Rich People Do It Everyday, but Poor Have No Idea

You know, with social media platforms, people compare themselves to others more than ever. How do you feel when you see someone post travel photos, exotic beaches, or expensive rooftop dinners on Instagram? It suddenly seems everyone is rich — except you!

Well, cheer up! Rich people don’t compare themselves with what they see on the internet — they focus on what THEY do instead of watching others. No need to feel bad about not being in those fancy places when you can make yourself proud by getting up from the couch and actually doing something.

To-do lists may sound like a cliche, but apparently, they work — or at least that’s something 81% of rich people will tell you. Most of them make a to-do list before bed so they can go to sleep without thinking about all those things they need to do the next day.

Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, goes with these types of lists every day. Not only does he put down on paper things he needs to do, but also writes down ideas that randomly come upon his mind. It’s good to have a separate piece of paper where you can write down all of those small things you often delay for later — and, of course, eventually forget. You know, like:

Call someone to fix your printer that’s been broken for months;

Make a list of cleaning supplies your place desperately needs;

Pick up clothes from the laundry service or... Wait, how long has this remote control been out of batteries?

Write all your goals down too. 95% of successful people do that. When you tick off at least some of them, you won’t struggle with feeling nothing’s ever changing in your life. Don’t put them all on the same list at the same time.

When you see so many bigger things you want to achieve in one place, it can easily become overwhelming and you might start thinking you will never have enough time to get them — and that mostly means bye-bye motivation, I won’t do a single thing from that list.

Elon Musk has an idea to avoid that part: he uses 5-minute blocks to plan his work schedule. Not only do they help him track his tasks, but it also seems easier to deal with your goals one by one. Cheers to that idea, Mr. Musk! Oh, can I catch a ride on one of your spaceships. Hey doesn’t hurt to ask.

These days, everyone can afford designer bags, expensive clothes, and the latest iPhone — it’s just that people who do that to impress others will have it on credit. Rich ones don’t show off luxury brands.

Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA and one of the richest people in the world, used to buy all of his clothes at flea markets. He always took the economy flights, went to budget hotels, and even cut his hair in developing countries to save money on trivial things like these.

Rather than investing in material stuff, rich people spend their money on meaningful experiences. When Ed Sheeran took a break from his tour, he went traveling for a couple of months. Not only was it a great way to rest from concerts, but it also helped him in getting inspiration for new music. There are free ways to deal with work stress and collect some cool memories — as Haley Daiber does.

Haley says smiling back to random people and starting a conversation out of nowhere helps her keep a positive attitude about life and get away from stressful thoughts. Chatting with a lady in a supermarket, a person in an elevator, or an Uber driver definitely is one of the fun things that help her see things from a different angle!

Wealthy people mostly create something that will bring them passive income. That means they’re not paid hourly and they don’t only earn their paycheck while working — the money can keep rolling while they are chilling in front of the TV, spending time with family and friends, playing with their dog, or even when they sleep. (Actually rich people don’t spend that much time at all chillin’ in front of the TV.)

Passive income, also known as royalties, or residuals, and such, is when you write a ‘how to get rich’ ebook and get some money every month from Amazon sales. It’s also when you sell a hit song like you’re, let’s say, Ariana Grande, rent your house, apartment, or even a car to someone, start monetizing your travel blog, and all those things where you continue to earn money after you finish the work.

Well, you have to develop a good idea and put some effort into your project initially, but later on, your money keeps coming in as a result of previous work. 06:58, 07:00, 07:07. This is how my alarms go in the mornings — and don’t even get me started on snoozes.

Rich people don’t do that — many of them get up three hours before work so they can do some productive things when no one else’s up yet, like exercise, meditate, enjoy some lemon water and coffee, write down their goals... It’s easier to stay disciplined when you’re fresh in the morning than to try to fix your day later on. And when you don’t snooze your alarm, of course.

The rich also make their bed. Charles Duhigg is the author of bestselling book “The Power of Habit,” and he says when you make your bed in the morning, it helps to set your mind to a productive mode. If you could do that, you can do another small task, and another, and little by little, your day is full of smaller and bigger things you managed to complete.

Most people just want to relax when they come home from work so they go for the easiest options — cell phone or TV. Even though our brain sometimes needs those meaningless actions, let’s face it: they bring nothing good to our life. Millionaires already know it so more than 60% of them watch TV one hour or less per day. 78% of poor people watch reality shows, while only 6% of the rich do that.

Rich people read instead — and mostly not just for fun. They also listen to audiobooks while taking a walk or on their way to work. Don’t turn on some random radio station and listen to endless morning news. Go with something educational or inspirational: podcasts, books, TED Talks... Umm, Bright Side? Hey, you can learn a lot here!

A good education doesn’t end with high school or college degree, despite what many graduates think. Rich people tend to always learn something new and educate themselves in self-improvement and work stuff. There are many online courses, books, and websites where you can find something new — learning is a lifelong thing!

The rich also have their way to stay focused on work. Warren Buffet [one of the greatest investors], reads books 80% of his day. He claims that helps him think clearly — many of his financial decisions were inspired by books he’d read.

Jonathan Franzen is a New York bestselling author and he likes to eliminate all external distractions when starting his work. He goes to a soundproof studio, turns off the lights, closes the blinds on the windows. No TV, junk food, cell phones, or any other things people like to go for when they don’t feel like working.

He even puts on the blinders — even though it’s almost impossible to write like that. Wealthy people have enough money to eat the best delicacies from all over the world, but they still choose a simple menu! Richard Branson says he likes eating fruit salad and muesli for breakfast.

Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey eats only 1 meal per day. He also takes ice baths and does 7-minute body exercises instead of hitting the gym. Yes, you need your body to be healthy and in good shape to go through the day so adding physical activities to your “things-to-do-to-be-a-millionaire” list is almost a must.

What poor people often don’t know is when to stop working. Millionaires know there’s no use in any skills if the body is exhausted or overstressed. Most rich people don’t just eat their lunch as fast as they can in front of their computer — they take their time, enjoy a break, and free their mind for new challenges that are about to come. Also, a big ‘no’ to taking the work home.