As I continue to meet new and current high achieving individuals and review their routines and common tasks throughout the week, I am starting to see a trend that separates the high achieving individuals from the everyday joe. Discipline, focus, passion and desire are a couple of words that come to mind when I review the flow of their days and weeks.
The main traits that stand out from the others are waking up early, exercising, meditation and making time for what is important in their lives (planning their day). The same individuals also practice self-care, set goals and learn from others. These individuals also have life coaches such as me to use as a sounding board for various business and personal ideas that they want a non bias perspective on.
These individuals start their day as early as five to six am. The first thing they do is ignore their phones and technology. Meditation, exercise and reading consume their mornings. Meditating for 20-30 minutes a day can help calm your mind and focus on the present. Exercising increases productivity and helps focus on tasks throughout the day. Reading helps the mind stay sharp and allows for continuous learning. Individuals at a high level are always reading and trying to learn something new.
Before the high achieving individual starts their day, they take 15-20 minutes to focus on gratitude and will continue practicing gratitude throughout the day. This helps with positivity and reminds us of what we have and where we come from. Practicing gratitude can be as simple as jotting down in a journal three things that you are grateful for. They do not have to be monumental and can be simple pleasures like a fine wine, a good cigar, a great work out or a loving relationship.
Meditation isn’t just for the hippie yogi peeps anymore. Meditation is the groundwork for a positive mindset, growth mindset and helps cultivate creativity and new ideas. Success isn’t solely determined today by strategies or skills, but also by one’s mindset. Again, you don’t need to meditate hours upon hours, 15-20 minutes a day to clear your mind and realign with your inner truth and focus your mind and body on the same tasks and objectives.
As the day progresses, taking risks, visualizing success and learning from others continue to resonate throughout their planned activities. These activities and their schedules are always set the night before and not as they go. They know specifically how their day will go and end up in the evening.
If you didn’t know, Elon Musk plans his day using what he calls the 5-minute rule or “time blocking”. Elon schedules his entire day in five-minute increments. This is from emails to meetings. Everything is planned out to the minute (Inside Elon Musk’s Intense Daily Routine, 2025). Most of us cannot do 5-minutes blocks, but 15-minute blocks are not unreasonable for most who can control a majority of their day’s activities.
High achieving individuals avoid long meetings, minimize time checking emails and focus on the critical tasks for the day. This can include, but not be limited to work, home, kids, and business dinner meetings.
As mentioned above, continuous learning is a critical role of knowledge and constant growth in paving their path to success. Learning does not need to come from just reading in today’s world. Listening to a podcast driving to the office or a client’s is a great way to educate yourself. Watching educational YouTube videos is another. The method doesn’t matter, but the process does. Do not discount learning new things and incorporating them into your daily routine.
In my previous blog, I talk about Multitasking or we need to focus on one task at a time. High achievers Incorporat3 single tasking into their daily routine. They start small with a dedicated uninterrupted 15 minutes on single tasks. As I mentioned in my previous blog, You are likely finding that these focused sessions are far more productive than hours of divided attention or multi-tasking.
For you and any high achieving individual, consistency is key. This is nothing flashy or groundbreaking, but it is transformative, and the little changes can make lasting impression on how you feel, how you conduct business and how you develop your relationships with loved ones and business partners. Building a consistent routine might take time and require discipline, but the rewards are immense. When it is time for bed, the high achieving individuals is getting 6-8 hours a night. Make this a priority for yourself. You need your rest for the busy schedules you encounter and take on.
So, if you want to separate yourself from the other 99% of individuals, create a highly structured and consistent daily routine, prioritize health and wellness, continual learning, and goal-oriented actions. Focus on maintaining a positive mindset, and plan your day in manageable increments, like the 15-minute planning method we’ve discussed so that you do not incur stress or anxiety from the feelings of being overwhelmed. Remember, life coaches like me will hold you accountable and help you achieve the life, success and greatness that you desire.
References
Inside Elon Musk’s Intense Daily Routine. (2025, February 14). CEO Today.
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