Productive Habits

I’ve stated many times that the most successful people aren’t necessarily the smartest or those that work the longest hours, they’re the people that have the most productive habits.

Create habits that provide life balance.
1. Exercise: Assuming you are in good health, find an activity that you enjoy (or can at least tolerate), that gets your heart rate up. Do it at least 4 days week. Pick up a heart rate monitor. You can find one for under $50. (It can be a Bluetooth strap that transmits to a smartphone app or an inexpensive watch with a chest strap that measures your heart rate). Determine your target heart rate (220 – Your Age) x .8. If you are 40 you would subtract that from 220 to get 180 then multiply it by .8 to give you a target heart rate of 144. Perform your activity until you reach your target heart rate, then maintain it for a minimum of 20 minutes.

2. Meditate: When you first wake up each morning, before you start thinking about your responsibilities for the day, sit quietly and clear your head. Try to do it for at least 10 minutes. If you can’t quiet your mind on your own, download an app called Insight Timer and listen to one of the guided meditations.

3. Create a daily task list: Before you leave the office for the evening or once you finish the morning mediation, create a prioritized list of everything you would like to accomplish for the day. Look at your goals as you build the list to ensure your tasks and goals are in alignment. Tackle one task at a time and maintain your focus until it’s complete. Once you finish, take care of your correspondence (email, phone calls etc.) then take on the next task.

4. Family time: Set aside time each day for focusing on the most important people in your life. Be present in the moment during this time, take interest in what they have to say, and make it all about them.

5. Communicate with key colleagues and friends. One of the most well-liked people I know is my friend Raleigh. He manages to stay in touch with hundreds of people. When he hears a story or point of interest that makes him think of a particular individual, he takes a moment to send a note of acknowledgement. He also responds to every personal email and text message he receives.

The benefit of habits is that after doing them for a month, they become automatic. Think about a few productive habits you can build into your daily routine. Start with the most critical one. After you have successfully done it for a month, start your second habit. Continue until you have habitualized everything you need to do to move you closer to your goals.