Focus on the Big Five

Successful people tend to be experts at isolating the tasks that are truly critical to success — five tasks, specifically, is a commonly cited number. According to a 2016 article in Investment News, Berkshire Hathaway investing guru Warren Buffett was asked by his pilot for advice on career success. Buffett told the pilot to make a list of 25 goals he wanted to achieve in the coming year. Then he told him to circle the top five goals, erase the other 20 and never think of them again.

For Marcus Lemonis, entrepreneur and star of CNBC's "The Profit," the concept is the same — but it works on a much shorter timeline. He relies on a daily five-task "knockout list" that outlines the five things he absolutely must do every single day.