5 Habits Highly Productive People Practice Daily (That 99% Of People Don’t)
Simple habits and routines to become your most effective self
Increasing your productivity doesn’t have to be rocket science.
Some of the simplest habits and routines can have a huge payoff in mental focus, energy, and productivity.
That’s why, in this article, we’ll look at 5 simple habits highly effective people practice daily (that most others don’t).
Habit #1: Plan Your Day The Night Before
When planning the day, make a list of all the tasks you’d like to do, rank them based on priority, and schedule them in Google Calendar.
This way, you know exactly what to do and when to do it, which is a recipe for a highly productive day.
As they say in the Navy SEALs:
Proper planning prevents poor performance.
Personally, I prefer to plan my day the night before instead of in the morning.
When I know exactly what needs to be done from the moment I wake up, I can immediately focus on executing the plan instead of still having to make the plan.
Habit #2: Review Your Long-Term Goals
If you don’t keep your long-term goals top of mind, they’ll slowly fade away due to the busyness of life.
That’s just how it goes.
Besides, by reviewing your long-term goals in the morning, you’ll start the day feeling motivated and inspired to get some stuff done.
It’s a highly effective antidote to procrastination.
Habit #3: Use The Morning For Deep Work
Neuroscience has shown that the morning is the most productive time of the day for the greatest majority of people.
(Specifically the first 2–4 hours after waking up.)
That’s when we’re able to naturally focus better, think more clearly, and solve difficult problems more easily.
In other words, it’s the perfect time for deep work.
My daily deep work formula is:
- Pick one high-priority task (no multi-tasking)
- Remove all distractions (smartphone out of sight, close social media, notifications off, etc.)
- Prepare a cup of black coffee + fill a bottle of water
- Listen to binaural beats with noise-cancelling headphones
- Set a timer for 90–120 minutes (optimal timeframe for maximum concentration)
- Work on the task without stopping until the timer rings
If you get between 2- 4 hours of deep work per day, you’ll outperform 90% of those who work an entire 8-hour workday.
That’s how powerful it is.
Especially in today’s distraction-overload society, where people tend to get distracted every 3–6 minutes, as a Rescuetime study found.
All in all, protect those first hours of the day for deep work. Block them off in your calendar and treat these hours differently than others.
Habit #4: Use The Afternoon For Managing
One of my core productivity rules is that the morning is for ‘making’ and the afternoon is for ‘managing’.
In the morning, I schedule making-type tasks like:
- Writing articles
- Creating content
- Creating digital products
- Marketing
These tasks require maximum focus and cognitive performance, so I schedule them for the morning — when I’m naturally most productive.
In the afternoon, however, I tend to be less focused and energized (like most people).
That’s why I use the afternoon to work on managing-type tasks:
- Answering emails
- Calls & meetings
- Administrative tasks
These tasks typically don’t require peak focus or cognitive performance, so they can be done even when you’re not at your best.
Habit #5: Practice A 5-Minute Performance Review
As part of my evening routine, I perform a 5-minute review of how I performed that day.
I ask myself the following questions:
- Did I accomplish my top 3 priorities of the day? (If not, why not?)
- What sparked the most energy and happiness today?
- What am I proud of today?
- What could I have done better today?
This daily review helped me fix unproductive habits and uncover blindspots in my behavior that would otherwise go unnoticed for months or years.
