As people, we’re naturally attracted to novelty. We like things to chop and change all the time: it’s what makes life interesting. Unfortunately, work seems to be the total opposite. Rather than facing new challenges every day, we end up doing the same things, over and over again. It’s enough to drive you mad.
Or is it?
It turns out that our routine isn’t just a necessary part of life, it’s also a way to improve our performance on the job, making it more likely that we’ll succeed in the future. Take a look at some of the most successful people you know. Are they flaky and constantly chopping and changing their direction? Or do they do the same thing, day in, day out, and just get better at it? The chances are that they are the type of person who sticks to a routine and rarely deviates. It’s these individuals who tend to be the most successful. So how can you emulate them?
Get Rid Of The Snooze Button
The snooze button shouldn’t really exist. After all, once you’ve been asleep for eight hours straight, you shouldn’t need an extra fifteen minutes in bed thinking about how tired you are and how much you don’t want to go up. If you’re struggling to get up in the mornings, take a look at your lifestyle. Ask yourself whether you’re doing all you can to get the proper amount of sleep. Do you sit there in bed, staring at your iPad until the early hours of the morning? Or is it lights out at 10:30 pm?
Make A Habit Of Learning
Another feature of the modern workplace is that things are always changing. People can no longer walk into a career aged 21 and expect to be able to deploy the same knowledge when they’re 60. Technology and working practices are changing too fast. Clever people take online bachelors courses in their spare time to make sure that they’re constantly updating their skills and staying relevant. Every day they try to learn something new. Bill Gates, for instance, tries to read a new book every month to open his mind to new possibilities.
Use The Five Minute Rule
What’s the five-minute rule, you might ask? It’s basically this: if a task is going to take you less than five minutes, do it now. Otherwise, schedule it in your diary. Leaving small tasks until later increases your mental overhead, distracting you from your main projects. Successful people are always prompt to respond to requests, dashing off response emails almost as soon as the request arrives.
Your Evenings Determine Your Success
During the day, you’re busy at work, doing your job. And while that might be useful for building your experience, it’s rarely a great way to expand your horizons. The most successful people in the world don’t spend their evening watching junk on TV. Instead, they read books and educate themselves online. Some famous people, like Elon Musk and Oprah Winfrey, spend more than two hours a day reading – much longer than the average 20 minutes.
