Every wondered how some of the world’s most successful people got to where they are today? Success and wealth often take years of smart choices, but there also seems to be common habits that high-achieving entrepreneurs share. Check out the daily routines which help them stay ahead.

Wake before everyone else

You’ve probably heard that successful entrepreneurs rise before dawn. Tim Cook wakes at 3.45am each day to check emails, exercise and grab a coffee before his work day begins. It’s not just Apple CEOs – studies have shown 90% of executives wake before 6am on work days, and nearly 50% of self-made millionaires wake at least 3 hours before settling in to their work day.
Although, there’s an increasing counter-argument coming from the successful snoozers. Entrepreneur, millionaire and CEO of GreenPal gets out of bed between 8 – 9am. He says “While building my last company, I tried as hard as I could to get out of bed at 4 or 5 a.m. After forcing myself for over six months to crack dawn every morning, I realized that I was half as effective as I was when I was getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep every day.”

Tackle high-priority tasks first

Mark Twain once said if you eat a live frog every morning, nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. Your “frog” is your most important task, the one you’re most likely to procrastinate on. Regardless of when you wake, research has found your brain is sharpest during the first few hours after waking. Making this the ideal time to focus on those high-priority tasks.

Make lists

Life as a successful entrepreneur can be chaotic. Lists can help us focus and prioritise as well as avoid distractions. Entrepreneurs tend to tackle their lists strategically. CEO Sean Duffy of Omada Health (named one of “The World’s Most Innovative Companies”) has a running list of everything to be done in the next fortnight. Each morning, he decides which of those become part of his “today” task list.

Get inspired

Staying inspired and continuing to learn is crucial in successful business. Inspiration can simply come from interactions with others, Jim Rohn famously said “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. Successful business people also read (a lot). Warren Buffett said that reading has been the most crucial habit he’s developed. A survey of the daily habits of self-made millionaires heard 88% devote 30 minutes or more daily to education or self-improvement through reading.

Make time for other things in life

Most successful entrepreneurs have one thing in common – they’re time poor! It can be easy to let your business consume your life entirely. However, many successful entrepreneurs see plenty of value in finding time for things outside the business. Whether it’s dropping the kids at school, working on a passion project or a spot of daily exercise.

A survey revealed most Fortune 500 leads and executives spend an average of an hour and 45 minutes daily to personal tasks or projects. CEO of Gusto, Josh Reeves, clears his head by spending 30 minutes in the garden each morning. Others jog with the dog, and devote two hours to time with the kids.