Overnight success is often an empty promise made by marketers. Well, not this time…

Originally published in The Startup Magazine

Have you ever finished a day wishing you had gotten more done? Have you ever felt like the day got so jammed with busy work that you weren’t able accomplish the BIG things that really mattered in moving your business forward?

We’ve all had days like that, when it felt as though we were running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Now don’t worry. That happens to the best of entrepreneurs. However, it doesn’t happen that often, because highly successful CEO’s, sales people, and thought leaders stick to a small set of simple, but powerful rituals to help them get more done every day.

Today you’re going to get every single one of these insider success secrets. I first discovered them when my business growth was accelerating at such a rapid pace that it contributed to my severe anxiety attacks. Looking on it from the outside, you’d have to think that superfast sales growth is hardly a problem. But all the opportunity in my life left me overwhelmed. It was during my struggles with anxiety that I realized I needed more structure in my life. Not only did this lead to a further 10X in business growth, but it also gave me true freedom, the freedom that allows me to work from wherever I want in the world today.

My health scare set me off on a journey of both self-discovery and a deep dive into the automatic success rituals of the most productive entrepreneurs, writers, and thinkers of history. What I found were common threads across almost every industry, from architects to authors, and from artists to CEO’s. Here are the 3 most important success strategies that you can implement immediately to get a head-start on your competition and start dominating your days.

1. Focus for 15 Minutes in the Morning

Lee Iacocca, the former CEO of the Chrysler Motor Company, once complained that he didn’t even have fifteen minutes per workday to focus on the big issues. You probably feel the same way. As soon as you get to the office (or go online from your desk at home) your team members are on you for help with their emergencies. Your schedule is packed with meetings and calls. When are you supposed to do the big thinking that can generate more sales?

The answer is to get up just fifteen minutes in the morning and go down to your kitchen table to work on your number one priority in your business. Work with a pen and paper only, no electronics, and you’ll make incredible progress. You’ll be joining some of the greatest minds in history.

Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect, would often create his sketches at 4 a.m. “My mind’s clear,” he said, “so I get up and work.”

Hemingway, despite his legendary hangovers, would write at 6 a.m., because as he said, “There is no one there to disturb you.”

Even Beethoven composed at dawn.

There’s creative power in the first fifteen minutes of the morning where no one else is awake to bother you and when your mind is clear.

2. Find, Protect, and Leverage Your Magic Time

The second most productive time in the day is what is known as your magic time. Everyone has it. It’s the time of day when you are most creative, productive, and efficient. It’s when you have the best energy for your sales calls. It’s when you can write 1,500 words of sales copy (that would take you three times as long at any other point of the day).

My magic time is at 5 a.m. That’s when I sit and write one thousand word essays or book chapters in under an hour. It’s when I script my YouTube videos (some of which have been viewed over 2 million times.

But it’s not early morning for everyone. A coaching client of mine, J.M., runs a $115 million supplement company during his magic time of 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. He’s a biological night owl, and no amount of trying could shift his magic time to earlier in the day.

That’s why you have to use a time journal to identify your Magic Time. When you do, ruthlessly protect it from all distractions, and leverage it into creating million-dollar ideas for your business.

3. Start Tomorrow at the End of Today

One of the biggest mistakes most entrepreneurs make is waiting until the morning to begin planning their day. But Andrew Carnegie, the famous steel magnate of the early 1900’s, knew that you should finish each day listing your top 3-5 tasks for tomorrow before you want home at night. Doing this has two benefits. First, it tells your subconscious mind to work on these problems while you sleep (and when you wake up, you focus your fifteen minutes in the morning on turning your overnight ideas into moneymaking solutions). Second, it allows you to get off to a fast start in the morning, rather than wasting time getting organized.

Success is simple. It’s not easy, but it’s simple. You have to do the work, but the steps to success have been laid out for centuries. Do what these great thinkers have done and implement these three rituals immediately for virtually overnight success.

Craig Ballantyne is the author of The Perfect Day Formula and owner of the success newsletter at EarlyToRise.com. His straightforward, sometimes “politically-incorrect” advice has helped millions of people transform their lives both physically and financially. His secret weapons for success include his personal commandments, his 5 pillars, and his Unstoppable Mastermind events. Click here to learn more from Craig so that you can get more done, make more money, and live the life of your dreams. 

Craig Ballantyne

If you want to double your income, work less, and become the ambitious millionaire you've always wanted to be... Craig Ballantyne is the coach who will help you do it. With more than 20-years of experience as an entrepreneur and five 7-figure businesses under his belt, he specializes in helping "struckling" entrepreneurs get out of the mud and build the business of their dreams. To see if you qualify for Craig's "Millionaire Coaching Program" send an email to support@earlytorise.com with the subject line "Millionaire".