You’re reading 8 Secret Habits of Highly Successful People (That Most People Don’t Know About), originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

A lot has been written in the past about habits of highly successful people. But beside the obvious, there are secret habits highly successful people have which most people don’t really know about. Though very busy for instance, the president of the United States finds time to play golf, while many working dads hardly find time for a family dinner.

Similarly, there are many things these people do habitually to achieve more in little time. And somehow they are able to also maintain a healthy balance in their health and family life. Let’s take a look at some of these below:

1. They are Early To Rise and Early To Plan

The early morning hours are what I call, ‘think time’. Successful people know this, and they maximize it. For instance, they never check their emails first thing in the morning. This is the reason they don’t have hassled days nor do they appear rushed.

To be successful, take a while to think, plan, meditate and pray early in the morning. This way you start your day with a clear picture of what the day will look like. Keep it reasonably flexible, but keep it clear.

2. They Prioritize and Schedule their Work

Deadlines have a way of sifting your work and separating the trivial from the essential. Having deadlines set for each task has a way of reducing the lull in your brain when you consider all you have to do and helps you focus on a task per time.

Successful people understand this and they always work with schedules.

To practice this habit, you need to start prioritizing properly by asking yourself, “If I had just a year left to live, will I be spending time on the things I am doing today?” It works every time.

3. They find the Balance between Hard Work and Too Much Work

Work doesn’t get done if nobody is doing it. And if you have got a lot of work to do, it stands to reason that you have to work a lot.

Working hard is good. It is necessary for successful people to push themselves and to learn to cope with a little stress and discomfort. A little stress is necessary for peak productivity so long as it doesn’t become “distress”. Finding the balance is a function of our body systems and capability. Successful people understand this. They work hard, but they don’t do it to the point of breaking down.

4. They take Effective Breaks throughout the Day

One of the typical mistakes many people make when faced with a rather daunting volume of work is to push back their recess times till there is nowhere else to push it to. A survey has shown that employees who tend to take 17 minutes of break time for every 52 minutes of work are more productive.

Our minds ability to focus on a task is like a muscle. It wanes with time and constant exertion. What this means is that the longer we focus on a task without a break, the less we achieve.

Taking a break is one thing, but making it effective is a whole other story.

Most successful people make it a habit to do something different that doesn’t remind them of work during their breaks. They don’t spend their free time immersed in work. Richard Branson’s favorite sport for instance is kite boarding.

So, take a break before you break down. Take a walk, jog, go see some nature, grab a coffee or some chocolate. Watch a funny video or catch up with an episode of a movie if your break can take it.

5. They use Stress Deflectors

For many people, some soft music in the background of the working environment is all they need to overcome any volume of work and still not be stressed. For others, productivity comes to its peak when they work in a natural environment, like a garden. And when they can’t go all out to embrace nature, they put flowers and green plants in their offices or get a fish pond.

Do the same thing. Find out what helps you deflect stress and maximize it for success. This may be all you need to help you work better and achieve a lot more.

6. They Delegate and Team up

When you have done all you humanly can, you can only achieve a fixed amount. The simple reason is because you are human. To be successful usually means achieving an amazing lot in little time and this requires some insight into the art of teamwork.

Successful people are people that trust others to do what they cannot afford to do themselves. They pay people to do what they cannot do and they work with people who know what they do not know.

Bill Gates, doesn’t know a quarter of all the technical and administrative stuff that goes on in Microsoft. And he doesn’t do a lot too, he simply delegates effectively. He doesn’t have to know so much. He just has to know what he has to know.

7. They take Virtual Vacations and Lots of Sleep

Most successful people understand that it is necessary to have productive nights, if you are going to have productive days. And the productivity of your night is measured by how much sleep you get at night, seeing as the night is meant for mainly that.

It also helps to make sure that your sleeping time and the early hours of the morning coincide with a virtual vacation and a technology free period. Turn off your phone, no beeps from IM’s or emails.

This way you can actually rest while sleeping.

8. They are disciplined

Self-discipline is one of the qualities that greatly differentiates successful people from most other people. Success requires discipline and applying these tips will bring success. So you might want to explore ways of building your discipline levels.

Success doesn’t fall on people…generally success is cultivated. Do your best to cultivate these habits too. I hope you enjoy the process.

 

You’ve read 8 Secret Habits of Highly Successful People (That Most People Don’t Know About), originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/1WXBizS

You’re reading 8 Strategies To Deal With Difficult People, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion” – Dale Carnegie

Imagine …

You work in a place where everyone is super-nice. No one ever gets on your nerves. No one ever frustrates you. You don’t find anyone annoying or frustrating. You don’t find anyone ‘difficult’.

The truth is you’re lucky, very lucky and very unusual too. It’s rare to get on well with everyone.

Dealing with people you find difficult is never easy. The fall-out can be far-reaching.

There was a time when I used to dread Sunday nights. For nearly two years of my life they meant absolutely no sleep. The thought of going to work filled me with dread.

I actually enjoyed my job but there was one particular person who I struggled to get on with.

This person talked over me every time I had something constructive to say. He would never look me in the eye. I felt as though he was trying to undermine me. I avoided working with him and, as a result, I become alienated from the team.

The consequence? I left my job. A job I really enjoyed.

Wherever you work, if your job involves interaction with people there are going to be times when it’s challenging. The fact is that some people wind us up, even though they might not even be trying to. Often, they don’t even know they’re doing it.

Whatever the root of the problem, here are 8 tips that will stand you in good stead:

#1 – Keep your cool

You have complete control of your own reaction. If you can keep your self-control and composure, you’ll find it easier to respond calmly and diffuse the situation before it gets out of hand. Taking your time and taking stock before reacting makes for better judgement. Sometimes, this is all it takes to avoid an escalation of the problem.

#2 – Stay detached

Picture yourself detached from the situation. See yourself looking down on it from above. Tell yourself that this person is not worth your emotional energy. Try to keep a healthy distance. Don’t get dragged into a lengthy dispute. Have a pact with yourself; don’t allow the person to see you wound up or behaving irrationally.

#3 – Be proactive not reactive

Consciously shift from a reactive to a proactive style. Some people respond better to being approached in a more direct way. Being more proactive in the way you communicate may reduce the chance of misinterpretation or misunderstanding. You may find that a mis-match of communication styles was actually the root cause of the problem.

#4 – Remove the emotion

Try not to take the person’s behaviour personally. This helps put your reactions in proportion. Often the behaviour of others says far more about them than it does about you. Remind yourself of this when the heat is on. You’ll find it easier not to take the difficult person’s actions personally.

#5 – Pick your battles

Don’t get involved unless you have to. That takes self-discipline. Sometimes it’s best to accept that rocking the boat will be counter-productive. This may be particularly true when the difficult person is a colleague more senior to you, perhaps your boss. You’ll need to make a choice in situations like this as to whether you get involved. If you can’t do your job properly without dealing with the difficult person, you have no choice. If not, it may be best just to stay clear.

#6 – Separate the person from the issue

Try to balance ‘managing’ the difficult relationship with achieving what you need from a business point of view. Think carefully about how you will raise the issue and the kind of language you will use. It helps to practise some conversation starters beforehand such as: “I appreciate how hard you’ve worked on that, now we need to…” or “That’s really helpful information, how do you propose I…”

#7 – Inject humour

A disarming smile or a good dose of well-timed humour can literally act as a magic potion. Injecting a little humour is a great way of diffusing a situation quickly. Throwing in the odd ‘dry’ comment can be enough to get everyone back on course. Humour doesn’t back people into a corner. It can soften the atmosphere and can give people a way out.

#8 – Stand up to bullies

We all know bullies pick on those who they perceive to be weaker.  You’ll need to try to stand up to bullies rather than avoid them. It is essential to overcome any fear of confrontation. Make a conscious effort to act assertively and speak up.

So don’t find yourself losing sleep because of a difficult person. Use these 8 tips to help you feel more confident when you next come against one.

I’d love to know how you get on with them. Real examples would be great.

You’ve read 8 Strategies To Deal With Difficult People, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/1THiOj6