9 Ways Successful People Achieve Their Goals

August 29, 2017 1:23 PM EDT

Everyone wants to achieve their goals as quickly as possible.

But that’s usually easier said that done.

So how can we go about achieving what we set out to achieve?

For starters, it helps to look at some real world examples of highly successful people who’ve employed tricks and strategies to help conquer their own goals.

Here are nine tricks that incredibly successful people use to accomplish their goals:

Sundar Pichai — Know what morning routine works best for you

The CEO of Google sets himself up for success every morning with his pre-dawn routine. Pichai digs into an omelette, drinks tea, and catches up on the news.

There’s nothing flashy about this habit, but it works for him. “I’m not a morning person, so I need my time with my paper and tea to wake up and kind of get going,” Pichai told Recode.

So take care of yourself in the morning. Do whatever you need to do to get yourself prepared for the rest of the day, whether that means going on a jog, curling up with a nice cup of coffee, or taking some time to contemplate your life.

By taking some time for yourself, you’ll be setting yourself up to better tackle your goals throughout the day.

Mark Zuckerberg — Simplify your choices

We all have to make countless decisions throughout the day. That’s just life — but sometimes, all those choices can weigh us down.

The New York Times reported that decision fatigue is a real problem: “You can’t make decision after decision without paying a biological price.”

That’s why the CEO of Facebook — whose decisions directly impact the well-being of a $480 billion company — eliminates unnecessary choices from his life.

For example, every morning, Zuckerberg puts on a “uniform” of sorts: jeans, sneakers, and a gray t-shirt.

By adopting a comfortable work uniform, the CEO helps stave off decision fatigue, which can result in impulsiveness and indecisiveness.

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

It’s easy to fall into to the trap of gabbing about our goals to everyone who will listen. After all, once your plans are out there, you’ll have to follow through, right?

Wrong. Talking too much can actually hurt your chances of success.

Business Insider contributor Daniel Welsey described the problem with talking too much about your dreams: “Communicating your goals tricks the brain into thinking you’ve already achieved them.”

So, basically, the more you talk about your plans, the less motivated you are to actually get stuff done.

We should really be more like Beyonce, who famously released a full album out of the blue in 2016. Queen Bey didn’t sit around hyping her work and hawking her new music. She let the album drop and then basked in the commercial success and critical accolades.

Angela Merkel — Consider all your options

Making fast, on-the-fly calls is the only way to accomplish your goals quickly, right?

Well, not really. In fact, rushing into decisions can seriously trip you up and further delay your progress.

It’s better to follow the example of the German Chancellor. “For me it’s important I deliberate all options … running through scenarios, and not simply theoretical experiments in my head,” she told the BBC.

According to Inc., it’s almost always better to avoid impulsive decisions and instead base your choice on observing what’s going on around you, as that will give you “the power to weigh those observations against your instincts.”

Bill Gates and Elon Musk — Keep a tight schedule

Bill Gates and Elon Musk are two busy guys with intense schedules.

In fact, both tech moguls break their days into five-minute increments. Everything is planned, down to the minute.

It’s a great lesson for anyone looking to accomplish more in 24 hours.

Fast Company’s Stephanie Vozza wrote that this sort of extreme scheduling can help people boost their productivity and achieve more in a day.

Oprah — Ask yourself tough questions

Don’t feel too bad about procrastinating. Even Oprah puts important tasks off.

But the media mogul also has a surefire way of breaking the cycle of procrastination.

She told Fast Company that she asks herself: “What’s the worst that’s going to happen here, and why do I fear the confrontation?'”

The truth is, we typically procrastinate for a reason. By identifying, examining, and confronting that reason head on, we can effectively move on and keep working toward our goals.

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

What do Bill Gates, Sheryl Sandberg, and Richard Branson all have in common?

Well, they’re all major names in business, sure.

But, when it comes to achieving their goals, they all expedite the process by writing things down. Gates, Sandberg, and Branson each carry around notebooks and pens at all times.

When inspiration strikes, Gates and Branson are able to capture it in writing. Sandberg, meanwhile, stays on track at Facebook by using her notebook as an old-school planner.

By keeping track of their great ideas and schedules, they set themselves up for success and get closer to accomplishing their goals.

Jeff Bezos — Don’t waste your time on meetings

Meetings can turn out to be a huge time sink. And they’re not always super effective.

That’s why the CEO of Amazon keeps to a strict rule when it comes to meetings. He never has a meeting where two pizzas couldn’t feed the whole group.

Why two pizzas? Well, the more people you cram into a meeting, the less effective it will be. According to Fast Company, small groups tend to be far more innovative.

By cutting out unnecessary, useless meetings, Bezos is able to devote more time toward working to further his goals every day.

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.

Just look at JK Rowling.

In April, Rowling retweeted writer Melanie Dione’s tweet, which urged people to finish their creative projects, regardless of whether or not they where sure anyone would watch, read, or listen to them. “There were so many times in the early 90s when I needed somebody to say this to me,” Rowling wrote.

The author struggled financially before the “Harry Potter” series took off, Business Insider previously reported. She also received a ton of rejection letters before her fantasy series was picked up. However, she kept working and has since gone on to become one of the wealthiest people in the world, according to Forbes.

“Every project is worth completing as long as there’s passion and drive behind it,” Allison Hirschlag writes in a post on career site Ladders.

Rowling understood that, in order to accomplish your goals, you’ll need to believe in them and refuse to give up in the face of adversity.

This article originally appeared on BusinessInsider.com

9 Tricks Highly Successful People Use to Achieve Their Goals