In our increasingly busy world, time management skills are in high demand. But while many people are willing to make the sacrifice to be more disciplined with their time, they often lack practical knowledge about how to become more disciplined.

An interesting attempt to fill in this gap of practical knowledge is Kevin Kruse’s book 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management. As it says on Amazon, the book’s insights are “based on survey research and interviews with billionaires, Olympic athletes, straight-A students, and over 200 entrepreneurs.”

The following is from an infographic put together by Kruse that summarizes the 15 habits of successful people from his book:

 

1) They focus on minutes.

There are 1,440 minutes in every day. Invest every one of them intentionally.

 

2) They set daily priorities.

Identify your Most Important Task (MIT) and work on it for two hours each morning.

 

3) They don’t use to-do lists.

Throw away your to-do list; instead schedule everything on your calendar.

 

4) They beat procrastination with time travel.

Your future-self can’t be trusted. What can you do now to make sure your future-self does the right thing?

 

5) They make it home for dinner.

There will always be more that can be done. Time-block your priorities and end the day guilt-free.

 

6) They use a notebook.

Capture everything in your notebook so your mind can stay carefree; move to-do’s to the calendar.

 

7) They only check email three times a day.

Don’t let email or social media interrupt your flow; schedule times to read and respond to email.

 

8) They avoid meetings at all costs.

Don’t hold meetings. If you have to, keep them short and make everybody stand up.

 

9) They say “no” to almost everything.

Every “yes” is actually a “no” to something else. Say no to everything outside of your goal areas.

 

10) They follow the 80/20 rule.

80% of outcomes come from only 20% of activities. Identify the 20% and ignore the rest.

 

11) They delegate or outsource almost everything.

Identify your unique ability, utilize it, and outsource everything else.

 

12) They have work themes for days of the week.

Create a set day of the week schedule to focus on major areas; batch your tasks during the day.

 

13) They touch things only once.

If something will take less than 10 minutes to complete, do it immediately.

 

14) They have a consistent morning ritual.

Wake up early and give yourselves 60-minutes for mental, physical and spiritual health.

 

15) They don’t think about time; they focus on energy.

Maximize your energy to maximize productivity. Focus on sleep, diet, exercise and short breaks throughout the day.

 

How many of these habits have you already cultivated?