9 things successful people do right before bed

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The very last thing you do before bed tends to have a significant impact on your mood and energy level the next day, as it often determines how well and how much you sleep.

Successful people understand that their success starts and ends with their mental and physical health, which is almost entirely dependent upon their getting enough sleep.

That is why bedtime routines are a key ritual for so many of them — and why the very last thing most successful people do before bed is read.

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1. They read.

Flickr / Viviana Calderón

Experts agree that reading is the very last thing most successful people do before going to sleep.

Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "You Can't Be Serious! Putting Humor to Work," says he knows numerous business leaders who block off time just before bed for reading, going so far as to schedule it as a "non-negotiable item" on their calendar. "This isn't necessarily reserved just for business reading or inspirational reading. Many successful people find value in being browsers of information from a variety of sources, believing it helps fuel greater creativity and passion in their lives."

For example, while some successful people use this time catch up on news stories from the day, skim tech blogs, or browse Reddit and Twitter, others enjoy reading fiction novels and ancient philosophy just before bed. 

2. They make a to-do list.

Flickr / Patrick Gage Kelley

"Clearing the mind for a good night sleep is critical for a lot of successful people," Kerr says. "Often they will take this time to write down a list of any unattended items to address the following day, so these thoughts don't end up invading their head space during the night."

3. They spend time with family.

Aaron/flickr

Michael Woodward, Ph.D., organizational psychologist and author of "The YOU Plan," says it's important to make some time to chat with your partner, talk to your kids, or play with your dog.

Laura Vanderkam, author of "What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast," says this is a common practice among the highly successful. "I realize not everyone can go to bed at the same time as his or her partner, but if you can, it's a great way to connect and talk about your days."

4. They reflect on the day.

REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh

Kerr says many successful people take the time just before bed to reflect on, or to write down, three things they are appreciative of that happened that day. "Keeping a 'gratitude journal' also reminds people of the progress they made that day in any aspect of their life, which in turn serves as a key way to stay motivated, especially when going through a challenging period."

Vanderkam adds: "Taking a few moments to think about what went right over the course of the day can put you in a positive, grateful mood."

5. They meditate.

Flickr/Gonso†Madrid

Many successful people use the 10 minutes before bed to meditate. Dale Kurow, a New York-based executive coach, says it's a great way to relax your body and quiet your mind.

6. They plan out sleep.

Phalinn Ooi/flickr

"Much has been written around the dangers busy people face running chronic sleep deficits, so one habit I know several highly successful people do is to simply make it a priority to get enough sleep — which can be a challenge for workaholics or entrepreneurs," Kerr says. One way to do that is to go to bed at a consistent time each evening, which is a key habit all sleep experts recommend to help ensure a healthy night's sleep.

Vanderkam further suggests that you plan out when you're going to wake up, count back however many hours you need to sleep, and then consider setting an alarm to remind yourself to get ready for bed. "The worst thing you can do is stay up late then hit snooze in the morning," she says. "Humans have a limited amount of willpower. Why waste that willpower arguing with yourself over when to get up, and sleeping in miserable nine-minute increments?"

7. They unplug and disconnect from work.

flickr/functoruser

Truly successful people do anything but work right before bed, Kerr says. They don't obsessively check their email, and they try not to dwell on work-related issues. 

Woodward agrees, saying, "The last thing you need is to be lying in bed thinking about an email you just read from that overzealous boss who spends all their waking hours coming up with random requests driven by little more than a momentary impulse." Give yourself a buffer period between the time you read your last email and the time you go to bed. The idea is to get your head out of work before you lie down to go to sleep.

8. They lie down on a positive note.

It's easy to fall into the trap of replaying negative situations from the day that you wish you had handled differently. Regardless of how badly the day went, successful people typically manage to avoid that pessimistic spiral of negative self-talk because they know it will only create more stress.

"Remember to take some time to reflect on the positive moments of the day and celebrate the successes, even if they were few and far between," Woodward says.

9. They picture tomorrow's success.

Corrie Barklimore

Many successful people take a few minutes before bed to envision a positive outcome unfolding for the projects they're working on, says Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job." "For most, this is not a task or exercise; they're wired with a gift of solid resolution skills that come naturally."

9 things very successful people never do

Mario Anzuoni/ReutersThe most successful people never gossip.

Possibly you've stopped paying attention. Or possibly you've fallen into bad habits. Or possibly you've grown complacent.

Whatever the reasons, you're now compromising, settling, or flying on unhappy autopilot.

Remarkably successful people don't compromise on their standards. They don't settle for less than what they hope to achieve.

And they definitely don't put their lives on autopilot. They believe success only comes from intention and action — and so they live that way.

Here are nine things remarkably successful people never do:

1. They never let the past dictate their future.

We all have limitations. We all have challenges. We all make mistakes. The key is to not be constrained by those things but to learn from them.

Easier said than done? It all depends on your perspective. Take mistakes: When something goes wrong, turn it into an opportunity to learn something you didn't know — especially about yourself. (And when something goes wrong for someone else, turn it into an opportunity to be gracious and forgiving.)

Where you've been, what you've done — everything in the past is just training.

Remarkably successful people believe their past should inform them but should never define them.

2. They never gossip.

It's hard to resist the inside scoop. Finding out the reasons behind someone's decisions, the motivations behind someone's actions, the skinny behind someone's hidden agenda — much less whether Hugo is really dating Jeanette in accounting — those conversations are hard to resist.

Unfortunately, the person who gossips about other people is also gossiping about you. And suddenly gossip isn't so much fun.

The next time you're tempted to talk about another person, think about whether you would say what you're about to say to that person.

And the next time someone starts to talk about someone else, excuse yourself and walk away. Don't worry that you'll lose a gossiper's respect; anyone willing to gossip doesn't respect other people anyway.

When remarkably successful people want to share the inside scoop, they just speak openly about their own thoughts and feelings. That way they're not gossiping. They're just being genuine.

3. They never say "yes" when they really mean "no."

Refusing a request from colleagues, customers, or even friends is really hard. But rarely does saying no go over as badly as you expect. Most people will understand, and if they don't, should you care too much about what they think?

When you say no, you only feel bad for a few moments. When you agree to something you really don't want to do, you may feel bad for a long time — or at least as long as it takes you to do what you didn't want to do in the first place.

Remarkably successful people practice saying no. They've gotten really good at saying no. They know that lets them focus on doing what they really need to do: for themselves and for other people.

4. They never interrupt.

When you interrupt someone, what you're really saying is, "I'm not thinking about what you are saying. I'm thinking about what I want to say ... and what I want to say is so important you need to hear it now."

Want better professional relationships? Want better personal relationships? Listen, truly listen, to what other people say. Then ask questions to make sure you understand.

Remarkably successful people already know what they think — they want to learn from what everyone else thinks.

Stephen/FlickrSuccessful people make it a priority to be on time.

5. They're never late (without an incredibly good reason).

I know. You're overwhelmed. So you're always running behind. It stresses you out like crazy.

And it makes other people resent you like crazy. Whenever you're late, other people rightly assume you feel your time is more important than theirs. (Which, of course, kills your chance of building an outstanding personal or professional relationship.)

Although you may believe you can't help it, being late is a choice. You allow yourself to be late.

Remarkably successful people start the day a little day earlier. They arrive early to their first scheduled event. They don't worry that they'll waste time — they plan ahead and bring along whatever they need to use any "early" time to get a few simple things done.

Then they feel a lot less stressed and as a result are more insightful, more creative, more decisive, and simply more "on" in everything they do.

6. They never resent.

Take it from Nelson Mandela: "Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."

The same holds for bitterness. And jealousy. And dislike.

When you hold on to ill will, the only person who loses is you.

Remarkably successful people put all that emotional energy into focusing not on what others have done but on what they themselves will do.

7. They never decide they don't have the time.

Everyone knows someone who just seems to get a lot more done than other people. It's the craziest thing. How do these folks do it? They must have no life, right?

Actually they have a great life: They've figured out what is important to them and they're making it happen.

Figure out what's important to you. Strip away all the stuff that isn't. Then make it happen.

We're all given the same amount of time. The only difference is how we use our time.

Remarkably successful people use their time.

Flickr/Harry (Howard) PottsBe yourself.

8. They never fit in (just to fit in).

Though entire industries are based on making us think otherwise, no one actually likes us for the clothes we wear, the car we drive, or the house we live in. No one likes us for our titles, either.

Those are all "things," and while other people may in fact like our "things," that doesn't mean they like you. (And even if they do, that doesn't mean you like yourself.)

Remarkably successful people have decided to simply be who they are. By not trying to fit in or make an artificial impression they know they might lose a bunch of acquaintances, but they know they'll also gain a few real friends.

9. They're never afraid to do the things that matter.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," is true, but in some ways a better quote might be, "The only thing we have to fear is ourselves."

Why? We're all afraid. We're scared of what might or might not happen. We're scared of what we can't change. We're scared of what we won't be able to do. We're scared of how others might perceive us.

And that makes us hesitate, wait for the right moment, decide we need to think a little longer or do some more research or explore a few more alternatives, and days, weeks, months, and even years pass us by.

And so do our dreams.

Don't let your fears hold you back. Whatever you've been planning, whatever you've imagined, whatever you've dreamed of, get started on it today. If you want to start a business, take the first step. If you want to change careers, take the first step. If you want to expand or enter a new market or design new products or services, take the first step.

Remarkably successful people put their fears aside and get started. They do something. They do anything.

Remarkably successful people are often afraid, but they're most afraid of looking back and thinking, "If only I had ..."

Don't look back and think, "If only I had ..."

I'm a self-made millionaire, and here are the 10 best pieces of advice I can give you about money by Steve Siebold

I'm a self-made millionaire, and here are the 10 best pieces of advice I can give you about money

• Steve Siebold, Contributor
 

• Jun. 24, 2015, 1:32 PM

Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

About six months ago my wife and I decided to turn our North Georgia summer retreat into our full-time residence.

We decided to make a few changes to the property now that we would be living in it year-round.

As I was getting into my car one morning, three of the workers paused from what they were doing and stared me down.

I stopped and asked if everything was ok, and one of the men said, "It's not fair. You have this beautiful home and a nice car while we are stuck doing hard labor for just a little more than minimum wage."

I approached the men, and we ended up speaking about building wealth for more than an hour. I shared with them that life wasn't always this good, and at one point I was $50,000 in debt and didn't know how I would climb out of it. The men shook my hand and thanked me for sharing my insights.

Fast forward to this morning and I was again about to get into my car. A man driving a truck down the street stops in front of my house and yells, "Mr. Siebold, I took your advice and started my own company. I have five employees working for me and business is booming. My family and I are experiencing freedom like we never thought possible."

He continued, "Please share your words of wisdom with others."

So moved that this man turned his life around, I'm now going to take his advice and share the takeaways from that conversation six months ago:

1. In a free-market economy, anyone can make as much money as they want.

2. Your background, highest level of education, or IQ is irrelevant when it comes to earning money.

3. The fastest way to make money is to solve a problem. The bigger the problem you solve, the more money you make.

4. Don't listen to the naysayers who tell you that life is supposed to be a struggle and that you should settle and be grateful for what you have.

5. Expect to make more money. For this one you have to think big. $100,000, $500,000, or why not $1 million?

6. Lose the fear and scarcity mindset and start seeing money for all the good things: freedom, opportunity, possibility, and abundance.

7. Being rich isn't a privilege. Being rich is a right. If you create massive value for others, you have the right to be as rich as you want.

8. Don't wait for your ship to come in. You're not going to be discovered, saved, or made rich by an outside force. If you want a lot of money, build your own ship. No one is coming to the rescue.

9. Stop worrying about running out of money and focus on how to make more.Constantly worrying about money is no way to live. Dream about money, instead.

10. Stop telling yourself that getting rich is outside of your control. The truth is that making money is an inside job.

Just like the man working at my home six months ago who was frustrated over his finances and held a grudge against the rich, you too have the power to change your financial situation. Maybe you've been living in debt for years or maybe you've just dreamed of having more; it's all possible if you make the decision and really set your mind to it.

Steve Siebold is author of "How Rich People Think," and a self-made millionaire who has interviewed more than 1,200 of the world's wealthiest people.