1. Get Up Early
Being an early riser and getting a head start on your day is the most popular habit of successful entrepreneurs.
For side hustlers, this makes total sense. It’s about being proactive — the #1 Habit of Highly Successful People — and doing something for yourself and your business before diving into reactive mode.
Many people set the alarm for the latest possible time, and immediately begin their day on someone else’s agenda. Getting up before that last possible minute creates some space in your day that otherwise might never happen.
2. Get Active
Another common trait of successful side hustlers and entrepreneurs was a commitment to health in the form of physical activity and exercise. Many attributed their workout routine to their effectiveness, productivity, and success. “If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?”
3. Never Stop Learning
Several of the most productive entrepreneurs name investing in learning as their top success habit. In practice, that meant reading, listening to podcasts and audio-books, and watching video training related to their business.
Some say “I workout while listening to a podcast, or Audible. Or read while riding the stationary bike.” Entrepreneurship is a constant real-life business school education.
4. Have Clearly Defined Goals
Another common trait among successful entrepreneurs was having well-defined goals and knowing their next actions. With limited time to work on their business, they wanted to know exactly what to do in the hours they have. This boiled down to setting meaningful goals, and breaking them down into detailed action items and to-do lists. Such a habit takes the daily guesswork of what you’re supposed to do.
5. Don’t Rely on Memory Alone
There’s no way we can keep everything straight if we rely solely on our own memory. Because of that, a common habit of successful entrepreneurs is some variation on creating and using an external brain — journals, note taking apps, and other “brain-dump” tools. Some say that transferring thoughts onto paper is the one most influential habit in their lives that has contributed to their success.