6 Practices of Highly Successful People in Today’s Workplace

Do you use your time strategically? Being busy and being efficient are not the same, and the most successful people know how to use their time to their greatest advantage.

Successful people fascinate us. We are intrigued by how they live and how they achieve success. So, we study their habits and best practices. In studying the time management techniques of successful people like Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet and Albert Einstein, serial entrepreneur Michael Simmons discovered a common practice these high performers shared. He calls the practice compound time.

What Successful People Do Right

Compound time refers to the large return that is generated over the long term from a small investment made now. If you want to focus your time so that you have maximum impact as a leader you can adopt the practice of compound time, too.

What’s surprising, many of the common practices involve slowing down, rather than trying to fit more into a busy schedule. They’re more methodical uses of time throughout the day, every day.

According to Simmons, here are six practices you can adopt that will allow you to compound your time.

1. Keep a Journal

Engaging in regular journaling can have a major impact on your personal development. For example, use a prompt to flesh out your thoughts around an idea or a concept.

Perhaps there is a leadership quote that really inspires you. Use that quote to launch your journal entry and write about how you can incorporate qualities addressed in the quote into your leadership style.

Perhaps you are experiencing a personal challenge. You can use that challenge as a prompt to explore possible solutions. Using prompts during journaling will help you process your thoughts and will help you become a more effective leader over time.

2. Nap

Research shows that napping has many benefits from reduced stress to improved memory. Napping allows you to clear your mind and boost your energy. You can accomplish so much more with a clear head and extra energy to get you through those tough days.

3. Walk

Top performers include exercise in their daily routine. Walking is the most common form of exercise and it’s the easiest to incorporate into a daily routine. Walking gets your blood circulating and improves creativity.

You can do it practically anywhere, too. Obviously, you can go outside when the weather permits. But indoors, you can use a treadmill or a long hallway.

4. Read

Reading is no doubt the quickest way to access information and gain knowledge. Investing time in reading articles and books about subjects that can enhance your life and leadership abilities can be life-transforming.

5. Talk

There is nothing like sharing and co-creating with someone like-minded. There is power in banter, discussion and debate. A sharpening occurs when ideas are shared and fleshed out. This kind of exchange can lead to creative work with long-lasting impact.

6. Experiment

Many of the high performers that we read about today are not overnight successes. Their success came after experimenting with many methods and business models. Only after much trial and error have they attained success. Success requires a level of risk and experimentation to refine ideas and perfect solutions.

So, if you want to follow in the footsteps of high performers, slow down the pace of your busy life and begin to incorporate these six activities into your daily schedule and routine. You will see that over time, compound time will pay rich rewards.

Check Out the Podcast on Highly Successful People

You can dive deeper into the intricacies of highly successful people and how to follow their lead by checking out the interview with Ellie on the Women’s Leadership Today podcast.