5 Things You’re Not Doing That Can Help Promote Personal Growth and Productivity

Lessons from the best of the best on start working on yourself.

How much are you willing to invest in yourself? Scratch that. Let me rephrase. How have you been investing in yourself? How badly do you want that dream?

A lot of people have no idea that they need to invest in themselves before they can be successful.

When I created my first business, I fell into the trap of believing working harder leads to more growth. When the sales started coming in, I was making profits. I was happy. I thought I had found the secret formula.

So I continued using the same strategy over and over with new audiences, then my revenue started to decline. I pushed in harder with upsells to entice my existing customers, repeating the same old designed template that worked.

My customers probably got bored with my system. They started opting out, little by little. I wasn’t getting new leads either. It was as if my traffic source was dead. I got frustrated. I struggled to get the business back up but failed. Eventually, I shut it down and went back into the employment world.

I later realized that while my revenue increased, I wasn’t growing mentally to compete in the industry. I built out a structure, and I stuck with it. I wasn’t expanding my knowledge, nor did I invest in myself.

Most people lose their business because they lack a reconstructive mindset to fit into the ever-evolving social and financial dynamics. And this is what gives successful people the upper hand over unsuccessful people.

If you are feeling stuck in your business and haven’t spent time investing in yourself, I suggest you begin today by reading “Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.” This is one of the materials that shaped my mind about the business industry.

When I read this book, I learned that it didn’t matter whether I was born rich or not, what my circumstances were, or what I was going through, I didn’t need an education or work experience, but rather what mattered was that if I put the pieces in place, I will eventually be who I wanted to be.

In my research on studying successful people, there are a few structures they tend to put in place for their personal growth. I have emulated some of these structures and have noticed a significant improvement in my personal and work life. Without wasting more of your time, in this article I will be sharing five habits that foster growth and productivity.

Set up a morning routine

One of the most common habits I have noticed among successful people is that they have some sort of a consistent early morning routine.

Richard Branson, a multi billionaire gets up at 5.45am, Jeff Weiner, Linkedin CEO wakes up at 5.30am, Tim Cook, a billion-dollar empire CEO gets up at 3.45am, Oprah Winfrey, a billion-dollar tv host, gets up at 6am and Elon Musk, founder of Tesla motors, wakes at 7am, to mention but a few.

They wake up that early because they take early mornings to prepare their mind for the day. They reserve an hour or two to just work on themselves. Whether it is to read, journal, meditate or workout, they invest that time to grow into the person they want to be.

Adopting the habit of reading more

Experts say an average CEO reads sixty books a year. That means they read more than one book per week. Warren Buffett is one of the popular bibliophiles who reads an average of 500 pages each day.

The beautiful thing about the internet is that you can learn everything you want about life and business online.

Thanks to Audible, I have formed the habit of reading more with digital books. If you haven’t heard of Audible, it’s an online platform with hundreds of books in its collection from culture, arts, spirituality, personal development etc. All knowledge is accessible at your fingertips.

Have a daily exercise routine

Successful people understand that there is a mind-body connection. Your mind and body and in constant communication. If you can fix your body, your mind will definitely be in the right place.

For example, if you eat a heavy meal during the day, you get really tired and lazy to do anything until the food digests. But when you exercise every day, your body creates more energy sources and speeds up digestion to refill lost energy burned throughout the day.

Also, regular exercises revitalize your youth, making you feel more confident in yourself. When you feel confident, you go about your day with a positive mindset.

Write your goals in a journal

A study by Harvard University proves that 3% of students who wrote down their goals on a paper we’re more successful and achieved their goals after a period of ten years.

Your goals become real when you put them down on paper. It becomes a physical property you can see and work through. I can also confirm that when I don’t pen down my daily schedule, I produce fewer results because I will forget most of the things I planned on doing that day.

Most people will set goals, but they will never write them down, and then they end up not figuring out how to materialize those goals, which is usually the biggest detriment to why people don’t hit their goals and why most businesses fail.

Choose a mentor in your field

One study revealed that the average millionaire had at least seven mentors before they became a millionaire.

A good mentor is someone who is motivated and energized, cares about developing others, and is willing to commit their time.

One of the importance of hiring a coach or mentor is that they can shorten your learning curve from their twenty years of knowledge to two years for you. Because they are far more experienced in what you want to do, they have made mistakes and know what works and doesn’t.

But before looking for a mentor, focus on goal setting. Lay down your goals and set clear expectations of how a mentor can help you. If you are not sure how to set specific goals, choose a broad category and a directional path.

Search across disciplines and functions, whether you’re looking for a mentor inside or outside your company.

Parting words

One of my favorite quotes is “Life is short, time is fast, no replay, no rewind.” So take advantage of every waking minute. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. The best time to begin anything is now.

To refresh your mind on how to become more productive and grow as a person, have an early morning routine, start reading more books, exercise daily, make sure to write your goals on paper, and don’t forget to choose a mentor to guide you.

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