Doing These 4 Things Every Day Can Make You More Successful At Work

Success comes from motivation, focus, and dedication to your work.

 Photo credit : Philo Nordlund/flickr

Success won’t just fall into into your lap. You have to earn it though hard work, dedication, and a great attitude. 

In order to succeed in your career, you’ll also need to develop the right set of habits, says James Caan, CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw Group and author of “Get The Job You Really Want,” in a recent LinkedIn post.

“The very best people, in any walk of life, are those who are constantly challenging themselves and are setting themselves new targets,” he explains. “And if you want to be one of those characters who is always looking to move forward and better themselves then you need to have the kind of working habits in place that will lead to success.”

Here are four working practices and daily habits you’ll want to develop immediately:

Motivating yourself. 

If you’re waiting for other people to encourage you to go after your goals, you’re not showing that you want success or putting yourself on a path to find it. Rather, you must push yourself every day and actively look for ways you can improve, Caan says. “The more you push yourself and expand your skill set, the more valuable you become to your current and potential employers.”

Stepping up.

“There is nothing better for a manager than to see his or her employees actively taking ownership of projects,” Caan explains. Always take responsibility for your assignments, no matter how much you dislike the project. Passing unpleasant work onto coworkers will earn you a sour reputation, while taking ownership of your duties shows initiative and dedication.

Staying focused.

Successful people know how to prioritize and delegate tasks so that they spend their time focusing on what’s most valuable to business, Caan says. “The other advantage of prioritizing your workload is that the quality ends up being far better,” he adds. “If you have 10 things you need to get done, I would much rather you produced outstanding results on the most important ones, rather than mediocre results on all 10.”

Being critical.

As much as you should focus on moving forward, it’s also important to take a step back at times and review your own work. Take time every day to analyze what you’ve done, how well it worked, and where you can improve, Caan suggests. “By having this ability to reflect — and sometimes criticize yourself — you are making sure lessons are learned every step of the way,” he says.