5 Habits Successful People Follow Every Day -The Muse

5 Habits Successful People Follow Every Day -The Muse5 Habits Successful People Follow Every DayYou know those days when you leave work feeling amazing, pumped that you were highly productive? On the flipside, Im sure you have days that are just the opposite. Ones that leave you feeling frustrated, wondering whether you got anything done. What if there was a way to end every day knowing that it was successful?Unfortunately, theres no bulletproof formula to guarantee this, but there are certain practices you can follow thatll help. Here are five habits that, if practiced daily, can boost your success at work1. Keep a Gratitude JournalGratitude journals have grown wildly popular and I can understand why. Earlier this year, I started a journal and committed to writing down one thing Im grateful for every day. At 159 days in, Im still going strong. I found that expressing gratitude every morning before work gets me in the right mindset and helps me prepare for the days challenges. But do nt take my word for it. A study by UCLA found that people who regularly wrote down what they were grateful for were more optimistic and cheerful than those who didnt. Interestingly, they also had fewer doctor visits and fewer work absences. Expressing gratitude daily is a simple, quick practice that has a massive impact, and theres even an app for it in case youre not a fan of physical journaling like I am. 2. Reduce Context SwitchingContext switching is when you jump between various, unrelated tasks. Youre heads down on a project but get interrupted by an urgent message. A few minutes later, a conversation between co-workers distracts you, and, after you finally refocus, you remember an email you should have responded to earlier in the day. Does this sound like your day?While rapid context switching may seem like the norm of the modern worker, Jessica Harris from Trello explains how it comes at a high cost We spend an average of just one minute and 15 seconds on a task before being interrupted. It takes an average of 25 minutes to resume a task after being interrupted. Heavily multitasking can temporarily lower your IQ by up to 15 points.You probably cant eliminate context switching altogether, but being mindful of the productivity damage it causes will allow you to create rules to avoid distraction (more on that in a second). 3. Create If/When-Then PlansI learned about this habit from Robert Cialdinis book, Pre-Suasion A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade. Heres how it works. You plek a cue, then pick a desirable action that you can link to that cue. Here are a few if/when-then rules I follow If/when I need to work without interruption, then I leave my desk and find a drop-by room.If/when its time to eat lunch, then I order a salad. Boring, I know.If/when I get a calendar invite for Thursday (when my company has a no-meeting policy), then I move the meeting to a different day. Research suggests that people who use if/when-then planning are between t wo and three times more likely to achieve their goals. This type of planning is effective because youre proactively creating automatic responses. When situations arise that might prevent you from reaching your long-term goals, youve already decided how youll act. 4. Exercise- Even if Only for a Few MinutesYou know you should exercise- the benefits are significant. But knowing isnt the tough part- its finding time in your busy schedule to make it happen. Running, cycling, or going to the gym may be ideal, but all you really need is a few minutes. One option is the 7-Minute Workout. Its an intense workout you can do almost anywhere and is proven to deliver results. Taking a short break to go on a walk is a great way to reduce stress. A few years back I committed to going on one walk in the middle of the workday. These quick strolls elevated my heart rate, for just a few minutes, and it enabled me to go back to my work with renewed focus. So, even if you dont have time to hit the gym, exercising for only a few minutes each day is still worth it. 5. Have a Shutdown RitualEric Barker, a best-selling author who wrote an entire book on success, teaches the importance of having a shutdown ritual in which you take the time to close out the days business and prepare for tomorrow. His research found that the simple act of writing down the things you need to take care of the next day can settle your brain and help you relax. My shutdown ritual includes making a concise list (no more than three) of the most important things I need to do the next day. Since committing to this practice Ive found that I think less about work when Im out of the office. My ritual also includes cleaning my desk and shutting down my laptop, practices signaling that my work day has come to an end. It turns out that implementing this has been found to relieve anxiety and help you enjoy your evening. One final thought. While each of these five habits is intended to help you be more successful, its important to also pause and take a moment to define what success means to you. These are guidelines, and, ultimately, youve got to create your own standard of excellence and measure progress accordingly. Because real, lasting success comes by aligning your actions with whats most important to you.