How successful people do it

Achieving your goals and getting work done is usually easier said than done. In honor of this month’s theme of “Getting Work Done”, we wanted to take a look at some of the most successful people and how they do it.

Sundar Pichai – Know what morning routine works best for you

The CEO of Google has a strict morning routine: he digs into an omelet, drinks tea, and catches up on the news. Do whatever you need to get yourself prepared and ready for the day that lays ahead of you!

Mark Zuckerberg — Simplify your choices

The CEO of Facebook makes the conscious decision to eliminate unnecessary choices from his life. For example, every morning, Zuckerberg puts on a “uniform” of sorts: jeans, sneakers, and a gray t-shirt. Reducing the number of choices you need to make throughout the day is a great way of setting yourself up for success when it comes to making decisions regarding truly important goals.

Beyoncé Knowles — Don’t talk about your goals

The problem with talking too much about your hopes and dreams: it can potentially trick our brain into thinking that we’ve already achieved them! So, basically, the more you talk about your plans, the less motivated you are to actually get stuff done. By taking this advice seriously, Beyoncé has become as successful as she is today.

Angela Merkel — Consider all your options

Rushing into decisions can seriously trip you up and further delay your progress.  The German Chancellor Angela Merkel is aware of that, which is why she considers all options by running through various scenarios. She advises everyone to base their choices and decisions on observing the environment first.

Bill Gates and Elon Musk — Keep a tight schedule

The Co-Founder of Microsoft and the CEO of Tesla Motors are two busy guys with busy schedules. This is why both of them break their days into five-minute increments where everything is planned out down to the minute. This type of scheduling can help people boost their productivity and achieve more in 24 “short” hours.

Oprah — Ask yourself tough questions

Are you a chronic procrastinator? Oprah’s advice: ask yourself what the worst thing is that’s going to happen in this situation and why you are afraid of the confrontation. By identifying, examining, and confronting the reason for your procrastination, you can effectively move on and keep working towards your goal.

Bill Gates, Sheryl Sandberg, and Richard Branson — Write stuff down

Aside from the fact that they are all major names in business, they have something else in common: when it comes to achieving their goals, they all write things down! All three of them carry around notebooks and pens at all times in order to be ready when inspiration strikes!

Jeff Bezos — Don’t waste your time on meetings

We have all been there: a two hour long meeting ends up being incredibly unproductive. That’s why the CEO of Amazon has a strict rule when it comes to meetings: None of his meetings has more attendees than can be fed with two pizzas. The reasoning behind his statement is that the more people you cram into a meeting, the less effective it will be. By cutting out unnecessary, useless meetings, Bezos is able to focus on his real work.

JK Rowling — Finish what you start, no matter who’s watching

Once you’ve set your sights on your dream, don’t give up on it. Rowling understands that in order to accomplish your goals, you have to believe in them and refuse to give up in the face of adversity.

Source: Cain, Aine. “9 tricks highly successful people use to get things done”, http://www.businessinsider.com/how-successful-people-get-things-done-2017-8. Business Insider, Business Insider Inc., 27 Aug. 2017, 12:27PM