The 6 Habits That 99% Of High Performers Practice Daily

Having worked with Olympic athletes, Fortune 500 CEOs, and some of the most famous entertainers, Brendon Burchard is considered one of the best high-performance coaches in the world.

According to Burchard, the ‘secret’ of high performers is that they practice specific habits that most people don’t.

As he writes in his book High Performance Habits:

“The key to high performance is not talent or luck but rather the development and consistent demonstration of a set of specific habits.”

In this article, we’ll go over the six high-performance habits that Brendon Burchard shares in his book.

Habit #1: Seek Clarity

Many people think they lack motivation, but what they really lack is clarity.

The more clearly you define your goals, values, and priorities, the more driven and productive you’ll be.

As Brendon Burchard says:

“If you don’t decide what you want in life, you can’t change your course to get it. No goals, no growth. No clarity, no change.”

If you want to perform at your best, don’t seek motivation, but seek clarity.

Habit #2: Generate Energy

High performers prioritize their mental and physical health because they understand that their energy level affects their performance in any area of life.

As Brendon Burchard writes, “Energy is the fuel of high performance, and it comes from taking care of your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.”

You simply can’t be your best self when you’re constantly fatigued and energy-drained.

To maintain a healthy lifestyle, practice these habits:

  • ​Eat a well-balanced diet
  • ​Exercise at least 3x per week
  • ​Get 7–9 hours of sleep per night
  • ​Manage stress (meditate and journal)
  • ​Surround yourself with positive people

Habit #3: Raise Necessity

As Burchard writes in High Performance Habits, “Necessity is the mother of motivation, and it comes from believing that what you’re doing is important and urgent.”

If you don’t feel a strong sense of necessity in your work and habits, you’ll start procrastinating.

“No necessity, no consistent action.” — Brendon Burchard

Necessity comes from understanding why you’re doing what you’re doing.

It comes from deeply realizing the importance of your actions — and the consequences of inaction.

For example, don’t just say ‘I have to exercise today’ but say:

‘I will get in the best shape of my life because I need to be a strong, energetic, and healthy parent to my children.’

Don’t say ‘I have to work on my business today’ but say:

‘I will build a successful business because I want a life of freedom and I never want to go back to my old job.’

Don’t see your tasks and habits as a chore, but see them in light of the bigger picture. See each daily task as an essential stepping stone towards a better life for you and your loved ones.

Habit #4: Increase Productivity

“Productivity is the measure of how much value you’re creating in the time you have,” says Burchard.

High performers tend to achieve far better results in a fraction of the time compared to most others because of the specific productivity habits they’ve developed.

To increase your productivity, consider these habits:

  • ​Practice daily deep work (2+ hours)
  • ​Prioritize your most important tasks
  • ​Manage your time (make a daily + weekly plan)
  • ​Delegate, automate, or eliminate non-essential tasks

Habit #5: Develop Influence

High performers are hardly ever lone wolves. They understand that working with others is the key to success.

As they say:

If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.

This requires developing leadership skills, clear communication, and learning how to motivate others.

But by developing influence, you can build a powerful team of like-minded people who can achieve far more than ‘lone wolves’ ever can by themselves.

Habit #6: Live With Courage

High performers experience fear and uncertainty just like anyone, but the main difference is that they act in spite of fear and uncertainty.

They act with courage.

As said in High Performance Habits writes, “Courage is the willingness to take action in the face of fear and uncertainty.”

Starting a business requires courage because you could fail.

Changing career paths requires courage because you leave your old ways behind.

Going outside your comfort zone requires courage because you’re entering new, high-pressure situations.

Just remember, high performers experience the same level of fear as everyone else, but they take action despite the uncertainty.

They live with courage.

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Hi, I'm Jari Roomer

Founder Personal Growth Lab

At PGL, we share science-based tools and routines to optimize your health, cognitive performance, and productivity.

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