16 #BossLady Habits You Should Develop Now

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Boss Lady— /Baws LAY-dee/ – A confident and independent woman who takes charge of her life.

Some boss ladies are born naturally. For the rest of us, we have to learn along the way.

So here’s the thing:

What you do today matters.

In fact, your daily habits are a determining factor in how successful you’ll become. So before you let your hours drift away into a myriad of little things, wake up to the real purpose of your life.

Time is a resource we can’t get back. You don’t have forever to do this stuff.

This. is. it.

So what will you learn from this article?

You’ll learn that success means progress. You don’t have to have all the answers. You just need to take the first step here, now, today.

And more importantly?

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You just need to learn what successful people do and do that yourself.

So in this article, I’m covering 16 boss lady habits you should develop now. I’ll also link helpful resources to make it easier.

…because the world can always use a little more #girlpower.

Let’s dive in.

Girl Boss Habit 1: Wake Up Ready

I once heard someone say, “If you’re thinking about what you’re going to achieve when you wake up – then it’s already too late.”

Read that again.

So here’s your challenge:

Start writing your to-do lists the night before.

Why? Because in the morning, one of the first things that crosses your mind is what you have planned for the day.

But the goal is to get those plans out of your head and on paper the night before. Think about it. When you have your to-do list ready in the morning, you’re already prepared to kick start your day.

Plus, the act of writing things down can be life-changing by itself.

Author Klauser from Write it Down, Make it Happen calls this knowing what you want – and getting it.

So what are you waiting for?

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“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”

-Mark Twain

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Girl Boss Habit 2: Make a Budget

And stick to it.

The saying goes – “A budget is you telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.”

And you know what?

Don’t fall for the budgeting myths out there.

I hear things like this all the time:

“I don’t budget because it’s too restrictive.”

“I don’t budget because I can do it in my head.”

“I don’t budget because I make too much/too little.”

So let me ask you:

Wouldn’t you like to be able to spend your money guilt-free? Wouldn’t you like to finally say goodbye to the debt burden on your back?

Easy answer, isn’t it?

So word to the wise:

Budgeting is your first step towards financial freedom. It’s not about restriction. It’s about control.

Because when you budget your money, you’re giving yourself permission to spend guilt-free.

What could be any better?

If you need help getting started, we offer a free budgeting worksheet that you can grab here. It’s easy to print and takes only 15 minutes to finish. Today will be the last day you ever worry about money.

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“Too many people spend money they earned..to buy things they don’t want..to impress people that they don’t like.”

-Will Rogers

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Girl Boss Habit 3: Rest Like a Queen

Let me ask you a question.

When you think about your health, what comes to mind?

Eating healthy, drinking water, or exercising?

Those are all important, yes. But most of us forget about one core thing:

Sleep.

Getting good sleep is about making your health a priority.

Our bodies run best when we sleep well, so put away your phone, and relax. Getting great sleep each night will do more for your productivity than any. other. single. factor.

The only problem?

Most of us don’t even know how to get great sleep.

We wake up feeling exhausted. We hit snooze again…and again…and again. We need a cup of coffee to even function.

What’s worse?

We’re told that if we want to be successful, sleep is the first thing we should sacrifice. We’re told to go to bed late and wake up early. And people act like getting 6 hours of sleep is a badge of honor.

Except it’s not.

So what I want you to take away from this article is this:

You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first by prioritizing your sleep.

I read a decent amount of books (50-100 per year) and this book is by far the best thing I’ve ever read on sleep. It blows my productivity books out of the water. It trumps all my books on self-development.

Why?

Because good sleep is the backbone of everything.

When you sleep better, you feel better. When you feel better, you work better. When you work better, you get more done in less time.

And more importantly?

You’re happier.

So if you want to actually learn how to get the sleep your body deserves, this is my recommendation.

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“Don’t count the days, make the days count.”

-Muhammad Ali

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Girl Boss Habit 4: Meditate

Oprah says it’s changed her life.

Jane Fonda said it’s one of her secrets to aging gracefully. Arianna Huffington says it’s played a key role in her success.

What are these boss ladies talking about?

Meditation.

Meditation helps you retain focus, reduce anxiety, and increase creativity. Think of meditation as a mini-meeting with yourself.

I started meditating 3 years ago. Admittedly, it was difficult at first. I had a hard time focusing.

But I promised myself I’d keep at it for at least 30 days. So I bought a meditation pillow like this one and downloaded a meditation app.

After 7 days, my focus and concentration doubled. After 14 days, any stress and anxiety I carried around with me had reduced by at least 65%. And by day 30, I knew this had become a life-changing habit.

Spiritual Teacher Eckhart Tolle has this to say about it:

“Meditation is about getting still enough to know the difference between the voice and you.”

Eckhart talks about the power of now in his book, which has a permanent spot on my nightstand.

So calm your mind by spending a few minutes meditating.

I recommend the buddhify app or trying free meditations on YouTube like this one:

Girl Boss Habit 5: Repeat Affirmations

Want to know something that’ll take less than 2 minutes each day and boost your mood, improve your mental health, and increase your confidence?

Affirmations.

That’s why I recommend repeating 3-5 positive affirmations in the mirror each day.

This will begin improving your relationship with yourself through CBT, aka Cognitive Based Therapy. It’s also a key habit of confident people.

An affirmation example could be, “You are great. You are smart. You are enough.”

If you don’t know what to say, try this:

Make a list of all the things you like about yourself. Next time you’re feeling particularly accomplished, refer to those in times of self-doubt.

If you want to make it really simple, check out this card deck of affirmations. I love them because they’re inspirational but not cheesy. And I’ve started looking forward to them when I start my day.

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“Whatever you are, be a good one.”

-Abraham Lincoln

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Girl Boss Habit 6: Make SMART goals

You’re a boss lady and you get stuff done.

So that’s why I have to mention one important factor in your success:

Goal setting.

But don’t just take it from me. Several years ago, Harvard University did a research study about goal-setting.

They asked students if they had set specific, written goals, as well as if they’d made clear plans to achieve them.

Here were the results:

3% had written goals and plans to achieve them
13% had goals in their heads but hadn’t written them down
84% had no goals at all

After 10 years, the same group of students were interviewed again.

The results were surprising:

The 13% of the class who had goals, but didn’t write them down, earned twice the amount of the 84% who had no goals.

And the 3% who had written goals were earning, on average, 10 times more than the other 97% of the class combined.

As Steven Pressfield says, “Most of us have two lives: the lives we live and the lives we are capable of living.”

But not every goal is created equal. You should create SMART goals. SMART is an acronym that means: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound.

Your goals must be all of these things.

If you’ve never read a goal-setting book, this is the one that changed the game for me. And at the risk of sounding completely overdramatic, that book is worth its weight in gold.

I can’t count the number of times I used to tell myself, “I’ve got too much to do. How can I finish it all? I feel overwhelmed.”

That’s why I went looking for a book that could give me practical answers and a simple system that would help. And admittedly, I’m a bit stubborn, so I needed a step-by-step plan to follow.

I found the 12-week approach very easy and doable. Not only does my 12-week plan tell me what to do, but it also tells me what NOT to do.

I feel great and I’m accomplishing goals that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. The book’s motto is, “Get more done in 12 weeks than most people do in 12 months.”

And I certainly do.

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“A goal properly set is halfway reached.”

-Zig Ziglar

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Girl Boss Habit 7: Network

Here’s something you should know:

Upwardly mobile people don’t let opportunities to network slip through their fingers.

Think about it.

It’s hard to get promoted if your boss’ boss doesn’t even know who you are. So make it a point to network with people at all levels within your company.

Oh, and that office party that everyone dreads going to? Don’t skip out on it. Opportunity knocks at the most unexpected times.

And chances are, office events are probably the most approachable your boss, or your boss’s boss, will ever be.

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“The man at the top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”

-Vince Lombardi

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Girl Boss Habit 8: Streamline Responsibilities

Let’s face it.

Building a routine around the tasks you do daily or weekly makes your life 231873 times easier. This streamlines your day, provides structure and builds good habits.

Because here’s the thing:

Doing something on a daily basis, even if it’s something small, creates big momentum in the long run.

Little by little, a little becomes a lot.

Girl Boss Habit 9: Make Socializing a Priority

A boss lady can be introverted or extroverted.

But, look:

We’re humans, so some form of social interaction is a need for us. (And even the most introverted have to pull themselves out sometimes)

In fact, a Psychology Today research study found a link between happiness and social interaction. The happiest people are 2 times more social than the saddest.

Girl Boss Habit 10: Donate to Charity

Donating to the causes you care about not only benefits the charities themselves, but it can be rewarding for you too. It feels good and strengthens your personal values.

The National Institutes of Health actually found that people who donate to charity enjoy activated pleasure centers in the brain. They’re happier people, too.

Girl Boss Habit 11: Increase Your Vocabulary

Communication is important. It’s one of the most unmistakable traits of successful women.

While some women are naturally charming and transformative, many of us aren’t. That’s why I recommend subscribing to Merriam Webster’s Word of the Day notifications. Each day, you’ll learn a new word.

To take it one step more advanced, try writing a sentence with the word of the day in it. This will help solidify the unfamiliar word you just learned. It’s fun and it’s practical.

And that’s what I call learning with a purpose.

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“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”

-George R.R. Martin

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Girl Boss Habit 12: Stay Curious

A boss lady is always continuing her education – and not through the traditional college education you might think.

Whether it’s Podcasts or books, commit to learning something new each week.

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“Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.”

-Jim Rohn

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Girl Boss Habit 13: Declutter Your Space

Some people believe being a minimalist means you’re sacrificing things. Or that you’re not taking advantage of all that is available in the modern world today.

But being a minimalist is a state of mind, not a set of rules.

It means you have more of what you need. You’re able to enjoy everything you have and aren’t worried about what you don’t have.

Minimalism is an appreciation of space. So read things like this to experience the eye-opening magic of decluttering your space.

And focus on memories, not things.

Girl Boss Habit 14: Know What’s Going On in The World

And not just because it’s the nice thing to do.

Girl Boss Habit 15: Walk 15 Minutes Everyday

Or even better, try to break a sweat daily.

Not to mention, spending time outdoors is a natural antidepressant.

Whether it’s in the morning or on your lunch break, commit to spending time in fresh air and outside of the four walls of your house or office.

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“Make the rest of your life the best of your life.”

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