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4 Daily Habits You Shouldn’t Live Without

“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” - Jim Rohn

What I am about to teach you is what I consider to be my daily formula for success.

It’s nothing flashy. In fact, if you wanted to, you could get started on this formula today. Because success is not some magical thing that happens to you one day…

It’s the accumulation of many good days.

And in order to have a good day, you have to do the things necessary that will inch you a little closer to your goals. You may have heard, “inch by inch, everything is a cinch.”

Well, that’s true (if you call having patience for your goals to come true a ‘cinch.’)

The advice on this page is a great way to get headed in the right direction. The more you follow the principles, the more momentum you will start to build. This momentum will keep building and building until eventually you will be unstoppable!

Before You Get Started

In order to follow the habits I am about to present to you, you are going to have to make a little investment.

You will need to purchase a daily planner.

If you have one, great! If not, you should. They cost around five to fifteen dollars at your local retail store. I promise this will be the best five to fifteen dollars you will spend all year!

What kind do you get?

The first couple of years I carried a planner, I had a small one that was easy to carry. I could easily take it with me anywhere I went. Then, I started writing more and more in my planner. So I decided to upgrade to a bigger one.

It really doesn’t matter what you get. Which ever one you think will work the best, that’s which one you should get.

Habit 1 – Make A Plan For Tomorrow

You’ve bought the planner (or at least plan on it). Now it’s time to actually use it.

Each night, write down what you want to do the next day, and when you want to do it. Don’t trust your memory. Get it down in writing. I cannot begin to tell you how important this is.

When it comes to daily planning, you can either hope for the best. Or, you can say “this is what I am going to do and these are the times I am going to do them!” I think you know which one works out better.

Now I have seen some people who plan out their days almost down to the minute. They plan out each thing they are going to do (usually in 15 minute intervals)

Now I have to admit, I’m not that good. Not yet. But I certainly don’t think it’s that bad of an idea to be that crazy about planning. Some of the most efficient people in the world plan and plan and plan. Which is exactly why they can get more done than everybody else and make a lot more money.

I would say, at least plan your time down to the hour. What are you going to do at 8? What are you going to do at 9? The more specific you are, the more likely you are going to do it.

You might be thinking, “Gee, I don’t really want to get that specific. I want to have room for some flexibility.” If this is your way of thinking, then let me ask you this question…

If you are planning your perfect day, why would you need to do anything different?

We will get into discipline a little later. It’s the real key to making all of this work.

As far now, get a planner. And do not go to bed without planning the next day. As far as what to write, I’ll leave that up to you. Think about whatever works best for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things.

Habit 2 – Read Your List Before And After Bed

I like to leave my mind something to think about each and every night. When I read my to-do list right before bed, I feel that my mind spends all night thinking of ways to get my list done.

By visualizing your perfect day, the odds of it actually happening go way up!

You often see golfers and other athletes using visualization. A golfer stands behind the ball, pictures the ball going straight down the middle, and then they step up to the ball and swing.

This is one key difference between amateur and professional golfers. Amateurs have a tendency to look at the pond on the right or the trees to the left instead of focusing squarely on the middle of the fairway.

Don’t ever go to bed thinking about how terrible the next day is going to be. You’re setting yourself up for failure before the day even begins!

Read your to-do list before bed. Read it with confidence that you are going to get your entire list done. Also, read your list the moment you wake up to remind yourself of what kind of day you have in store.

These are simple, but powerful techniques done by top business people. They are essential to your success.

Habit 3 – Painful Discipline For Completion

Without a doubt, the number one daily habit you need to have is discipline.

It’s so important I cannot even begin to tell you!

What good is having a to-do list if you don’t have the discipline to work it to completion?

Mastering the art of self-discipline is something that I am constantly struggling with. Although, I find myself getting a little bit better each day that I work at it.

Here’s what should happen to you with self-discipline…

If you have a to-do list of ten things, and you only do three that day, you should feel terrible! The more disappointed you are that you didn’t finish your list, the better.

You start to get into real trouble when you start saying, “Oh well, it was just one day.”

You absolutely cannot think this way!

If you have ten things on your list, you should do at least then. Maybe even eleven or twelve.

Now, I’m not saying that you have to have ten things on your list everyday. I’m simply saying that whatever you have planned for your perfect day, do it. Anything just the slightest bit less leads to disaster!

Instead of growing with each day, you are falling further behind.

You can start easy with this. Create a day that you have 100% confidence that you can get done. Start to know the great feeling of getting all of your tasks done. And then build from there…

Once your confidence is up, start making your days a little harder. Then get to the point where that becomes too easy. And just keep growing and growing. You won’t believe the results!

Just don’t fall into the habit of not finishing your list. Work on your self-discipline. It’s so important.

Habit 4 – Take Time To Reflect

I really love this one! Personal development is all about growing. And in order to grow, you have to reflect on where you have been in order to find out where you want to go.

At the end of the day, set aside some quiet time for yourself. Think about the day’s events. Ask yourself these important questions…

What did I do?
What did I see?
What did I do well today?
What did I not do well?
How could I do better tomorrow using what I have learned from today?

The last one, of course, is my favorite!

In my planner, I always write down one or two things that I feel I need to improve on for tomorrow. Here are some examples of things I’ve wrote…

shut off Internet while I’m working
start working at my desk and not on the couch
drink more water
watch a little less TV

Any little improvements that you think you can fix from what you did today, write them down. And try not to do them tomorrow.

Final Thoughts

I highly encourage you to make a full commitment towards these four habits. I must admit, they have had a huge impact on me.

When I first started doing them, I would get in and out of the habit. I would do all of the habits everyday for a couple weeks. Then I would look back and realize that I had mysteriously gotten out of one or two habits. My planner would have empty days!

Be better than I was…

Get started today. And don’t ever fall out of these habits. It really makes a difference.

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