10 Proven habits of a successful entrepreneur (+5 book recommendations)
Are you an entrepreneur struggling to stick to a routine? This blog is for you to know what habits that you can inculcate in the days to come!
Great leaders are not just celebrated because of their intelligent decisions, they are praised for their habits and routine.
Good habits not only make them exceptional but also human. The perk of forming a habit is, it’s completely customizable and adaptable according to your preferences!
I know your brains 🧠 are extra heavy (apart from the 1400 g of your actual brain weight) with a lot of questions.
“How will I know the best habits for me as an entrepreneur?”, one of you might ask! This blog is just for you to know where you stand and to check whether you are walking towards these extraordinary habits as a startup owner!
Why does an entrepreneur need a routine?
Defining a habit is completely based on the behavioral science of a human being.
James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits – sold more than 4 million copies worldwide, must be saying something proven if people are buying his book to help themselves find a routine.
To answer the question in the heading. Yes, absolutely! Anyone and everyone must be having a routine and follow some structure in their lives.
According to James Clear, there are four stages of habit;
To explain further:
Source: Jamesclear.com
- A Cue is a motion or a trigger that induces a human to take up a habit for themselves.
In his book, he says that nowadays people have completely changed their cues to fame, money, status, power, recognition, etc. These cues take us a step away from enjoying our rewards.
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The next natural step seems to be ‘Craving’ – a motivation to put trigger (cue) into action (response). Craving seems to be a driving force for a human to take up a habit.
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The third step is ‘Response’. When people respond to the craving they feel, it helps them kick-start a habit.
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And of course, the final step is ‘Reward’ – reaping whatever you sow as an entrepreneur.
These four steps conquer your fear of losing something by making you capable enough to bring a habit into your routine and successfully carry it forward.
A habit takes 21 to 90 days to completely take over your subconscious brain.
Benefits of having great habits as an entrepreneur:
Personally, as a checklist’er – I get the greatest satisfaction of ticking off tasks from my schedule. (I might be borderline OCD!). These are the 5 benefits that having a great habit can give you.
- Having the best set of habits for yourself might increase the quality of your time and energy.
- Great habits would be a motivation for you to take a step towards your routine.
- It helps you accomplish your goals (short and long-term).
- Habits transform you from the person you are to the person you want to be.
- It enhances your self-esteem and boosts your confidence to become a better human.
10 Habits to follow or inculcate with time:
Let us dive into the habits that will help you with entrepreneurial excellence!
1. The Crown rule :
The first step to get the crown is when a person knows the balance between working and overexerting. Finding the balance is essential as an entrepreneur.
Cleanliness is godliness! When you clean the surroundings around you, your mind remains fresh and organized to start new tasks with the help of the best software.
Stay true to your words. When you promise something to a client, an employee, or your team – just do it. (think before you promise someone something)
2. Write down your thoughts:
One of the best practices as an entrepreneur is to write down everything that comes to your mind.
It might not help you at that moment, but it will definitely help you somewhere.
When you hold your pen, the tip of your fingers is more timidly connected to your brain.
3. Preach what you believe and follow:
Whatever you preach to your team, you better follow it. One of the most common mistakes by entrepreneurs is that they ideate to their team, which they never follow.
Any attitude-based, work-based, or team-building-based advice – has to be personally followed and believe that it shapes your life.
4. Practice emotional intelligence/ mindfulness:
An entrepreneur has to be fierce with his dreams. He has to be aware of the difficulties his team faces while walking the path.
Being emotionally cautious and aware of the circumstances makes you a great human and a leader.
Take a look at the book called ‘Emotional Intelligence – by Daniel Goleman‘.
5. Say thank you and sorry:
Being polite is a habit to be inculcated by any leader. An entrepreneur must be in a position to accept his mistakes while making decisions.
And he must feel grateful to have employees who care about their job and the venture apart from their paychecks.
6. Grow your network:
Networking in virtual communities and physical clubs is important when it comes to an entrepreneur.
It gives space to widen your knowledge on various subject matters and contradicts and questions a lot about your belief system.
A healthy debate is always good with your connections.
7. Exercise agility and simplicity:
Be as simple with the process as possible. Taking a deeper route is good during decision-making, but the execution has to be quick, efficient, and to simply say – agile.
8. Say no quickly and say yes a little late:
Remember, there are no shortcuts to success. If someone offers you one, think twice before putting your business in line.
It also applies to clients with too many expectations or employees with fast-track dreams etc.
Be realistic with your short-term goals. You’ll be able to crack out unattainable long-term goals slowly.
9. Own your schedule:
Plan your schedule. If someone does it for you, collaborate with them deeply to utilize the day to the fullest extent.
Take breaks when essential, fix a timeline for development projects and if you feel bored, take up new and exciting projects.
10. Give back what you get – philanthropy
Taking charge of your business will definitely give you space to give back to society.
It necessarily doesn’t have to be about the environment and other common philanthropic activities.
The activity you choose could complement the business or something that concerns society worldwide.
Start small and grow big with giving back. But start now💪.
Here are some of the books that I recommend.
You can learn about the importance of habits and how your subconscious mind helps you be a better person.
- Atomic Habits by James Clear. (Power of habits)
- The Secrets by Rhonda Byrne. (Law of Attraction)
- The Power of Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy.
- The ONE Thing by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan.
- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. (Story of success)
Hope this helps to make you a better reader, an intent listener, and a great human.
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