Inspired by: Jim Rohn’s ideas on simple daily disciplines and the cost of discipline versus regret; Tony Robbins’ ideas on standards and identity. Repackaged in our own words for UK founders.
No links in this guide are paid. New Business HQ is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Dan Martell, Tony Robbins, the Jim Rohn organisation or any author mentioned. Ideas are summarised and repackaged in our own words; short quotes are attributed with a link to their source.
Big breakthroughs make good stories, but most businesses are built on small, boring things done every day. Good habits are how you keep going on the days motivation does not turn up.
Small disciplines, done daily
Jim Rohn often taught that success is a few simple disciplines practised every day, and failure is a few errors in judgement repeated every day. Neither shows up straight away. Skip your bookkeeping once and nothing happens. Skip it for six months and you have a problem.
That is good news. It means you do not need to transform your life overnight. You need to pick the right small things and keep doing them.
Discipline now or regret later
Rohn also described a choice between two kinds of pain: the small effort of discipline today, or the much heavier weight of regret later. For a founder, this is very practical. Chasing an invoice this week is a small discomfort. Discovering in three months that you cannot pay a supplier is a big one.
When you are tempted to put something off, ask yourself: what will this cost me in three months if I skip it?
Choose your keystone habits
Some habits make lots of other things easier. For a new founder, these often include:
- A weekly planning slot: 30 minutes to set three results for the week.
- A daily sales action: one message, call or follow-up to a potential customer.
- A weekly numbers check: ten minutes on income, costs and tax.
- A daily shutdown: five minutes to write tomorrow’s first task and close the laptop.
- A learning habit: reading or listening to something useful for 15 minutes a day.
Start with one or two. Adding five at once usually means keeping none.
Make habits easy to start
- Attach it to something you already do. “After I open the shop, I reply to messages.”
- Make it small. “Write one social post” is easier to start than “do marketing”.
- Prepare in advance. Leave the invoice template open, or lay out your stall kit the night before.
- Track it. A tick on a calendar is simple and surprisingly motivating.
Turn habits into who you are
Tony Robbins argues that lasting change comes when you raise your standards and see yourself differently. Instead of “I’m trying to do my accounts weekly”, try “I’m someone who knows my numbers”. When a habit becomes part of how you see yourself, skipping it feels out of character.
“Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”Jim Rohn, quoted on jimrohn.com, “Work Harder on Yourself”
That idea, from Jim Rohn, fits habits well. Your daily disciplines are how you work on yourself, not just your to-do list.
When you slip
You will miss days. Everyone does. The aim is not a perfect streak. A helpful rule is “never miss twice”: if you skip a habit one day, get straight back to it the next. Missing once is a blip. Missing twice is the start of a new habit you did not choose.
A first-year example
Leon sells handmade candles at weekend markets in Manchester. Weekdays slip by without much happening. He picks two habits: every weekday morning, after his coffee, he sends one message to a shop or café that might stock his candles, and every Sunday evening he spends 15 minutes on his numbers. He ticks them off on a wall calendar. Not every message gets a reply, but over a few months the steady contact leads to his first stockists.
Plan your day before it starts
Rohn liked to make the point that you either run the day or the day runs you. For a founder, the simplest fix is a short plan written the evening before: your first task, your three most important tasks, and anything with a deadline. When you sit down in the morning, you start working rather than deciding what to work on.
Review your habits monthly
Once a month, look at your habit tracker and ask three questions. Which habit made the biggest difference? Which one keeps slipping, and why? Is there one small habit worth adding next? Adjust rather than abandon. If a habit keeps slipping, make it smaller or move it to a better time of day before you give it up.
Your habits checklist
- Choose one or two keystone habits to start this week.
- Attach each to something you already do every day.
- Make the first step tiny.
- Track it on a calendar or app.
- Use the “never miss twice” rule.
- Review after 30 days and add one more habit only if the first ones have stuck.
Further reading
If you want to go deeper, these books cover the original ideas (we earn nothing if you buy them):
- Jim Rohn, The Treasury of Quotes and The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle
- Tony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within
More free guides
- Founder mindset & confidence
- Time management & focus
- Avoiding burnout & wellbeing
- Money confidence for founders
- Goal setting for your first year
- Fitness & nutrition for busy founders
- Dealing with setbacks
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Last updated 29 October 2026. General information only, not professional advice.