If you read a lot of self-help books, which we do, you tend to see patterns emerge – this goes for whether you’re devouring autobiographies of the rich and famous or punchy business strategy tomes written by people with degrees in behavioural economics and millions of TED talk subscribers.
A lot of the time, there are a few common traits that come up again and again. These habits won’t turn you into a billionaire overnight, but implement them and you’re sure to notice a change in your mindset and, in turn, be better placed to achieve your personal goals this year.
Reading
Firstly, if we’re searching for successful role models when it comes to the power of reading, look no further than Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. The former is reported to go on actual reading holidays and the latter describes knowledge as stacking up like compound interest; the more you invest in reading the more you learn. Buffet is reported to read for up to eight hours a day, prioritising reading above all else.
Now, a lot of people are going to tell you to read purely non-fiction but we think that a mixture is good. There’s a whole host of health benefits associated with reading – from lowering the risk of dementia to reducing stress – and these benefits aren’t associated with solely one genre.
Challenge, inform, entertain, inspire and stretch your imagination with a regular reading schedule and reap the rewards. Take a look at your screen time numbers and see if you can swap some of those minutes for time with a book instead.
Saying no
If you never say no, you’re basically letting other people write your life plan in pencil. High performers protect their time because they understand the quiet cost of every “yes”: the work it replaces, the energy it drains, the attention it steals.
They don’t only say no to bad opportunities, either — they say no to good ones that don’t match the goal. A useful rule: if it’s not a clear “hell yes”, it’s probably a “no”.
Networking
It’s not what you know it’s who you know. Successful people understand the importance of networking, know what they want to garner from a networking opportunity, come prepared and well-researched, and always follow up.
Even in today’s world, where people seemingly live out their lives on supposed ‘social’ networks, nothing beats the opportunity to interact with people face to face. In this day and age, you could argue it’s even more important.
The vaster and more diverse your contacts book is the more opportunities there are to share and receive knowledge, advice and working opportunities. Ultimately it comes down to genuine interests, the ability to listen, how you invest your time and being in the right rooms at the right time.
Seek out people with similar interests, put yourself out there and keep in touch.
Mentorship
Networking is collecting names. Mentorship is someone telling you the truth when you’re being an idiot. Successful people seek out mentors because mentors shorten the learning curve and help them avoid costly mistakes.
They don’t ask vague questions like “Any tips?” — they ask specific ones: “What would you stop doing if you were me?” or “What am I not seeing here?”
They also understand it’s a two-way street: be respectful, be prepared, and act on advice.
Early Mornings
A lot of fun was made of Mark Wahlberg’s schedule (which begins at 2:30am, followed by a 3:40am workout) but there’s something to be said for early mornings – albeit not as early as his. Apple CEO Tim Cook gets up at 4:30am, ex-Xerox CEO Ursula Burns (the first black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company) at 5am and former Proctor & Gamble Chairman Alan G. Lafley at 5.30am. It’s a common theme.
Granted, sleep research tells us that some people are more naturally inclined towards earlier and later mornings but the simple act of trying to get up 15 minutes earlier for a week is a rewarding exercise. Studies point towards less procrastination for early risers but the most rewarding effects are a feeling of freshness and mental clarity.
Movement
Successful people don’t treat exercise like a heroic “new me” project. It’s just daily hygiene — like brushing your teeth, but for your brain.
A walk, a short weights session, a run, a swim: it matters far less what you do than the fact you do it consistently. Movement lifts mood, improves sleep, sharpens thinking and keeps stress from setting up camp in your shoulders.
The habit here is a baseline: 20–30 minutes most days, no drama.
Sleep
You can’t press play on a podcast these days without someone telling you the importance of sleep. Rightly so. Sleep is a crucial component of being a functioning human being and the more you get, the better.
Now, you don’t have to go all-out British Cycling Team – transporting bespoke mattresses, duvets and pillows across the world – but you can aim to get more. Any successful athlete will cite good sleep as an essential component of success.
Serena Williams famously undertook a stringent sleep routine (which included a high-quality mattress and napping schedule) as part of her preparation for Wimbledon success in 2018, which came only 10 months after giving birth in traumatic circumstances (she eventually lost in the final to Angelique Kerber). Tom Brady also reportedly went to sleep before his kids during the season to ensure he got eight nourishing hours of sleep.
Create a routine, optimise your bed and get your hours in.
Deep work blocks
The most effective people don’t squeeze productivity out of chaos — they build conditions where focus can actually happen. That means blocking time to do one thing properly, without email, Slack, phone notifications, or “just checking something quickly”.
Even a single 60–90 minute deep work block a day can outperform eight hours of half-working. The trick is treating it like a meeting you can’t cancel, ideally scheduled when your energy is naturally highest.
Meditation
A host of apps provide the perfect gateway into meditation, with Headspace and Calm being two of the most popular. You don’t necessarily have to go to the levels of Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari – who meditates for an hour at the start and end of every day (his book Homo Deus was dedicated to his meditation teacher) – but 20 minutes each morning will have a notable effect on your mindset and clarity of thought.
The likes of Katy Perry, Tom Hanks, Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman and Lena Dunham are all reported to be fans of transcendental meditation, which uses a mantra technique to settle the mind. Sir Paul McCartney, 50 Cent and Lady Gaga are also reported to meditate daily. If you’re looking to get started, consider following a Youtube tutorial or find a local class.
Organisation
Highly successful people know exactly what they’re going to do and when they’re going to do it. As productivity and organisation expert David Allen points out in his seminal work-life management system, Getting Things Done, “your mind is for having ideas, not holding them”. The foundation of good organisation is writing everything down, having clear goals and objectives and effectively managing your time around this.
Of course, there are plenty of strategies for becoming more organised, from the simplicity of the Pomodoro Method to Allen’s GTD strategy and a host of other workflow and personal organisation apps. Experiment to find out what technique works best for you but then ensure you implement it strictly.
Evaluate
Self-evaluation is essential to success. It’s the habit of setting goals, keeping track of where you are and assessing progress. Elite marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge is not the only athlete to keep a training logbook, noting down each part of his training – keeping a record means he can look back on it and feel confident he’s prepared for race day, knowing he did everything he could.
Self-evaluation is part of a wider system. As Atomic Habits author James Clear points out, it’s easy to set goals – everybody wants to earn more money or win the race. But what actually gets you there? Systems. Be it British Cycling’s 1% improvement in all areas or Steve Jobs minimising the amount of unnecessary decisions he has to make in a workday.
Everyone needs to evaluate the way they work and build an effective system.
Deliberate rest
The grind mindset sells well because it sounds tough. In reality, it’s just a slow route to burnout and mediocre work. High achievers treat rest as part of the system, not a reward for finishing everything (because everything is never finished).
They schedule recovery: proper sleep, time outside, hobbies, social time, and weekends that actually feel like weekends.
Consistency comes from sustainability, and sustainability requires rest that’s planned, not accidental.
Journalling
This isn’t about becoming the kind of person who owns a fountain pen and says, “I’m processing”. It’s about clearing mental clutter.
A short daily journal — even five minutes — helps you spot patterns, make decisions faster, and stop reliving the same stress on loop.
Most successful people have some form of thought-dump habit: a notes app, a notebook, a voice memo, whatever. The point is to get ideas out of your head so your head can do its actual job.
Feedback loops
Most people work hard and hope it’s working. Successful people check. They build feedback loops: reviews, metrics, debriefs, honest conversations, and regular reflection on what’s actually moving the needle.
That might be a weekly review of goals, a monthly “what worked/what didn’t” session, or simply asking for blunt feedback from someone who won’t sugar-coat it.
The habit isn’t self-criticism — it’s calibration.
Environment design
Willpower is overrated. Your environment is underrated. Successful people make the right behaviour the easiest behaviour by changing what’s around them.
Put your phone in another room when you work. Leave a book where you normally scroll. Lay out your gym kit the night before. Remove the friction from good habits and add friction to bad ones.
The best part? It works even when you’re tired, stressed, or not feeling particularly inspirational — which is, you know, most days.
