Life
Nighttime Habits Of Super Successful People
When we think of the world’s most successful people, many times we might imagine them as those who rarely get sleep, are on their phones 24/7, and don’t have time for their family and friends. For many though, the opposite is true. Just consider the nighttime habits of the super-successful. As we’ll see below, a lot of the habits of those who’ve aced the term “success” involve taking the time away from work each evening to relax, reflect, and plan for the day ahead.
Stop and think about the most successful people you know in your life. Consider for a moment how they act during the day. Are they married to their cell phone? Are they glued to their office chair? Are they so overwhelmed with work and cranky because of it that you’d rather encounter a grizzly bear walking down the hallway than run into them in the cafeteria line? While they might be having jammed-packed days, their nights might be filled with a routine that amps them up for continued success day after day. Perhaps that cell phone is actually powered off at a certain time each night, and not thought about again until the morning. Maybe they even slot out some time to spend with their family every evening when they are all smiles and laughs. If they are anything like some of the world’s most successful people, likely they have some solid nighttime habits that benefit them. Let’s uncover what some of those are. Here are 11 nighttime habits of the super-successful.
1. They Meditate
Even the word meditation seems favorable to me — and there’s a real reason why: It’s proven to be a good way to relax the mind, body, and soul. According to Inc., many of the world’s most successful people use the power of meditation before they hit the hay each night. All you need is just five to ten minutes to reap the benefits. (I’ve been using an app to mediate — Simple Habit — and highly recommend it. Great way to close out the day.)
2. They Power Off Their Phone
Disconnecting at night is so nice and refreshing, and it seems it’s a habit of some of the super successful people. For instance, according to Business Insider, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg is one to turn her phone off at night as a means of unplugging and preventing herself from being woken up. Sandberg instead waits until morning to weed through her emails from the night before.
3. They Squeeze In Some Exercise
Just because they’ll had a day jammed backed with meetings, calls, and brainstorms doesn’t mean they don’t have time to get their blood pumping. AmericanExpress.com’s blog noted Buffer CEO Joel Gascoigne makes time to take a 20-minute walk every night. According to the outlet, this allows Gascoigne to disconnect from work and wind down.
4. They Do Something Creative
Spend the evening getting the creative juices flowing? Why not. A prime example of someone who uses her evenings creatively is Vera Wang. She has spoken publicly about how she uses a portion of her nights designing, either conceptually or literally.
5. They Examine Their Day
The nighttime is the perfect time to reflect on the happenings of the day and see what went well, what didn’t, and how certain things can be improved the following day. According to Fast Company, Benjamin Franklin was who we do just so. The outlet noted he would also ask himself, “What good have I done today?”
6. They Spend QT With Their Loved Ones
Despite how busy the world’s most successful people are, they still like making time for their loved ones each evening. Inc. spoke to Laura Vanderkam, author of I Know How She Does It and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast who acknowledged that very point, and added, “I realize not everyone can go to bed at the same time as his or her partner, but if you can, it's a great way to connect and talk about your days.”
7. They Unwind With A Bath
When I think of really successful women I imagine them having these big, huge bathrooms with extravagant bathtubs for taking the perfect bath. Looks like I might not be that far off. For one, Gwyneth Paltrow is an example of a successful woman who ends her day as so. Paltrow told Elle, “I take an Epsom salt bath every night to wind down. I use a lot of organic essential oils on my pressure points.”
8. They Turn To Positive Affirmations & Thinking
Speaking and visualizing success might be the key to helping achieve it. That is according to motivational speaker and author Jack Canfield. Many of the world’s most successful individuals are positive thinkers in this way. Canfield said on his blog, www.jackcanfield.com, that visualizing goals get help wrap your subconscious around them, program your brain to help recognize the things you need to achieve them, activate the law of attraction, and help build your motivation to achieve them. By practicing this way of thinking, users of this tactic are drawing in success in big ways.
9. They Read
Super successful people are also known to flip the pages of a good book before bed. Arianna Huffington is one example, according to Business Insider. Huffington in particular enjoys reading a hard copy book and tries to put away iPads, Kindles, and other electronics at nighttime, the outlet noted.
10. They Set Goals For The Next Day
What better way to mentally prepare for the next day of being successful than by setting some goals. According to Entrepreneur, this is just what President Obama does — reviews and goes over what needs to be taken care of the next day. The outlet noted those who use this tactic are well served by defining priorities, too, so that the mission in the morning is very clear.
11. They Get The Amount Of Sleep That Works For Them
While it’s recommended by the National Sleep Foundation that the average adult needs between 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, some of the most successful people play with that number a bit — however, they make certain whatever number of hours they get works for them, personally. Forbes profiled the number of hours some of the world’s most successful people get, and shows 86 percent get five hours of sleep or more hours. However, they ensure they give their rest the attention it desires, the outlet said.
Think about how your nighttime habits compare to those of the super successful. Perhaps you might try to incorporate some of their tactics into your own evening routine (I know I sure plan to!).
