13 daily habits of successful people that set them apart

What does success mean to you?

For lots of us, success means material wealth. The big house, the nice car, the luxury vacations. For other people, success may be measured in terms of life satisfaction or personal freedom.

But however you measure it, we all want to experience success.

How do you get there?

Well, it’s never a bad idea to look at what has worked for other people. Because it turns out, success is often a question of the habits that you build every day that set you up to succeed.

Here are some habits successful people practice that may help you go further in life, too.

1) Set intentions

There are lots of different ways to do this, but it’s a common behavior of highly successful people.

Deciding what you want to achieve that day and writing it down or saying it to yourself is a powerful way to get you focused on what really matters.

Reportedly, actor Hugh Jackman writes down his daily intentions in the past tense, as though he has already achieved them. Best-selling author Tim Ferriss uses five-minute journaling to set his intentions for the day.

Whatever method you use, a daily habit of setting intentions helps to get you focused on what matters and sets you up for success from the moment you start.

2) Protect your health

You’ve heard this one before. But sometimes, things are cliché because they are true.

Your brain is part of your body, after all, and if you want to function at the top of your game, you need to keep every part of your body healthy.

That means eating right. More leafy greens. Less processed food.

It also means getting enough exercise. When you’re busy at work, that can be especially hard.

Amy Beckley, founder and CEO of Proov, starts her day with a workout that not only keeps her body in good condition but helps her work out the day’s stresses.

Hotelier Valeriano Antonioli prefers extreme sports like skiing and mountain biking.

Richard Branson is an experienced kite surfer and holds the record of the oldest person to kite surf cross the English Channel.

You don’t have to go that far. Personally, I use a treadmill desk to exercise while I work and avoid the problems that come with a sedentary lifestyle.

Even small changes can make a big difference to your overall health.

3) Eliminate distractions

If you want to be successful, focus is everything.

That means eliminating distractions as much as possible.

Famously, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wears the same thing every day so that he doesn’t have to waste mental energy deciding what to put on. The same is true of Barack Obama and Steve Jobs.

You don’t need to go to that extreme. But it is important to first understand where your mental energy goes in a day, and then take steps to direct it where you want it.

That means getting rid of distractions as much as possible.

Silence your phone. Invest in a pair of noise-canceling headphones. Eat the same thing for lunch every day.

Cut as many distractions as possible out of your life, and you’ll find that your more focused energy can lead you to greater success.

4) Learn

No matter how good you are at what you do, there’s always something new to learn.

That’s why  WordPress founder Mark Mullenweg deliberately meets with people outside his industry to learn new things from them.

Sue Marks, founder of payroll company Cielo, also recommends looking outside your own company to learn new skills.

The thing is, you never know where you might get your next great idea. It could come from conversation with a taxi driver or a random encounter in the park.

So keep your mind open and be willing to learn every chance you get if you want to be successful.

5) Read

Some of the world’s most successful people are avid readers.

Bill Gates is famous for reading around 50 books each year. Warren Buffett recommends reading 500 pages each day.

These are just two examples of the many high-performing people who attribute at least part of their success to being an avid reader.

Importantly, reading helps you to learn. But it also helps to develop cognitive faculties like memory and insight that can be helpful in virtually all walks of life.

6) Focus on the big picture

Sometimes, just being alive in the world can feel like a job all by itself.

It’s so easy to get distracted by the various maintenance tasks you have to do, whether it’s the regular tasks of the workplace or maintaining your home life.

If you want to be successful, make sure you never lose sight of the big picture – whatever that means for you.

It could be a specific job you want, or a company you want to launch. It could be a place you want to live.

Whatever it is, make sure that your daily actions are designed to help you reach that goal. Never lose sight of the big picture, and you’ll be on the way to success.

7) Build strong networks

A person is only as good as their network. And while that’s true in the business world, it’s equally if not more true of your personal life.

Building strong business networks can open you up to new opportunities. It can also help you learn from people both inside and outside your own field of expertise.

But you will also need a strong personal network to support you when times are hard.

In the quest for success, don’t neglect your personal and professional relationships. Because ultimately, it’s other people who will lift you up when everything else seems determined to knock you down.

8) Minimize notifications

Smartphones have given us great things, but they also have a lot to answer for. In particular, they have created an always-on culture that makes us feel like we have to respond to everything in real time.

Steve Newman, founder of visibility platform Scalyr, recommends setting the expectation that you will respond to emails and other communication notifications once or twice a day, at set times.

Outside those times, turn your notifications off.

This will allow you to focus on what really matters.

A huge amount of communication is not really necessary. If you want extraordinary results, you need to prioritize your time and mental focus and not get bogged down in unproductive back-and-forth.

9) Keep a schedule

You can do this on paper, online, on your phone, or even just in your head. How you keep your schedule doesn’t matter. What matters is that you make yourself accountable for your time.

Here’s the thing: every day, new events come up that can occupy your time.

But having a schedule of what you want to do with the day will help you to focus on what’s most important.

That’s why highly successful people are always accountable to themselves about how they spend their time.

10) Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness may have its roots in Buddhism and Hinduism, but you don’t need to be a believer to get the benefits of mindfulness in your day-to-day life.

At its most simple, being mindful just means focusing on the present moment.

When you’re chasing success, it’s easy to get caught up in the future. Setting aside time each day to practice mindfulness, even if it’s only 10 minutes, will remind you that you are living your life now, in the present.

It also has proven benefits for mental health and focus.

11) Set aside time for creativity

We are all creative people. It’s just that not all of us realize it.

If you work in an industry that relies on new ideas, then you need to preserve your creativity as one of your greatest assets.

But even if you don’t, creativity is crucial to living a fully-realized life.

And the unpredictable nature of creativity means you may not know just how much it can help you achieve success.

The CEO of ThriftBooks, Mike Ward, recommends keeping a notepad application open on your phone to jot down ideas as they occur. You can even set aside a specific time each day to come up with new ideas.

12) Make time for what matters most

In all this chasing of success, it’s easy to lose sight of what you already have. That’s why many successful people make a habit of practicing gratitude.

It’s also important to carve out time for matters most to you.

Maybe that’s artistic interests. Maybe it’s your family.

Whatever it is, make sure you don’t neglect your soul while you work on your future. 

The journey to success is a long one, and it won’t do you any good to succeed if you’ve lost everything that meant something to you along the way.

13) Sleep

Finally, but possibly most importantly, make sure you get a solid night’s sleep each night. 

Sleep is how your body and brain heal themselves from a busy day, and without it, you will never be as effective as you should be.

We all need different amounts of sleep, but make sure you get several hours of quality sleep every night so you can be at your best.