--- title: 14 Uncommon Habits That Contribute to Success description: Get into the habit of believing that which empowers you and makes you feel amazing instead of the things that others tell you to believe. canonical: https://time.com/4507838/uncommon-habits-success/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-26T15:39:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T00:49:50.130Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 14 Uncommon Habits That Contribute to Success og:description: Keep track of your progress og:url: https://time.com/4507838/uncommon-habits-success/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94a2eee172933435/6988a77d0b72e304a36eb1d0/uncommon-habits-happiness-success.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4869 og:image:height: 2739 og:image:alt: Ladder leaning on cloud og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 14 Uncommon Habits That Contribute to Success twitter:description: Keep track of your progress twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94a2eee172933435/6988a77d0b72e304a36eb1d0/uncommon-habits-happiness-success.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 14 Uncommon Habits That Contribute to Success > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Lukas Schwekendiek / Quora](https://time.com/author/quora/) ## Lukas Schwekendiek / Quora Sep 26, 2016 3:39 PM UTC  Getty Images by [Lukas Schwekendiek / Quora](https://time.com/author/quora/) ## Lukas Schwekendiek / Quora Sep 26, 2016 3:39 PM UTC _What are some uncommon habits that contribute to success?_ **1\. Sacrificing important things.** In the end, we all only have 24 hours in a day. To reach success you have to sacrifice spending time on important things to be able to have more time to spend on the things that _really_ matter. Check every week what you can give up to gain something better. **2\. Believing what you** **_want_** **instead of what others tell you.** Most beliefs people hold are not based on fact and are not true whatsoever. Get into the habit of believing that which empowers you and makes you feel amazing instead of the things that others tell you to believe. If it is not certain what is real, believe the thing that makes you feel better. **_Read more:_** [_How should a new startup develop and sustain a strong company culture?_](https://www.quora.com/How-should-a-new-startup-develop-and-sustain-a-strong-company-culture/answer/Brett-Fox-8) **3\. Getting motivated.** Motivation is an emotion that doesn’t last, but that is of enormous help. Find things that motivate you _every day._ **4\. Thinking less.** Thought usually hinders us in our actions. When we think about things to do we tend to think about ways it can go wrong or reasons why we shouldn’t do something. Stop thinking and start doing. **5\. Going to bed early.** To be at the top of your game you need enough sleep. Yes, successful people get up somewhere between 4 and 6 in the morning, but they can only do that because they go to bed between 9 and 11 in the evening. **6\. Keeping track of your progress.** Even though you may _believe_ that you know, unless you can actually see the evidence in front of you, you will never know for sure. Know exactly how you spend your time and how you are doing in your habits. If you are really motivated: Graph it! **_Read more:_** [_What do people in their 30s know that 20-somethings don’t?_](https://www.quora.com/What-do-people-in-their-30s-know-that-20-somethings-dont) **7\. Having a clean space.** Keep your apartment, room, and/or house clean. Leave as little clutter as you can, and always take care of the mess right away. Anything that aids your motivation and makes you feel great is worth doing. **8\. Speaking only positively about your future.** Say things as if they already happened, or as if there is no way they will not happen. If you believe it is a fact that you will get an amazing life, you will act accordingly and receive it. **9\. Gratitude.** Thank as many things and people as you can. Most successful people come from a place where they had absolutely nothing, which is why they are grateful about every little thing that they have. This makes even the most simple things special and amazing. **10\. Doing it all.** Whenever you see tips online, or hear about some great strategies, do them all. You can never have enough of a good thing when it comes to reaching success. **11\. Never giving up on what matters.** If you want something, find a way to get it. Not because you necessarily want that thing that bad, but instead because you _absolutely have to_ prove to yourself that you can get whatever you set your mind to. **12\. Doing what you said you would no matter what.** Success comes from not giving up halfway through. Everyone is on the way to be successful in what they do, but only 1% of all people actually see it through. Do what you said you would. No matter what. **_Read more:_** [_What is the biggest lesson you have learned in the corporate world?_](https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-biggest-lesson-you-have-learned-in-the-corporate-world) **13\. Spending more money on yourself.** Not on beauty products, clothes or video games, but instead on gathering information, finding connections and learning more through books. Spend money on the only thing that lasts: Yourself. **14\. Stop caring.** Not only about the people around you, but also about whether or not you will accomplish your goal. The less you care about it, the less stress you will experience when you work, which will make your work more fun and you will get to success much faster than you thought you could. Stop chasing it and you will get it. _This_ [_response_](https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-uncommon-habits-that-contribute-to-success/answer/Lukas-Schwekendiek) _from_ [_Lukas Schwekendiek_](https://www.quora.com/profile/Lukas-Schwekendiek) _originally appeared on_ [_Quora_](http://www.quora.com)_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4507838/uncommon-habits-success/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4507838/uncommon-habits-success/"},"headline":"14 Uncommon Habits That Contribute to Success","datePublished":"2016-09-26T15:39:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:49:50.130Z","description":"Find out what motivates you","url":"https://time.com/4507838/uncommon-habits-success/","keywords":["advice"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94a2eee172933435/6988a77d0b72e304a36eb1d0/uncommon-habits-happiness-success.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lukas Schwekendiek / Quora"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94a2eee172933435/6988a77d0b72e304a36eb1d0/uncommon-habits-happiness-success.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ladder leaning on cloud","caption":"Ladder leaning on cloud","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/advice/","name":"advice"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4507838/uncommon-habits-success/","name":"14 Uncommon Habits That Contribute to Success"}}]}] ```