Key Habits of Successful Professionals

What's the difference between a struggling sales rep and those earning $250K-$500K a year? It's not talent. It's not luck. It's a system. After 14 years in corporate America with 12 promotions in 8 years, I've decoded the formula for sales mastery. And it's not what most "experts" are teaching you. The truth? Sales success is a direct reflection of your personal habits. Master these 5 high performance routines that transformed my career: 1. Eliminate Negative Inputs It's a question of mental fuel. Cut out what drains you and replace with what feeds you. News media talking recession? Cut it out completely. Replace with audiobooks and content that makes you grow. Reading fiction? Switch to non-fiction that builds your mindset and skillset. Negative colleagues? Limit exposure and surround yourself with high performers. 2. Optimize Your Physical Energy Sales is a game of willpower. Your physical state dictates your mental performance. Eating processed foods? Switch to clean eating with meal prep to maintain consistent energy. Working out inefficiently? Get more results in less time with targeted 45-minute sessions. Drinking alcohol? It impacts your sleep quality and next-day performance more than you realize. 3. Track and Measure Everything What gets measured gets improved. Elite performers are obsessed with optimization. Sleep tracking? My Oura ring shows me exactly how diet, exercise and environment affect my REM and deep sleep. Energy patterns? Document when you're at peak performance and restructure your day around these windows. Environmental factors? Test room temperature, lighting, and other variables that impact your focus. 4. Create Morning Power Blocks Your brain has limited decision making power each day. Use it strategically. Wake up at 4:45am? I get more deep work done in 3 morning hours than the rest of the day combined. Checking email first thing? Save that for after your most important revenue-generating activities. Waiting for motivation? Create a non-negotiable morning routine that puts you in control. 5. Build Systems Over Willpower Top performers don't rely on motivation. They build systems that deliver regardless of how they feel. Struggling with consistency? Create habits so ingrained they become automatic, not optional. Waiting to "feel like it"? Train yourself to take action when you don't want to, especially when you don't want to. Blaming external factors? Own your results by controlling your attitude and actions (the only two things you truly control). "When you work hard at your job, you make a living. When you work hard on yourself, you make a FORTUNE." - Jim Rohn — Want to see this in action? Check this video out: https://lnkd.in/gDn-UHd4

I used to be depressed, broke, and anxious. Now, I only work 4 hours per day and travel the world. 10 habits that transformed my life: 1. Daily Deep Work Dedicate the first few hours of your day to deep, focused work on your needle-moving work. No phone, no social media, no distractions. This is when your mind is freshest and most creative. Protect this time at all costs. 2. The AED System Automate, Eliminate, Delegate Ruthlessly apply this system to every task. • Automate repetitive tasks • Eliminate unnecessary ones • Delegate what does not require your unique skills Your time is gold; start acting like it. 3. Quarterly Resets Every quarter, take a step back, take a break, and reassess your goals, strategies, and habits. What's working? What's not? Make adjustments. Regular resets ensure that I stay aligned with my long-term vision and core values. 4. Focus on the 4 W of Work Optimize the Who, What, Where, and When of your work: • Who: Surround yourself with high-performers • What: Focus on high-impact tasks • Where: Create an optimal environment • When: Leverage your natural energy Small tweaks yield huge gains. 5. Sobriety Eliminating alcohol was a game-changer for my productivity and clarity. No hangovers, brain fog, or wasted time. Sobriety allows you to operate at your peak consistently. You need to be sober to change your life for the better. 6. No Agenda, No Meeting With my team, if a meeting doesn't have a clear agenda and desired outcome, it doesn't happen. Period. This simple rule eliminates countless hours of pointless meetings. Work matters, but most of your meetings don’t. 7. No Meetings in the Morning Mornings are for deep work, not meetings. Protect your peak creative hours. Schedule meetings in the afternoon when your energy naturally dips. Systemize your life. 8. Hell Yes or No This is an extension of AED. If an opportunity or request isn't a "Hell Yes!", it's a no. Ruthlessly guard your time and attention. Saying no to the mediocre allows you to say yes to the exceptional. 9. Personal Time/Energy Audit Track how you spend your time for a week. Categorize activities as energizing or draining. Then, systematically eliminate or minimize the draining activities. The time audit raises your hourly rate by thousands of dollars. 10. Daily Exercise Those who prioritize fitness enjoy a life expectancy up to 7 years longer. Your quality and duration of life is determined by your fitness habits. Exercise is key to unlocking your full potential. I don’t care if it sounds corny: health is wealth. — Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Matt Gray for more. Want my checklist for lifestyle design? Join our community of 172,000+ subscribers today: https://lnkd.in/eErjXUqs

I'm excited to share my system for staying productive all day, every day. This system allowed me to sell over $100M in my B2B sales career, then build a 7 figure coaching business working an average of 40 hours/week. Most importantly, my nights and weekends are free to spend with my family. Here's are the 3 simple steps I take every single week: Step 1: Complete a Weekly Plan & Scorecard at the beginning of each week On Monday mornings (or Sunday evening), I print and fill out a Weekly Plan & Scorecard. On this document, I write down all the important tasks and action items I aspire to get done that week in no particular order. I then rank each task in order of priority, typically prioritizing RGA's (Revenue Generating Activities) for my business. I originally took this scorecard from a book called the 12 Week Year, then adapted it to include a "Rank" column, which allows me to prioritize each action item. Prioritizing the Action Items allows me to know where to start every day, and prevents me from getting overwhelmed. Step 2: Daily Task Blocking in Calendar Whitespace At the beginning of each weekday, I fill up all the whitespace on my calendar for that day with high priority tasks taken directly from the Weekly Plan & Scorecard. This ensures that the most important tasks for the week get done first and eliminates daily decision fatigue. The key is to put the specific tasks on your calendar so there's no empty space. If for some reason any tasks on the calendar don't get completed for that day, I move them to the next day in any open whitespace. Step 3: Weekly Scoring At the end of each week, I score my performance using the simple formula: Tasks Completed / Tasks Written Down = Score % My goal is to score 85% or higher each week, although admittedly there are many weeks where I fall short. If there are any tasks that didn't get completed that week, they get moved to the following week. I rinse and repeat this process every single week. This ensures that I SHOW UP every single day, and stay productive throughout the entire work week. Additional keys to success include: 1. Taking short breaks when you feel mentally drained. Stretching, a short walk, and standing desk do wonders to change your state. 2. Minimize the number of daily meetings on your calendar (4 or less is optimal) to stay focused and ensure you have enough whitespace to get deep work done. 3. Give yourself an hour lunch to break up the work day. Every day I have lunch with my wife, and that's also on the calendar. 4. Do one thing at a time 5. If you have an unproductive day, forgive yourself. Of course, this is all easier said than done... That's why next week, in our 2nd *Transformation Tuesday* LIVE training session, I'm going to walk you through exactly how to leverage The 12 Week Year (and Weekly Scorecard) to transform your productivity and your life. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gsPsq2XR Only 500 spots available due to Zoom webinar limit!

Dear Professionals, Is productivity overrated? Oh, not at all. But you can’t wish it away. You need proven strategies to improve your productivity in the coming year! Before diving into that, let me share a little story. During my undergraduate days, I always multitasked. I combined a part-time home schooling initiative with my academics. In the evenings, I would go to various homes to teach secondary school students compulsory subjects (English, Maths, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology). In no time, more parents showed interest, and to maintain the quality of service, I had to involve other intelligent colleagues. We prepared many of these students for their final exams, and they achieved great success. I was also involved in student politics and had to lead delegations to the vice-chancellor and government for various causes that required advocacy and high-level interventions. Amidst all these activities, I raised funds and organized several health outreaches to underserved communities. I built leadership, organizational, research, and time management skills that helped me succeed as a student. These skills have not only helped me as a professional but have also opened doors and unlocked many opportunities too numerous to mention. But here’s the thing: you need to put systems in place because systems are drivers of productivity. Some systems have worked for me. Have a go at them: 1. Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time for different tasks throughout your day. This helps maintain focus and prevents multitasking, which can reduce productivity. Use tools like Google Calendar to schedule these blocks and stick to them. For instance, dedicate mornings to deep work and afternoons to meetings and emails. 2. The 2-Minute Rule: If a task will take less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately. This prevents small tasks from piling up and cluttering your to-do list. This hack is particularly useful for quick emails, small administrative tasks, or filing documents. 3. Prioritize with the Eisenhower Matrix: Organize your tasks based on urgency and importance using the Eisenhower Matrix. - Quadrant 1: Urgent and Important (Do immediately) - Quadrant 2: Not Urgent but Important (Schedule for later) - Quadrant 3: Urgent but Not Important (Delegate if possible) - Quadrant 4: Neither Urgent nor Important (Eliminate if possible) By focusing on what truly matters and eliminating unnecessary tasks, you can significantly boost your productivity and efficiency. I see you winning in the coming year, 2025. What strategies do you employ to be productive? Feel free to share; iron sharpens iron. A lighted candle doesn’t lose anything by lighting another. Till we all win!