Becoming a high achiever in the workplace isn’t all about being studious – it’s also about partying hard and having a good work-life balance, research suggests.

A study of 500 of Australia’s most high-achieving individuals has found things like organisational skills, regular exercise and adequate sleep are all important traits of successful individuals.

However, the study also shows the path to the top isn’t always laborious – partying until 3am and spending time with friends was much more common among successful individuals.

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They’re also more likely to be out of bed before 6.30am and regularly work from home.

While we can’t guarantee they’re the healthiest habits for a well-balanced life, the experts seem to think they make for a successful career.

Here’s The New Daily’s four-step guide to becoming a high achiever.

Balanced lifestyle

Exercise regularly and reap the career rewards. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting enough sleep, eating well, getting out of bed early and regularly catch-ups with friends are regular habits of high achievers.

A new study commissioned by food company Chobani found most high achievers got at least seven hours of sleep a night, ate nutritious meals, woke up before 6.30am, exercised regularly and also had active social lives.

Sixty-five per cent of high achievers engaged in social activities like catching up with friends several times per week, compared to 58 per cent of low achievers.

They’re also more likely to party hard, with the study finding high achievers would often be out on the town until 3am.

One in five of the high achievers surveyed took part in mind exercises or meditation for stress release at least once per week.

Self-confidence

Believing in your abilities and being positive about your career can also help place you on the path to success, according to 2013 research.

A study of 600 high school students by the University of Kashmir found high-achieving students were optimistic, possessed greater ‘hope of success’ and were competitive.

Having self-respect and a healthy ego were also beneficial, with low-achieving students proving to be more pessimistic and uncompetitive, while lacking in ego and self-confidence.

High achievers also knew that success was dependent on them, with high achievers more likely to deny the role of external forces in shaping their career.

Successful people are more likely to work from home. Photo: Shutterstock

Work from home

Being available outside of work hours and working from home was strongly linked with professional success in the survey of high-achieving Australians.

While workers used to leave their work at the office, today’s employee is increasingly expected to do important tasks from home. Luckily, it looks like it pays off.

High achievers were twice as likely to do work tasks outside of work hours, including checking overnight emails or making a work phone call from home.

The Chobani study found high achievers were likely to do this several times per week.

Perseverance

Tackling difficult tasks, taking risks, and considering the future of one’s career are all attributes of successful people.

The University of Kashmir study discovered high-achieving students preferred challenging tasks and disliked being idle in their career. They also had a sense of devotion to their work.

High achievers also planned in advance, thought about their future career and had strong determination.

Less successful students in the study shied away from difficult tasks, lacked perseverance and only had short-term involvement with their future career.

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