What's the day-to-day routine of successful individuals? Do these people set their alarms earlier than average people? Do they consume a special type of breakfast prior to working? What is it about exceptionally successful individuals that makes them accomplish incredible feats? Everyone wants to figure it out and I bet you aren't any different. Do you want to figure out the day-to-day routine of successful individuals? Then read on!

The early bird will catch the worm

Successful people absolutely wake up early. Because the earlier they begin the day, the more time they'll have to get things accomplished. They'll face the day ready for whatever comes their way because they've established plans the evening before.

As compared with an individual who rises out of bed 5 minutes before she/he must be at work and possesses no true direction, who do you think is going to have the ability to deal with his/her responsibilities better?

It follows, of course, that early birds will also get a good night's sleep. If you have a desire to follow the day-to-day regimen of successful individuals, you may want to begin to wake up early.

Regularly exercise

Exercise certainly is a portion of the day-to-day regimen of successful individuals. It'll make you feel good about yourself, and keep the body healthy, will make the mind alert and teach you discipline. As a matter of fact, a report revealed that 70 percent of successful business individuals discover a way to exercise each day.

If you cannot exercise in the morning, get it in around lunch time or in the early evening. If you are on the ground floor and you are traveling to the fifth floor, take the stairs rather than the elevator--butdo not overexert yourself because it may set you back.

Have a balanced life

Successful individuals do not have work on their agenda all of the time. They set apart time for their family and themselves. Consider it a way of recharging your batteries.

If you are always buried in a pile of work, you are missing out on life. Personal time is critical because it's the time you're able to review your life and where it is headed; that is the time that you reflect and develop new strategies for your success journey.

The day-to-day regimen of successful people is not that hard to master. Anybody may do it, though not everybody has the proper mindset to really see it through.

Take life within the limitations of your control

Let go of what you cannot control then invest your time and efforts into what you can influence/control.

You must let go of your past

Learning lessons from past failures will restrict your openness to think about future opportunities.

Plan your day ahead

Objectives aren't as crucial as getting the work done. Not attaining goals may lead to lack of self-worth and depression; however, doing day-to-day tasks which propel you toward the person you wish to become will benefit you a positive way; that is, motion will beget greater motion.

Complete your tasks

Whatever the activity is, successful people start and finish the work to the best of their ability.

Invest in yourself

Network, educate yourself, invest in relationships, spiritually reflect, and take care of your physical and mental health.

Ask questions

The ones who control conversations include those who ask questions. Also, they're liked more by other people, who are given the chance to be heard.

Successful individuals share their success tips with other people

As the proverb goes, blessed are the ones who share their food offerings with those less fortunate.

See time as finite/limited

It'll motivate effectiveness and efficiency as it applies to time and allow you to achieve results. It's best accomplished through delegation and leverage.

Like the path from white belt to black belt, success includes a journey that is taken one lesson at a time. Improved and refined, successful people move onward and forward in facing their next challenge and life lesson.

By James ClearJULY 17, 201322 Comments

Youll wake up for about 25,000 mornings in your adult life, give or take a few.

According to areportfrom the World Health Organization, the average life expectancy in the United States is 79 years old. Most people in wealthy nations are hovering around the 80year mark. Women in Japan are the highest, with an average life expectancy of 86 years.

If we use these average life expectancy numbers and assume that your adult life starts at 18 years old, then youve got about 68 years as an adult. (86 18 = 68) Perhaps a little less on average. A little more if youre lucky.

(68 years as an adult) x (365 days each year) = 24,820 days.

25,000 mornings.

Thats what you get in your adult life. 25,000 times you get to open your eyes, face the day, and decide what to do next. I dont know about you, but Ive let a lot of those mornings slip by.

Once I realized this, I started thinking about how I could develop a better morning routine. I still have a lot to learn, but here are some strategies that you can use to get the most out of your 25,000 mornings.

8 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Morning

Here are the strategies that Ive found to be most effective for getting the most out of my morning.

1.Manage your energy, not your time.If you take a moment to think about it, youll probably realize that you are better at doing certain tasks at certain times. For example, mycreative energy is highest in the morning, so thats when I do my writing each day.

By comparison, I block out myafternoons for interviews, phone calls, and emails. I dont need my creative energy to be high for those tasks, so thats the best time for me to get them done. And I tend to have my best workouts in the late afternoon or early evening, so thats when I head to the gym.

Respectingyour internal, ultradian rhythmfor whichever task is at hand is one of the most powerful things you can do.

What type of energy do you have in the morning? What task is that energy best suited for?

2. Prepare the night before.I dont do this nearly as often as I should, but if you only do one thing each day then spend a few minutes each night organizing your todo list for tomorrow. When I do it right, Ill outline the article Im going to write the next day and develop a short list of the most important items for me to accomplish. It takes 10 minutes that night and saves 3 hours the next day.

3. Dont open email until noon.Sounds simple. Nobody does it. It took me awhile to get over the urge to open my inbox, but eventually I realized that everything can wait a few hours. Nobody is going to email you about a true emergency (a death in the family, etc.), so leave your email alone for the first few hours of each day. Use the morning to do whats important rather than responding to what is urgent.

4. Turn your phone off and leave it in another room.Or on your colleagues desk. Or at the very least, put it somewhere that is out of sight. This eliminates the urge to check text messages, Facebook, Twitter, and so on. This simple strategy eliminates the likelihood ofslipping into halfworkwhere you waste time dividing your attention among meaningless tasks.

The power ofreceiving zero notifications, especially at night can boost your sleep time and make your morning that much more productive.

5. Work in a cool place.Have you ever noticed how you feel groggy and sluggish in a hot room? Turning the temperature down or moving to a cooler place is an easy way to focus your mind and body. (Hat tip toMichael Hyattfor this one.)

The science behind temperature and lightingin your workplace has shown that adjusting both can have a significant impact on your productivity, day in day out. Its worth to spend a few minutesadjustingit.

6. Sit up or stand up.Your mind needs oxygen to work properly. Your lungs need to be able to expand and contract to fill your body with oxygen. That sounds simple enough, but heres the problem: most people sit hunched over while staring at a screen and typing.

When you sit hunched over, your chest is in a collapsed position and your diaphragm is pressing against the bottom of your lungs, which hinders your ability to breathe easily and deeply. Sit up straight or stand up and youll find that you can breathe easier and more fully. As a result, your brain will get more oxygen and youll be able to concentrate better.

(Small tip: When sitting, I usually place a pillow in the small of my back. This prevents my lower back from rounding, which keeps me more upright.)

7. Eat as a reward for working hard.I practice intermittent fasting, which means that I eat my first meal around noon each day. Ive been doing this for almost two years. There are plenty of health benefits, which I explained in great detailhere,here, andhere.

But health is just one piece of the puzzle. I also fast because it allows me to get more out of my day. Take a moment to think about how much time people spend each day thinking, planning, and consuming food. By adopting intermittent fasting, I dont waste an hour each morning figuring out what to eat for breakfast, cooking it, and cleaning up. Instead, I use my morning to work on things that are important to me. Then, I eat good food and big meals as a reward for working hard.

8. Develop a pregame routine to start your day.My morning routine starts by pouring a cold glass of water. Some people kick off their day with ten minutes of meditation. Similarly, you should have a sequence that starts your morning ritual. This tiny routine signals to your brain that its time to get into work mode or exercise mode or whatever mode you need to be in to accomplish your task. Additionally, a pregame routine helps you overcome a lack of motivation and get things done even when you dont feel like it.

For more details about why this works, read this:How to Get Motivated.

25,000 Mornings: The Power of a Morning Routine

Just as its rare for anyone to experience overnight success, its also rare for our lives crumble to pieces in an instant. Most unproductive or unhealthy behaviors are the result of slow, gradual choices that add up to bad habits. A wasted morning here. An unproductive morning there.

The good news is that exceptional results are also the result of consistent daily choices. Nowhere is this more true than with your morning routine. The way you start your day is often the way that you finish it.

Take, for example,Jack LaLanne. He woke up each day at 4am and spent the first 90 minutes lifting weights. Then, he went for a swim or a run for the next 30 minutes. For more than 60 years, he spent each morning doing this routine. In addition to being one of the most influential people in fitness in the last 100 years, LaLanne also lived to the ripe old age of 96.

This is no coincidence. What you do each morning is an indicator of how you approach your entire day. Its the choices that we repeatedly make that determine the life we live, the health we enjoy, and the work we create.

Youve got 25,000 mornings. What will you do with each one?

Imbecility

About the author:

James Clearwrites atJamesClear.com, where he uses behavior science to help you master your habits and improve your health. For useful ideas on improving your mental and physical performance,join his free newsletter. Or, download his free guide:Transform Your Habits.