Successful leaders know habits are important. They understand habits make the difference between success and failure, good leadership and bad leadership. It’s not enough to have a few habits that look great on paper; it’s about having habits that make you successful in life.
This article explains the five daily habits of highly successful leaders. These habits can be used by anyone who wants to become more successful, whether they’re an aspiring leader or not! But if you play a leadership role in your organization or business having these habits are especially important.
Wake up early
The time you wake up doesn’t matter. As long as you and your team meet deadlines there’s nothing to worry about. Yeah, that’s what you might tell yourself. If so, you’re wrong. The time you wake up absolutely most definitely matters!
Leaders that wake up early get more done than leaders who sleep in. Waking up at the same time every day is a great way to train your body and brain for success. You can accomplish so much more when you start working earlier rather than later.
Waking up early allows you to have some quiet time every morning that sets the tone for how productive you’ll be all day long. While you can use this quiet time to get things organized for the day or get an early start on a busy day there’s another reason waking up early is important!
As a leader, you might spend almost all your day working with and for your team. This doesn’t allow you to have much time for yourself. So waking up early gives you the time to pay attention to yourself before you start focusing on work and your team members. Focusing on the needs of your team members will be much easier if you don’t end up feeling like you’re neglecting yourself in the process. So CREATE opportunities to have some me-time at the beginning of your day.
Exercise regularly
Regular exercise is one of the most important cliches. Really! If you haven’t yet started to exercise regularly you may be sick of hearing that you need to get an exercise routine going. But hey facts are facts.
Getting any sort of physical activity in, even if it’s a stroll in the park or walking to the cornerstone instead of driving, helps! You don’t have to go running marathons or enter a fitness competition. In fact, the more exercise you do throughout your life is generally better than just starting an intense workout routine as soon as possible.
However, including at least a 15-minute exercise in your day will do so much for your physical and mental health. Being a leader is stressful sometimes, and you need a positive outlet so you don’t end up blowing up and unintentionally mistreating others.
We’ve all experienced “brain fog”. It sucks productivity away, and as a leader, you cannot afford to NOT be clear-headed. You must be level-headed to guide your team in the right direction and make good decisions. Besides getting enough sleep, regular exercise is the perfect antidote to brain fog. Yes, a good sweat can be key to your thinking straight.
Eat healthily and stay hydrated
You are what you eat! If you eat garbage you WILL BE GARBAGE and it will show in your leadership!
Our organs are like parts of a complicated machine(our bodies). They need to be working right for us to function well. The vitamins we get from our food are crucial to this. And no, taking multivitamins and eating whatever the hell you want is not the way to go. Nothing compares to getting vitamins from our diet. So think about your favorite vegetables, fruits, and healthy snacks and include them in your diet.
What’s more, after eating a healthy meal you’ll feel good. You won’t feel loaded down and ready to call it a day. This will keep you in the shape to complete your tasks and guide your team.
In addition, if you put the wrong fuel in your machine it won’t run right. It’s like putting diesel into a gas engine! Or running full blast on an empty tank of water(hydration). Food is fuel. But water is so very important too! You CANNOT THINK CLEARLY IF YOU ARE DEHYDRATED.
Many people don’t even realize they are dehydrated. But in the case of many, when they start feeling thirsty they’ve already been dehydrated for much too long. You should drink water constantly, before you feel thirsty, to avoid dehydration.
Stay organized and prioritize tasks
Staying on top of your responsibilities while juggling all the other things in life can be a real challenge. Staying organized and prioritizing tasks will help you stay sane!
Waking up early has already been mentioned as being important for leaders, but it’s also important to make the time you spend awake productive. This means staying organized and prioritizing tasks so you can be as efficient as possible.
This isn’t just about being punctual, although that’s important too. It’s also about getting stuff done without losing track of what needs to be done next! And it doesn’t hurt if all your responsibilities are already lined up in chronological order. That makes it easy to prioritize the most important task of the day right?
Read a book or article to improve your knowledge every day (or listen to an audiobook while you’re on the go)
There are so many ways to learn new things, but reading is still king.
You don’t have to read a 500-page book every day! But the more you know the better equipped you’ll be as a leader and in life. And it’s not even about what your level of education was or how smart you are; it’s the fact that you’re still learning and growing. Letting your mind absorb new things can be just as important to stay sharp in business and life!
It’s understandable that you lead a busy life. But not having enough time is a poor excuse for not spending at least some time reading. You will have to MAKE the time to do it.
Another great way to learn new things despite time constraints is listening to audiobooks while you’re on the go. You can pack a lot of information into your day by listening to some quality educational content while commuting or running errands.
Technology friends. Use it.
The Final Comment
We’ve just shared some of the most effective, yet simple lifestyle changes you can make to put yourself in a better position for success. Now it’s up to you to take action and get started. But don’t worry! If your goal is leadership development or professional coaching services, we have experts on staff ready and waiting to help guide you along the way. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and live life with intention! For more information about our Top Tier Coaching Services text “info” to (714) 202-9928.
