Over the last 10 years as an entrepreneur, I’ve developed 7 non-negotiable habits that I think have been pretty vital to my success.
And in this blog, I’m sharing them all with you…
Including the most important habit you can EVER learn in business…
Hey, Posse! What’s up? It’s Alex.
Taking a twist this week with a more personal blog on the 7 smart habits that have contributed massively to my success over the last decade…
And not just my success in business…
But my happiness, my fulfillment, my relationships, and my work/life balance (although that last one I’m still working on)…
Before we get into it – make sure to like and subscribe to the Copy Posse newsletter for more business, mindset, and success blogs like this one.
Now – adopting new habits and routines can be tricky for most people…
Luckily, I’m here to tell you that these 7 are all relatively simple.
I’m not going to ask you to join the 5 am club or journal 3 pages every single day…
These are all practical AND sustainable habits that I’ve implemented. Some daily, some quarterly – and let’s be honest – some I’ve stopped doing for weeks on end and then started again. Hey, no one is perfect).
These work for me, but we’re all different. So give them a try before you decide whether or not to go all in.
Alright, now let’s dive into #1 on the list…
#1 – Slow Mornings
It only makes sense for #1 on the list to be the FIRST thing I do each day…
Which is: to have a nice, slow, and intentional morning.
I’m a big believer that the way you start your day sets the tone for how your entire day will go…
Which then sets the tone for your week, your months, your years, and then basically your entire life.
If you want to be successful – then you BETTER take a good hard look at your morning routine.
Are you starting each day already stressed out because you spent the first 20 minutes scrolling the news, checking your email, and checking Facebook?
Hey – no judgment, we’ve all been there and I definitely fall into the bottomless pit of scroll land more often than I want to admit…
And we both know that’s no bueno.
But as much as possible, I like to ease into my mornings so my setpoint for the day is slow, steady, and mindful – not rushed or stressed.
For me, this means I put my phone on Do Not Disturb, go to the kitchen, make myself a cup of coffee… then spend 10-15 minutes sitting either in silence alone or connecting with my husband and dog while I sip my coffee.
Sometimes I meditate. Sometimes I do breathwork. Sometimes I do tapping. Whatever I feel called to do.
Sometimes I just listen to the birds or watch the fireplace—depending on the time of year—and mentally prepare for my day ahead.
This allows me to regulate my nervous system, calm myself down from anything that feels hectic or stressful, and focus my energy on the work ahead of me. Then I’ll head to the gym.
For me, work doesn’t start until AFTER I’ve taken this time for myself in the morning.
Even if all you have is 5 mins, I highly recommend you always take some time for YOU first thing in the morning.
This routine alone will change your life.
Alright next up…
#2 – Audio Books
A few years ago, I noticed that I had seriously started to slack on my reading.
When I first started learning about copywriting, marketing, and branding – I COULD NOT GET ENOUGH OF IT.
And I devoured books regularly.
Not just marketing books either – personal development books, mindset books, business books, history books, persuasion books – you name it…
But as the years went by, I started consuming less and less of them.
Which is fine… I really don’t believe you HAVE to constantly be filling your brain with more and more information…
In fact, I believe that you should DEFINITELY take a break from constant consumption from time to time…
BUT I also do not think it’s a good idea to never pick up a book, which is really easy to do when you’re in hustle mode building your business…
I found myself in that mode for a long while. I’d pick up a book before bed and literally I’d be asleep by the time I was done the first page.
Despite my best intentions, I was having a really hard time getting through the books I wanted to read.
UNTIL I made the switch to audiobooks and honestly, it was life-changing.
Now instead of trying (and failing) to “push through” yet another book…
I can listen while cooking dinner, folding laundry, on a long drive or flight, or even just on the daily walks I take my dog on.
I’ve been able to consume SO MANY MORE books this way.
And have gotten a ton of inspiration from them and they have definitely become an embedded part of my regular routine.
Okay, next up on the list…
#3 — Step-By-Step Goal Setting
Another routine that will absolutely change your life, this concept can be applied to business goals, personal goals, new years resolutions – you name it!
The basic idea is this…
At the beginning of each year, set your BIG GOALS for the year…
We usually all do that already, but the problem with that is that often these goals are SO big we don’t really know where to start. “Buy a house,” “Plan a vacation,” “Get into great shape”…
Ok great – but how?!
The idea here is to break each BIG goal down into smaller, more granular, goals that need to be accomplished in order to make those big goals happen. Then make each smaller goal a weekly, monthly or quarterly goal, depending on how quickly you want to get there.
Then, sit down to do a quick review of them every week.
Yes – EVERY WEEK. That is what keeps you accountable.
So for example, if you want to plan a vacation sometime in the next year, smaller weekly goals might look like:
- Research destinations
- Pick dates
- Book flights and hotel
- Pack and have fun!
That’s a simple example but I promise it makes it SO much more likely for you to actually accomplish it! Of course, pivot and adjust them as necessary – because your goals MAY change throughout the year and that is totally fine…
But here’s the BEST trick…
Rather than stating lofty goals like “get more clients” or “spend more time with friends”, I began making sure my goals are SUPER ACTIONABLE by answering the question…
“What does ‘done’ look like?“
So instead of just saying: “I want to spend more time with my friends…“
Which is honestly not a very trackable metric…
Instead, you should be saying: “I want to take 2 trips with my friends this summer…”
Which is MUCH more specific, detailed, and very easy to track – either you did or you did not take 2 trips with your friend this summer, right?
This one simple change makes the goals more concrete, easier to measure, and so much easier to see through to completion to boost your productivity.
And I’m telling you ever since I implemented this routine with my team, we have accomplished SO MUCH MORE.
It’s honestly mindblowing.
Okay next up…
#4 – Time-Blocking
The key to being successful – no matter what you do…
Is to find out WHEN you do your best work!
Morning, afternoon, evening, or night—and then time block your day accordingly.
This is how I time block my days:
I reserve time for creative brilliance, time for handling project and admin tasks, and time for meetings.
And because I know that I produce my best work in the mornings – that is when I dedicate my time to being creative.
So the mornings are typically when I get the most writing, content creation, and training…
After my work creative time, I usually take a break for lunch…
Then as I move into the afternoon, I move into more of a “left-brain” state.
So that’s when I’ll do any editing, responding to social comments and emails, or administrative tasks like sending invoices, paying bills, etc. And I schedule any meetings for the last few hours of my day as much as possible.
Everyone has a different time when they “work best”—so start to experiment with your workflow and take notice of when you’re at your best.
Then schedule everything else AROUND that.
Okay next up…
#5 – Do, Delegate, Defer, Delete
If you spend all day every day “putting out fires”… then you’re just not going to be very successful.
Success comes from dedicated and focused action…
Not a hectic and chaotic reaction.
That’s why it’s so important to take a proper assessment of everything on your plate, so you can better manage your time and be way more efficient in your business…
I like to implement a practice based on the 4 D’s of Time Management – do, delegate, defer, delete.
Ideally, I try to sit down on a quarterly basis and take an inventory of every single to-do on my plate…
Then, I go down the list and label it as do, delegate, defer, or delete.
Where…
- Do = a task that only I can do and should prioritize asap.
- Delegate = a task that could be outsourced or delegated to make my life so much easier.
- Defer = a task that’s low-priority and can be moved to another day/week when my plate is less full.
- Delete = a task that I’m doing and I don’t even really know WHY I’m doing it, so I can drop it completely.
I always find at least a few tasks that I can delegate, defer or delete…
This frees up my time to focus on the things that TRULY need my attention the most in my business.
#6 – Networking
This was one of the very first routines I implemented when I started freelancing 15 years ago…
And it has undoubtedly contributed to my success.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “You are the sum of the people around you”.
So if you want to be a great copywriter… go to copywriting events and masterminds and hang out with the people there!
The same goes for marketing, branding, business, finance, or literally anything else! Over the years, I’ve probably attended hundreds of events, masterminds, and conferences.
I’ve had the opportunity to meet with SO MANY incredible people…
Like Marie Forleo, Frank Kern, Jeff Walker, and Brendon Burchard…
And as my career grew and developed, my networking took on a whole new level.
Where suddenly I wasn’t *just* attending events and networking…
But I was attending events as a SPEAKER. And now I’m able to network and collaborate with some of the greatest names in the industry.
But NONE OF THIS would have happened if I didn’t first step outside of my comfort zone and start going to events…
Yes, it’s uncomfortable.
But one of the biggest reasons certain people are successful and others are not is because they are WILLING to face discomfort in the name of growth.
And speaking of discomfort, that brings me to the most important habit you’ll ever learn…
#7 – Having Hard Conversations
I don’t care WHAT you do… having hard conversations is a skill you MUST learn if you want to be successful.
Whether it’s talking about money, setting proper expectations, or communicating a boundary that has been crossed…
People hardly ever see eye-to-eye on everything.
And people definitely aren’t mind-readers.
This means that having difficult conversations is often the only way to truly grow and thrive in your business.
Or hell – LIFE IN GENERAL.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is by Tim Ferriss…
“A person’s success in life can be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.”
In my experience, I can tell you no truer words have ever been spoken.
Make this a habit in your life – instead of stewing something over for days, harboring resentment, or allowing someone else to walk all over you…
Get in the habit of approaching them and having an ADULT CONVERSATION.
One that isn’t rooted in blame, but rather, rooted in problem-solving.
Every conversation should be approached with “How can we fix this together?”
I promise that 9 times out of 10, what starts as an uncomfortable convo, ends as a giant RELIEF and a new perspective.
I hope you guys loved this one and hopefully, you try out a few of these yourself.
Comment below and let me know which one you’re going to implement first!
Until next time, I’m Alex. Ciao for now!
