If there’s one lesson you’ll take away today, let it be this: the best career advice is often also the most obvious. That includes these nine simple habits that can make a huge difference in your professional success.
1) Get up early
You’re busy enough as it is. You likely have kids, a job, extracurricular activities and a social life. You’re probably not going to be able to get more sleep tomorrow anyway (if you try, you’ll just end up dreaming about it).
If you really want to make the most of your days, when to wake up is one of the biggest decisions you can make. Get up 30 minutes earlier than usual and hit the gym. Taking action sends signals around your brain that wake you up physically and mentally, giving you time to start building momentum for the day.
2) Read more
The most effective way to get better at anything is to invest more time and energy into it. The easiest way to do that is to read about it – yes, even if you’re already an expert. Whether you read a book, magazine or blog post about your profession, the information you absorb will have a profound impact on how quickly you learn and how well you perform in the future.
3) Sleep more
Nothing is boring or useless about sleep; in fact, it’s one of the most important habits for your professional success—because it’s impossible to produce top-quality work if you’re not taking care of yourself properly. If you’re not sleeping at least seven hours per night, you’re robbing yourself of a crucial opportunity to recover.
4) Stick to the clock
If you’re like most people, you tend to think of time as a fixed resource, which means that you don’t really have much control over it. If there’s something you want or need to get done, you need to fit it into the available time.
But successful people know better: they can use their ability to manage time instead of being managed by it. By working in short bursts and taking regular breaks, they can do more with less effort and experience less stress. This means they can achieve far more than others could ever hope for in the same amount of time.
5) Do for others
You can’t get ahead by working hard alone; you have to work hard with others. That’s why it’s important to remember that your colleagues are people too – and like everyone else, they have different strengths and weaknesses.
By encouraging each other and helping each other to learn, you can work together more effectively than if you’re working alone. This means that it will be easier for everyone to get the results they want (without having to work so hard). Everybody wins, and nobody feels left out.
6) Write every day
Whether you choose to journal or blog, you can use your writing to outline thoughts important to you. Writing can help you to keep track of your progress, your wins and the lessons you have learnt. Writing will really embed your lessons and experiences in your mind.
7) Take some risks
There’s no better way to learn and grow than by trying something new – even if you’re afraid. It’s easy to get caught up in a cycle of fears:
- Fear of failing.
- Fear of success.
- Fear of what others think.
The good news is, it isn’t hard to overcome this cycle and embrace your fear instead of being afraid of it. Think about all the benefits you would gain by taking a risk, doing something differently or going back to school for more education or training. Then do it and enjoy the rewards!
8) Check your ego at the door
Don’t let the world define you or make you feel anything less than great. Because when you take it easy on yourself, you’ll find that all kinds of opportunities will come your way. You’ll be more relaxed and focused, which will make you more productive and improve your results, and who wouldn’t want that?
9) Follow your passion
Your passion isn’t something that just happens to you; it’s something you can choose to cultivate and cultivate again.
So there you have it!
If you make these habits part of your daily routine you’ll be successful.
Well maybe. They certainly won’t hurt, but when you and a colleague are competing for a promotion they won’t really cut the mustard – at least not on their own.
You need a competitive advantage
Studying for a formal qualification is a good place to start. It will give you a competitive edge and help you stand out from the crowd in a very crowded marketplace. Formal qualifications have value and they will help you make your way in the world. For example, you can gain a leadership edge with the Aston University MBA.
We all have to make our way in the world, especially if we are successful. Competition is everywhere: it is the driving force of progress at work, in the home, and in the lives of our children.
That doesn’t mean you have to look at your competitors as enemies to be defeated – obviously not! Competition teaches us how to succeed and we learn a lot about ourselves when we compete.
Self-knowledge
Most successful people are interested in intangible things. They don’t just want a level-headed appraisal of their achievements. They want to know about their inner strengths and weaknesses, about how they might be able to build on them (if necessary) and how they might be able to exploit any blind spots or mistakes that others might make when thinking about them.
There isn’t a set of habits that will guarantee your success or qualifications that will ensure you reach the top of a company. You can only use this information to increase your chances. You will still need to work consistently towards your goals. Ideally, you should be making small frequent steps to your goal.
