[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here are a lot of habits successful people follow, either naturally or through sheer discipline, that help make them successful. If you use the same tactics, you might be able to reap rewards similar to what they’ve achieved. Here are 7 powerful things successful people do at the end of every day.
1. They don’t have any big decisions left to make.
Decision fatigue is a real thing, and should be avoided at all costs. As you make more and more choices, your ability to make good decisions steadily deteriorates over the course of the day. It’s been proven several times over. For example, judges are known to make less favorable decisions towards the end of their shifts. Successful people know that if they wake up in the morning, their biggest decisions should be made before the end of the afternoon. Avoid making major purchases or other life-changing choices late in the day so that your decisions will more likely be the right ones.
2. They cross every last item off their to-do lists.
Successful people tend to have some way of monitoring their success. One way to keep track of productivity is to keep a to-do list. That to-do list can be an app like Wunderlist or 2Do or simply plain old pen and paper. The successful people of the world are the types to have every single task checked off before they hit the hay. The key to accomplishing that, other than, of course, working hard, is being able to gauge how much you can get done in a given day. Leaning towards fewer tasks on your to-do list might be a safer bet, and if you get more done than what’s listed you’ll feel better about yourself. On the other hand, having a lot of tasks on your list might motivate you more. Do whatever’s most effective for you.
3. They wrap things up.
More than just with to-do lists, successful people have pretty much everything taken care of that can be taken care of before the day’s end. You should do the same. For example, don’t leave conversations hanging when they can be resolved. If things like that are wrapped up in a bow by the time you shut your eyes, you’ll have a smoother transition into the next day.
4. They get organized for the next day.
Successful people complete their todays by preparing for their tomorrows. Make sure you know what the next day’s schedule is so that you don’t wake up to any unpleasant surprises.
5. They eat smart.
Successful people carefully consider their diet, especially when it comes to what they consume before they go to bed. The number one dietary productivity killer is caffeine late at night. Having a late night soda will cause you to sleep restlessly, stemming your potential for the next day. Also avoid having too much sugar, fried foods and alcohol to start off on a good foot.
6. They wind down.
A lot of successful people work until the minute they go to bed, but the extremely successful usually recognize the importance of having at least a little downtime. Bill Gates reads every night before bed. Arianna Huffington unplugs from her technology. The CEO of Buffer takes a walk. Read more ways to wind down as recommended by successful people here. Relaxing activities like those are the best ways to jumpstart the next day.
7. They have a bedtime.
This is a hard thing to hear for many, but successful people often go to bed at the same time every night. An erratic sleep schedule means you won’t know when or where you’ll be most productive, giving you less control over the efficiency of your day. Pick a time to go to bed and a time to wake up and stick to them to be among the extremely successful.
Matt O’Keefe is a lifehacktivist and avid writer of stuff. That stuff includes posts for Lifehack, journalism for The Beat and blog content for businesses.
