weight or improving your figure if you lack willpower. Your goal should be to eat more healthily (for your health, not your looks). If you look after your health and eat a healthy diet, you won’t need to focus on losing weight. The weight will come off by itself. And if you exercise to improve your health, your figure will improve on its own.
7. When the day is over…
For the first few weeks and months, before going to bed at the end of each day, ask yourself these 3 questions:
- What have I learned today?
- Have I added any value to the people around me?
- Have I done everything I could today as well as I could?
Every day, these questions should have an answer that helps us improve the next day. Start here, and we’ll see how the year goes.
If you want something more complete: 20 daily habits that will improve your life in general and your success in particular.
Featured image: bigwavephoto / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
