You know those crazy people we admire (and sometimes envy) because they seem to do so much with their days? Well so can you. After all, we all have the same number of hours to play with. Let’s learn by example, and look at what successful people know about using their time wisely.

11 Smart Tips to Getting Things Done

1. Productive people know when they’re most productive down to the day of the week, and times of day. Then, they guard that block of time with their lives and use it to move the core of their business forward.
2. They know the value of waking up early. Not necessarily to go to work, but to fit in personal care practices that set them up to bring their best selves into the day: exercise, meditation, reading, writing, thinking, getting outside, you name it. This is the only time of the day when interruptions are unlikely.
   
3. They know which meetings to attend. And which to skip (and they skip a lot).
4. They are master delegators. They spread the wealth of tasks appropriately to get there faster.
5. They know when to ask for help. Productive people also know who to ask, and that solving a problem using multiple resources is the best reward.
6. They master their talents and don’t waste time developing skills outside of their core competencies. Instead, they focus on using their strengths to move their businesses and careers ahead.
7. Minimal TV. They probably don’t watch the American average of 34 hours of TV a week—these hours alone comprise the work accomplished in many full-time jobs.
8. They sleep. Many successful people do get in eight hours of sleep a night, according to Laura Vanderkam’s book 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think. Or they take naps,
   
9. They take breaks. Whether it’s stepping away from their work for 15 minutes, taking a long weekend out of town or embarking on a two-week holiday to unplug, productive people know the value of recharging. And they take it.
10. They love their work. People who are productive, successful and thriving in their jobs have found a career that suits their natural intelligence, curiosity and interests—and they’ve dedicated time to getting better at it. It’s hard to do good work when you’re weighed down by a job you’re just not into.
11. “Busy” is overrated. Productive people know the difference between being busy and getting valuable work done. Sometimes that includes a two-hour break somewhere away from people to do some deep strategic thinking.