Here is an excerpt from a journal entry I wrote about two years ago.

“ I am suffering from ‘overachievement.” At any given moment, I am juggling 12-18 commitments. In my mind, these are equally significant to-dos. They sit on multiple mental, electronic, and written lists. They represent the range of commitments as business owner, mother, daughter, community member, and wife.

Time dedicated to one commitment always feels like it’s in a tug-of-war with time dedicated to another. In the end, too many will remain ½ done. My priorities are turning into unfulfilled dreams.

I live in this state of general overwhelm, just getting by bravely, accepting that this is the reality of modern times. I breath, meditate, and have a rich private life that tries to put this all into perspective.

I am a modern woman living a holistic life, right? This is what everyone else is feeling...... right?”

Does this feel familiar?

In a search for answers I tuned into a webinar by Darren Hardy of Success Magazine who talked about this distinction between “Super Achievers, Overacheivers, and Over-motivated under achievers." Kinda a mouthful, but here is how the rationale goes...

Overachievers try to do more than they can feasibly do. They pile things on their list and feel that more accomplished is better.

Over-motivated underachievers hunger for accomplishment, but engage in unproductive behaviors that thwart their success.

Super-achievers accomplish a huge volume of work; they move the dial in big ways in multiple areas of their lives. They are our famed artists, authors, business and government leaders. Super–achievers include icons such as Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Memet Oz, Maya Angelou, and The Dalai Lama.

Super-achievers also live in our communities- they are the business owners, mothers, activists, community leaders, chefs, and school principals. They are people who make you wonder ”just how do they do it all?”

So, just how do super-achievers create extraordinary success? Here are some surprising answers to this question.

1- Super-achievers say “no” more than they say “yes.”

Warren Buffet is quoted as saying that he says NO to 99 out of 100 solicitations for his time and attention. He ruthlessly says no to anything that falls outside of his top priorities. Kenneth Cole, the American Fashion Designer, says that success has more to do with keeping ourselves from doing what we shouldn’t.

What we say “no” to implicitly declares “yes” to something else. If you say “no” to that lunch date in the middle of the day, you are saying “yes” to your commitment to finish writing your manuscript. If you say “no” to checking your email first thing in the morning, you say “yes” to investing your prime time on designing your new product.

2- Super-achievers focus on no more than 3 priorities at any time.

If you have more than three priorities, you don’t have a priority.

Steve Jobs, cofounder and CEO of Apple Inc., always worked on one big idea at a time. No matter how busy he was, he carved out 3 hours everyday to focus on his #1 priority.

Sir Richard Branson, English business magnate and investor, is known for declining a speaking event where he was offered 1.5 million dollars for a one-hour engagement. When asked “why” he said speaking for that conference did not fall in line with his three strategic priorities.

Every day 2 billion emails are sent. 1.3 million books are published every year. We are inundated by distractions. Keeping focused on our priorities has never been harder. Leaning on success routines has never been more necessary to accomplish our goals.

3- Super-achievers become masters of a few things; they don't strive to be great at many things.

Become world class at a few things, instead of good at many things. Super achievers don’t give into the temptation to do all the little things that their endeavor requires- instead they focus on being excellent at the one thing that matters most to them and their endeavor.

For example, successful surgery depends on the surgeon perfectly executing 2-3 procedures. The surgeon must be a master at these procedures. Someone else is expert at overseeing the anesthesia; someone else is an expert at monitoring the equipment; and someone else cleans the instruments and prepares the room.

The surgeon, and each of his team members, focuses on being world-class in their one area of expertise. This is how they ensure a successful surgery.

4- Super-achievers focus on the “vital functions” for success.

Super-achievers identify the “vital functions” that are most important to their success; they focus on mastering these vital functions and let go of the rest. The vital functions are those that when you do them, your mission improved markedly. 3-6 vital functions determine 99% of your success.

As an example, Joel Olsteen, preacher of the largest protestant church in the US, has determined that his greatest contribution to his business is a 22-minute sermon he gives every Sunday. This is the something that he can do, that no one is else can do, and that most moves the dial for his business.

So Joel dedicates his entire week to writing and rehearsing this one sermon. On Wednesday he spends the entire day researching his sermon; on Thursday he dedicates the day to writing his sermon; on Friday he practices it privately; on Saturday he practices it in front of a private audience; and on Sunday he delivers it to a international audience of millions. On Monday he takes the day off, and on Tuesday he meets with his leadership team.

5- Super-achievers make success their routine.

We are creatures of habit, and our habits determine our success. If there is one common trait among super-achievers, it is this: they wake up early and accomplish their top priority first. They create a system that doesn’t depend on them thinking or feeling motivated.

For Twyla Tharpe, acclaimed dancer and choreographer, being able to use her body is vital to her success. So getting to the gym everyday is a priority, although she admits she has always disliked it. Before bed, she lays out her gym clothes at the foot of her bed. At 5:30am each morning, a NYC cab is waiting for Twlya at the front door of her apartment building. When Twyla’s alarm clock goes off, she literally stumbles into her clothes, out the door, and into the cab. There is no thinking or motivation needed. Once Twyla’s in the cab, she is 90% way there to accomplishing her top priority.

Darren Hardy, CEO of Success Magazine, oversees a global media, publishing, and events company. After interviewing hundreds of successful entrepreneurs, he’s landed on his own routine. Here it is:

wakes up at 5:30 am and puts on coffee,
while coffee is brewing he stretches (as ordered by his chiropractor),
he sits down to read inspirational or instructive material for a firm ½ hour,
calibrates his day according to his 5-year, 1-year, quarterly, monthly, weekly, goals. (He has clearly outlined his goals so that this review takes 1-2 minutes),
he reviews his priorities
then he sits down and does a “90-minute sprint” –an uninterrupted 90 minutes focused on his top priority of the day.

By 8:00am he has accomplished his most important goal. What happens the rest of the day is gravy.

At the close of the day

he reviews his top three priorities for the following day
he chooses the #1 priority for his next 90-minute sprint
he prepares his clothes, packs bags for travel, and prepares food for his day,
he reads another ½ hour
he journals for a few minutes and he goes to bed.

This approach carves out 10 hours of focused, uninterrupted time dedicated to his top priorities.

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Accomplishment begets accomplishment. It creates upward momentum and inspires confidence and a deepening commitment. By practicing these five habits of super-achievers, we too can enjoy ease, momentum, and success.

Maybe, even, someone will ask us "Just how DO you do it all?" :)