12 Daily Habits of Successful People

Success is a subjective phenomenon. Some people associate it with financial independence, while others associate it with happiness and peace.

In simple terms, successful people progress in life, overcoming challenges and designing their fates. Understanding daily habits of successful people is necessary for success in life.

This blog aims to introduce 12 essential habits for success. From morning routine to organization and personal care to self-reflection, it gives insights into the essential habits of successful people.

What is Meant by Success?

Before focusing on the habits of successful people, you need to understand what success is. True success means personal satisfaction with what you do.

This satisfaction makes one achieve goals and become a stronger and wiser version of oneself. When asked about his definition of success, Gates related success in life to giving back and changing lives:

“It is also nice to feel like you made a difference — inventing something or raising kids or helping people in need.”

Moreover, success is not a static state. It is a dynamic process that requires one to embrace change and foster personal growth and well-being.

Who are Successful People?

There are many definitions of successful people. For some, successful people are being financially independent, but for others, they are people with peace and happiness.

However, successful people are the ones who design their destinies. They cannot be intimidated by setbacks, no matter how they progress and what they learn from life. Some traits of successful people are as follows:

• Resilience
• Optimism
• Creativity
• Drive
• Adaptability
• Discipline

12 Daily Habits of Successful People

You must be wondering what successful people do in their daily routines. Some prominent successful people’s daily habits are discussed as follows:

1. Waking up Early

One habit common among all successful people around the world is waking up early in the morning. CEO of Disney, Robert Iger, says:

“I get up at 4:30 every morning. I like the quiet time. It’s a time I can recharge my batteries a bit. I exercise and I clear my head and I catch up on the world.”

Waking up early in the morning gives you ample time to perform your tasks and relax. You also have time to fulfill your hobbies and habits, like brushing your teeth, drawing, and cooking.

All these positive habits keep you away from depression. In a study conducted in Finland, 6071 participants were surveyed. It was found that morning chronotypes (those who prefer morning activities) are less likely to be depressed than evening chronotypes.

2. Organization

Organization is the most crucial habit for successful people. It involves planning, setting your goals, and taking action.

Successful people are usually higher achievers than others. Recent research found that 90% of the time, people who set challenging goals perform better than those with manageable goals. This enables successful people to stand out and embrace personal satisfaction.

SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis is also essential in an organization. It helps in setting goals more efficiently and accordingly.

3. Plan, Prioritize, and Take Action

Planning, prioritizing, and taking action are daily activities of Successful people. They achieve their goals keeping in mind these three aspects:

• Planning goals is the first step to success. Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail!!” Planning makes you aware of what you are doing when you are doing it, and why you are doing it.
• Prioritizing goals is important to achieving success. As Stephen R. Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, says, “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.”
• According to James Clear, “successful people act (start, anyway) before they feel ready. Planning and prioritizing tasks without action means nothing more just than just a potential”.

4. Personal Care (Diet, Exercise, and Hygiene)

Successful people always strive for their health and hygiene; personal care is part of their organization. According to recent American statistics, 60% of Americans set financial goals, while 80% set personal health and fitness goals.

Some daily personal care habits of successful people are the following:

• Successful people develop healthy eating habits, which are crucial to stay healthy and productive. Staying hydrated, eating healthy food, and avoiding junk food are necessary for maintaining good and sound health.
• They set time for daily exercise habits, which is important to keep you fit and healthy and boost your potential. Don’t be harsh on yourself; choose easy, enjoyable exercise. Let it be running, walking, swimming, cycling, etc.
• Maintaining hygiene is significant for a healthy mind and body. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), sanitation and hygiene are physical, social, and psychological phenomena that may improve health.

5. Positive Attitude

Another major daily habit of successful people is thinking positively and practicing gratitude. Positive psychology suggests that people who are happier are the most successful. According to many successful people, a positive attitude is one of the root causes of success.

Researchers from Stanford University found a brain pathway linking positive attitude with success in kids aged 7-10, showing positivity enhances problem-solving skills, math skills, and memory irrespective of IQ levels. A positive attitude enables one to focus more on opportunities rather than challenges in life, leading to success.

6. Networking

Networking is another habit that most successful people pay attention to. They spare their time for networking, exchanging ideas, and cherishing teamwork and collaboration, just like successful insurance agents.

They understand that they will ultimately become the people they surround themselves with. Therefore, they choose wisely.

Surrounding yourselves with your inspirational figures, idols, or, most importantly, mentors will help you in many unexpected ways.

Healthy connections are necessary for success, so building connections is one of the daily habits of successful people.

If you are surrounded by people who drain your energy and keep you down, replace them with healthy connections. According to Elon Musk, “Your network is your most valuable asset.”

7. Frugality

Successful people are frugal, not stingy. There’s a difference between the two concepts. Frugality is being thrifty with resources, while stinginess is a reluctance to spend money in the hope of collecting enough gold to bathe in.

Successful people are not spendthrifts. They negotiate, look for different options, and play for savings.

Frugality is being economical and avoiding spending money unnecessarily. The result is being smart with money, which makes you more efficient and successful. Financial education is a necessary skill to develop to be frugal. Keeping a budget is the first step to observing frugality and attaining financial freedom.

8. Reading

Successful people don’t waste their free time scrolling on social media or watching television for hours. They spend it reading and learning new things.

According to the latest research, approximately 88% of affluent people dedicate 30 minutes each day to self-improvement and self-education through reading.

Most successful people, such as Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, David Rubenstein, Phil Knight, and Elon Musk, are keen readers.

Developing reading habits opens an individual’s mind and creativity, enhancing their productivity. Reading might be for pleasure as well as to gain knowledge.

Successful people read to gain knowledge and insights which enable them to excel in life. Find out which reading style suits you and which genres and topics you enjoy the most to embark on your journey of embodying the habits of successful people.

9. Relaxation 

Relaxation is another important habit successful people practice daily. They take a breath before preparing for an effort yet to come. This is a natural process in contrast to conscious effort, which results from proper organization.

After performing essential tasks, successful people take breaks while relaxing or meditating to prepare themselves for the next task. Relaxing may involve activities like praying, meditating, or simply avoiding distractions. It is essential to keep you at peace and productive.

10. Multiple Goals and Side Hustles

Successful people don’t rely only on their primary source of income. They know how to multiply money. They learn new skills and act on their new and improved skill sets to make money.

Successful people have the daily habit of setting multiple goals with different side hustles. They have 7-8 sources of income including:

• The Main source: It involves utilizing various sources to generate initial capital requirements. To expand this capital, surplus capital is allocated to different sources.
• Properties: One of their sources of income is to invest in residential buildings. With this, their profits are limitless.
• Startups: They analyze startups through their hired workers.
• Dividend: They receive dividends two times a year by investing in stocks and shares.
• Own Companies: They own restaurants, cafes, hotels, and industries.
• Interest: They take interest.
• Subsidies: The government offers subsidies to those contributing their services in the lower sectors.
• Commission: Commission gained from contracts is also a good source of income, such as brokerage services, investment deals, or sales transactions.

11. Attract Success by Serving Others

Some successful people believe in the law of attraction, i.e., “like attracts like.” This law states that having positive thoughts will lead to positive outcomes.

Serving others is also one of the daily habits of successful people. They attract success by their positivity and by serving others. For instance, Bill Gates and his wife Melinda have revolutionized global development goals in poverty reduction, education, and health through their foundation.

Some ways to attract success by serving Include:

• Initiating cloth drives, fundraising events, environmental abatement, and blood donation camps.
• Donating money to poor ones or charity organizations.
• Working as a volunteer in local organizations or initiatives.

12. Self- Reflection

Self-reflection is another major habit of successful people. A famous quotation from Rumi goes, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

Successful people understand that in order to help others, they first need to support themselves and address their own needs. Daily self-reflection enables them to improve themselves and then work on their goals accordingly.

The world is too noisy. Creating a calm space for yourself and spending 15-20 minutes on self-reflection will pay off tenfold in a year.

You can track and follow all these habits with the help of the atomic habit scorecard or the notion habit tracker.

Some Bad Habits to Avoid for Gaining Success

While there are habits that will make you successful, there are some habits you must avoid to become successful. The following are those habits:

• Fear of failure
• Procrastination
• Crying over past
• Not working on acquaintanceship
• Having perfectionist tendencies

Start Modeling Successful People

Successful people never give up; they keep making efforts. In the beginning, you may not complete your daily to-do lists. You might be unable to complete your goals, practice gratitude, and spare time for self-reflection. The only way to combat this is to start modeling successful people. It is okay not to be perfect, but continue making efforts.

How to Align with the Daily Habits of Successful People?

To align themselves, individuals must start modeling successful people until they become them. They must continue making efforts to develop habits of organization, goal setting, self-care, networking, positive thinking, and side hustles. But being hopeful is the key to becoming an efficient and successful individual.

Conclusion

To keep it short, successful people have some habits in common that they practice daily. These habits include organization, networking, self-care, self-reflection, and side hustles. By avoiding habits like procrastination, perfectionism, thinking about the past, and fear of failure, one may embark on his/her journey of success. Moreover, modeling successful people is essential to staying motivated.