The secret to success may be simpler than you think. Sleep well, eat healthy, learn to be an effective time manager and stay engaged.
At least, this is the upshot of a survey conducted by yogurt maker Chobani Australia. The company recently conducted a survey of 500 high achieving Australians and compared their lifestyles to everyday Australians to discern the habits of successful people.
The key findings show the majority of high performing individuals believe there are two fundamental habits that are critical to success. The first is to get at least seven hours sleep, with 65 per cent of respondents saying this was vital, while the second is to eat nutritious meals with 65 per cent of respondents again agreeing this was crucial.
Effective time management emerged as a common feature of successful people. Successful Australians try and squeeze more into their day despite rising at the same time as others.
The survey suggests that 56 per cent said they checked work emails overnight, 48 per cent said they worked from home at least once a week, 41 per cent said they engaged in professional development at least once a week and 85 per cent said they still had time for their family. Surprisingly, 54 per cent said they also made time for friends.
In terms of physical exercise, 66 per cent said a healthy body helped ensure a healthy mind while just over a quarter said that leading a healthy lifestyle gave them a competitive advantage. Nearly 60 per cent said they did aerobic exercise at least once a week, while close to 50 per cent regularly read fiction works and 24 per cent did yoga.
However, chilling out in front of the TV is still one of the most common forms of rest and relaxation for highly successful people with over 80 per cent listing it as one of their recreational activities.
Perhaps one of the most interesting factors differentiating successful people was their belief that their careers were important. Nearly 50 per cent of high achievers believed their careers of critical importance compared to only 6 per cent of non-high achievers. Similarly, pursuing professional goals was deemed to be exciting by 48 per cent of high achievers as compared to only 3 per cent of non-high achievers.
Jodie Fox, co-founder of the successful online Australian retail outfit, Shoes of Prey, said maintaining a healthy balance was essential to success.
“Without a doubt my career is of critical importance to me,” she said. “But so are so many other things like my health, my family and my friends. Running a business that is growing at the speed of knots, I do have to watch my anxiety levels and to do this, I absolutely must exercise, eat nutritious food and get plenty of sleep. It sounds so simple – but it can get hard when you are so determined to succeed that you think every minute must be spent on work.”
Shoes of Prey has recently struck a deal with US based department store chain, Nordstrom, to open six concession outlets in Seattle, Washington, California, New Jersey and Illinois that will allow customers to design their own shoes.