Optimize Your Life: 10 Things Highly Successful People Do Every Day

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Optimization may be the buzzword of this generation, but it also applies to our personal lives as much as it does to the business world. Looking to optimize your life and completely change yourself for the better? Read on for 10 things that successful people do everyday.

1. Have a Morning Ritual

There’s something about rituals that make everything else seem to fall into place. While the morning can be particularly distressing for some people, finding a way to quiet your mind and plan out your schedule is the key to winning the day. Having a set morning ritual everyday will allow you to settle into a routine, allowing you to wake up peacefully and begin the day mindfully.

Many people like to start their morning with meditation. For the first few minutes of the day, they quiet their minds, push out any pending responsibilities, and find time to focus on being in the moment. This exercise in self awareness helps center your emotions and thoughts, allowing you to fully prepare for the day ahead.

2. Focus on Productivity

While you could spend your days trying to be as busy as possible, this can easily lead to burnout and wasted energy. This type of thinking goes both ways. For example, at times when you feel busy and swamped with work, if you’re not working efficiently, you aren’t being as productive as you could be.

Similarly, if you are an entrepreneur that tries to build your business by clocking in and out, you’ll find that you still have several hours of work left to do. As a budding founder, your business only works if you do. Focus on bringing projects to completion rather than trying to keep yourself busy with work.

3. Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

By now, it seems like everyone has heard the S.M.A.R.T. acronym. Regardless of how many times you’ve heard it, you need to make sure you apply it to your life. When you set goals, make sure to specify what it is you want, make your goals measurable, keep them attainable, set relevant and realistic goals, and have a timeline in mind for each goal.

With S.M.A.R.T. goals, you’ll find that you’re better able to keep track of your progress. After setting these concrete and narrowly defined goals, you’ll find it’s that much easier to accomplish your tasks.

4. Start Now

Procrastination and fear have a lot in common—both will prevent you from getting your work done. Whether you’re afraid to fail or you’re putting work off until later, now is the time to succeed. Go ahead and take the leap that you’ve yet to take.

If you’re afraid of failure, what do you really have to lose? If you’re procrastinating, you’re only hurting yourself.

5. Live a Balanced Life

Finding balance in life is easier said than done. From balancing your passion project with your work that pays the bills to find the happy medium between your work life and your time at home, living an enjoyable life is all about finding the right balance. A huge part of success is being content with the life you live. Once you’re able to find your own sense of happiness, you’re already succeeding in life.

Many would-be entrepreneurs have the idea that they’ll tirelessly pursue a startup now and profit off their hard work in the future. While this is somewhat true, what happens during the time in between? We aren’t machines—we need a healthy balance of work and play to function at our best.

6. Be Realistic and Optimistic

Don’t think realism and optimism can exist in the same person? While the two viewpoints may seem opposing, they aren’t. You shouldn’t be so optimistic that you can’t see the reality of a situation. Similarly, while you should consider every potential outcome, that doesn’t mean you can’t hope for a better future.

Life won’t always give us what we want, but that doesn’t mean we have to stick our heads in the sand and do away with our dreams. When we really want something, we’ll fight for it. Our pure determination to succeed is what makes the win that much sweeter.

7. Use Your Network

Successful people know that success doesn’t come out of nowhere. Behind almost every successful person is a network of mentors, colleagues, and supporters. Use this bit of advice to learn more about strengthening your network. Start by looking for every opportunity to expand your circle.

Though some people have the idea that they can only rely on themselves, this isn’t entirely true. While you certainly should put in the hard work, you can also turn to other people when you need some support, camaraderie, or advice.

8. Turn Failures into Lessons

Failure isn’t some dirty secret that should be hidden away. Everyone in life has experienced some sort of letdown or failure. While it is unpleasant in the moment, the most successful people view these failures as lessons and learn from them.

Regardless of what you’ve gone through in life, your potential is boundless. Don’t let anything from your past hold you back from moving toward.

9. Track Your Progress

Successful people are obsessed with growth. They like to know how, when, and why they’re improving. Whether you keep a journal or have a spreadsheet with all your various statistics, keeping track of your goals will help you better identify the secret to your own personal success.

10. Set Boundaries

To get what you want out of life, you should be selfish with your time and energy. Learning to set boundaries will help you better prioritize your responsibilities. Whether you’re cutting back on social media or turning down a few projects, learn to set boundaries to help preserve your resources.

While optimization may look different for you than it does for everyone else, your ultimate goal should be to become an even better version of yourself with each passing day. Follow these 10 tips today if you want to start living the life you’ve always dreamed of.

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