7 Habits of the Most Successful Entrepreneurs Ever

Our habits determine how soon we reach our goals for success. Here’s a list of the entrepreneurial habits seen in the most successful entrepreneurs ever.

8 min readMay 5, 2022

7 Habits of the Most Successful Entrepreneurs Ever

Habits have the power to set us up for success or failure. The rule is simple. For something to go well, everything has to be right. But for something to go wrong, it’s enough that just one thing goes wrong. That’s why entrepreneurs live by a well-curated list of habits that guarantee success.

Unsurprisingly, no two entrepreneurs follow the same set of habits. Yet, there are some common habits that several entrepreneurs believe have helped them. Those are the ones we’ll be discussing here. The goal is not to alter your lifestyle overnight. Instead, you may use this list as a reference for habits you can add to your life over time.

Let’s get started.

#1 The Habit of Staying Curious

One of the habits that successful entrepreneurs believe in is staying curious. Success comes from innovation. This, in turn, stems from being curious about the unknown.

Curiosity has led to many revolutionary ideas, discoveries, & inventions. The simplest way to explore one’s curiosity is to ask questions. Then, try new things that may give answers to those questions. If not for answers, the search is likely to lead to further questions.

Reading is also a great way to indulge in one’s curiosity. Many entrepreneurs & successful leaders allude to reading as a good habit as a part of their daily schedule. Do you know that Bill Gates reads close to 50 books in a year? Mark Cuban reads for 4–5 hours a day. If you’re curious about the books read by successful entrepreneurs, here’s the list.

We know reading may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But entrepreneurs must quench their curiosity somehow. So, perhaps, you’ll enjoy listening to these audiobooks.

#2 Workout & Meditation

Habits such as a fitness routine and meditation have helped many entrepreneurs. It starts with prioritizing physical & mental health. Making it an everyday task is a good habit as entrepreneurship is demanding physically and mentally.

Richard Branson enjoys tennis for his fitness. Mark Cuban swears by an hour of cardio. Oprah Winfrey prefers her yoga sessions & clocking in 10,000 steps. These entrepreneurs agree that staying fit is one of their key habits.

It’s not enough that the body is fit. The mind, too, must cooperate. For example, Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, sets aside time every day for meditation. Likewise, Marc Benioff, CEO & Founder of Salesforce, is a meditation-enthusiast. He insists on including meditation rooms in the corporate offices of Salesforce. In addition, he encourages his employees to meditate. Here’s an interesting read on the daily meditation routine of successful businessmen.

#3 Create a Routine That Works for You

Writer Ernest Hemingway starts his day writing his stories. Warren Buffet likes to read about 500 pages every day. But these may not work for you. The trick is to plan a routine with habits one would enjoy practicing for themselves. This way, it’s easier to track the schedule and own it.

Maybe you prefer meeting your team every day for a few minutes. Or you enjoy tracking your personal goal progress every week. Whatever it is, if it’s something you do regularly, then it’s one of your habits. So, design your routine around it.

Creating a routine has several advantages:

🡺 Seamless progression through the day

🡺 Lesser distractions

🡺 Productive utilization of energy

🡺 Eliminate decision-making on trivial matters

When analyzing the habits of successful people, it’s clear that habits include anything that helps you feel recharged. For some entrepreneurs, it’s spending morning time with their kids. Others find preparing dinner or cleaning the dishes calming.

If you’re interested in the daily work routines of successful entrepreneurs, do check this out.

Ever wondered how the life of an entrepreneur is? Is it just a luxurious entrepreneurial lifestyle or a life with deep stress due to no defined working hours and cut-throat competition?
Click here to have a Sneak Peek into the Life of an Entrepreneur.

#4 Employ Productivity Tricks

Time is a limited resource. Entrepreneurs understand this very well. So, they look to maximize their productivity in a day with specific habits that accelerate their success.

There are no set rules to what qualifies as a productivity trick. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, likes to assign themes to his days. Haddy Folivi, the founder of Clarity Media, divides her day as time blocks to complete tasks.

Here are some more examples that will help you curate your own set of tricks:

Prioritize & accomplish high-impact tasks
Focus on one goal with every action
Wake up early such that you have at least 2–3 hours of me-time before you start ‘work.’
Complete tasks that require high concentration in the morning
Set 5-minute breaks in between tasks
Clearing your inbox with appropriate action daily
Setting reminders to work on infrequent actions

Also, check out this article on the productivity tricks of successful entrepreneurs. Remember to assess which of these would work for you. Then implement them as a part of your habits for success.

Productivity tricks aren’t just about concepts but tools as well. We live in a time where virtual meetings & work from home have gained much significance. Therefore, it’s best to use tools that ease/streamline our day-to-day work activities. Here are some tools that could help enhance your productivity.

#5 Me-time is a Must

At times, entrepreneurs experience extreme work pressure. One of the vital habits that help them get past this pressure is allocating me-time.

Relaxing the body and mind is important to avoid burnout. Bill Gates likes to play Bridge, tennis and board games. Entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo emphasizes a morning routine that allows him time to be with himself.

It’s essential to recognize that me-time or relaxation is just as important as accomplishing goals. In addition, having adequate rest helps in working on the goals and finding success.

Maybe you could start with these simple ways to de-stress:

Mark at least one day of the week as your off day & loosen up
Snooze incoming emails in your after-work hours
Avoid responding to emails in your me-time (unless it’s a business threat)
Spend time with nature
Quality time with family/friends
Engage in a community activity not related to work

Do you ever wonder what do successful entrepreneurs do daily after work? Here‘s your answer.

#6 Reflection & Planning Ahead

The habits of successful people include reflecting on the day’s events and planning for the day ahead.

Reflection:

Many entrepreneurs dedicate at least 20 minutes of their time at night to reflect on the day that went by. This reflection also helps track the progress we make towards our goals.

Reflection also shows us aspects of our life beyond work that need changes. This is the key to ensuring a great work-life balance. So, reflection on life as a whole is a good habit for an entrepreneur.

Planning:

Planning is among the many proven habits of successful entrepreneurs. You could plan for the next day, at night, immediately after you finish reflecting on the day. An alternate option is to do it at the start of the new day.

What truly matters is how efficiently you plan the day. Many entrepreneurs prefer not to stick to a to-do list. Watch this video to find out how best to plan your day.

A journal can help with both. Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, and many other successful people kept a journal. Likewise, an outstanding leader must maintain a journal, suggests this article.

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#7 Set Aside Time for Hobbies

For some people relaxing could mean doing nothing or getting a spa treatment. That’s fine.

However, the success habits of several entrepreneurs include devoting time to their hobbies. Their me-time creates room for hobbies they enjoy. For instance, Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo, loves to bake. Steve Wozniak, Apple’s co-founder, enjoys indulging in Segway polo.

Here are more mentions of successful entrepreneurs and their hobbies.

Engaging in a hobby is a good habit. It helps declutter the mind, reduce stress, improve creativity, foster relationships and whatnot. So, pick up a hobby that you enjoyed as a child. Or find a new one. There are plenty of activities you can explore in your leisure time.

In case you’re still contemplating whether devoting time to hobbies is a good idea or not, you may want to read this first.

#Bonus: Stop Multitasking

Multitasking was considered a kickass skill until a few years ago. But now, more people have realized that it offers less value. The fact is that when we attempt things in parallel, we cannot immerse completely in any of the experiences.

The habits of successful people reveal that they don’t enjoy multitasking. Instead, they categorize their actions. This way, each action can be performed with greater focus and efficiency. It helps them achieve more than they could by multitasking.

Rounding up

Notice how some of these habits blend into each other? Like reading and fitness can be a part of someone’s me-time. So can reflection & planning. The reason they are segregated as independent habits is that they are all important. And they need to be practiced with due consideration for long-term success.

So, it’s not enough that reading/meditation are in your me-time for one week and then back only in the third or fourth week of the month. Rather do them regularly over the week.

Consistency is a good habit for success. Maybe start with a few days of the week and slowly include all the above-discussed habits in your daily routine.