Are you someone that rolls through your days with no plan or schedule? Do you jump from one task to another without much thought or consideration? Do you thrive on spontaneity and surprises? Or are you a person who craves structure and routine? Do you meticulously plan out your days and your to do lists? Do you get excited by organization and the arrival of next year’s blank calendar ready to be filled? Whether you are carefree or methodical, research has shown that achieving a comfortable balance between those two qualities as well as having a few simple daily habits can set us up for success. Believe it or not, having routine in your day doesn’t have to be rigid or restrictive. A bit of structure in our daily life actually allows for more freedom, creativity, and opens the path to fulfilling our true potential.

Today, I am going to share with you 11 daily habits for success. Try a few of these in your life and notice after a few days how these simple changes improve motivation, decrease procrastination, build momentum, increase efficiency, boost mood, and reduce stress. So let’s get started…

1. Make a plan – Before you go to bed each night, spend a few minutes planning for the next day. Schedule blocks of time for everything that is important to you. Be sure to include appointments, meetings, meals, family time, and don’t forget to include time for self care. Don’t worry about writing an overwhelming to do list with countless items that you could never complete in a single day. Instead, focus on writing down your Top 3 List. Just three things that if you get them completed, you will feel the day has been a success.
2. Go to bed early – Did you know going to bed early and getting 8 hours of sleep each night has been scientifically proven to boost your brain power? Recent studies have shown that sleep deprivation can seriously diminish a person’s cognition, concentration, and memory. So, if you want to wake up refreshed, focused, and ready for a successful day, head to bed early each night.
3. Get up with the first alarm – Set your alarm the night before and get up as soon as it goes off without hitting snooze, not even once. Why is this such a big deal, you ask? Well, hitting snooze subconsciously can register as a failure in your mind. By not getting up, you have already let yourself down, not achieved your first goal of the day, and you aren’t even out of bed yet. Instead, start your day with a success, get up, and get going on a productive day ahead. 
4. Drink water – Your body needs to stay hydrated to perform at its best and there is no better way than by drinking water. Did you know that your brain is mostly water, so by drinking it, you will notice increased focus, alertness, and concentration. Water can also increase energy and reduce fatigue, leading to a more successful day. So get a big bottle filled with ice water and start drinking!
5. Listen to music – There’s nothing that can lift your spirits quicker or get you pumped up faster than your favorite upbeat song. To get yourself going on a successful and productive day, turn on your favorite tunes and spend a few moments singing or dancing along. Remember if you are feeling down or lethargic, don’t put on music that fits your melancholy mood, instead put on bright, lively music for the mood you WANT to be in.
6. Eat something energizing – Another surefire way to a successful and productive day is by nourishing yourself with energizing foods. Each of us is different so if you pay attention to your body after you eat, you have probably noticed certain meals leave you feeling sleepy and sluggish while others leave you feeling invigorated and ready to go. Satisfy your hunger with foods that are balanced in carbs, protein and fiber that contain high levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants such as berries, nuts, legumes, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and dark chocolate.
7. Get outside – Spend some time every day getting outside. Study after study have proven the tremendous physical and mental health benefits of spending time in nature. Just a few minutes outside each day has been shown to reduce stress, decrease fatigue, improve memory, boost mood, fight anxiety and depression, increase focus and creativity, as well as sharpen thinking. All of these incredible benefits can lead to a more successful life.
8. Practice gratitude – Write down or say out loud three things that you are grateful for each day. They don’t have to be big…it can be as simple as your cup of coffee, anything that makes you happy and lifts your spirits. Being in a grateful and positive mindset each day, increases productivity and motivation.
9. Move your body – Why not get the blood pumping with a few minutes of exercise each day? This doesn’t have to be an hour long high intensity workout, you can start slow with a few simple stretches or yoga poses to help with flexibility and circulation or maybe try a nice stroll around your neighborhood. Anything that gets you up and moving, helps to release endorphins in your body that improve mood and increase energy levels leading to a more successful day.
10. Focus on your why – Spend some time each day focusing on your why. Why are you doing this? Why do you want this dream to come true? Why is it important to you? When life throws you a curveball and things get tough, it’s important to remember why you got started in the first place. Keeping your personal “why” front and center, helps to maintain focus, motivation, and productivity while striving for success each day.
11. One small step – Look for one small step you can take action on each day that will move you closer to living your dream. It is those small, incremental moves, done day in and day out, that ultimately create success. Most major accomplishments don’t happen overnight. The most successful people in all walks of life, work step by step to achieve their goals whether they are recording an album, writing a book, making a film, building a business, creating a new product, or perfecting a skill. So, make taking one small action each day towards YOUR dream, a new daily habit for success!

Remember, if you don’t wake up every day, pumped up and ready to go, that’s completely normal. Even the most successful people don’t wake up every single day feeling motivated and ready to take on the world. What makes these high achievers different from most of us is that they set themselves up for success with simple, daily habits they can fall back on and use to launch themselves into a productive day no matter how they felt when the alarm first went off.   

What are your daily habits for success?
Please let me know in the comments!