Victoria Colligan, author of Dream It, Launch It, Live It is the CEO of Ladies Who Launch, a growing enterprise that supports women entrepreneurs. Over the years, she’s found that some of the most successful people she’s met share certain operating strategies in common. These “work smart” skills allow them to be laser focused, enormously productive, and still find time to take care of themselves and enjoy life. Some time ago, Victoria shared the five biggest things she’s learned from these high performers:

1) Develop a routine that works for you: If your most productive work hours are in the evenings, accept it, own it, and make it work for you. Prioritize and be disciplined: Keep your eye on your key goals and keep moving toward them steadily.

2) Don’t do everything: Do the most important things. Develop a clear sense of what absolutely has to be done and what you can let slide. “Successful people are absolute geniuses in this area,” observes Victoria. She suggests finding someone to model and carefully examining how they manage their time and goals effectively.

3) Don’t procrastinate: Delaying difficult tasks just makes them more difficult. Successful people know this and power through them. As Victoria puts it: “Do the hardest, deadline-driven activities first, then shift gears to the fun stuff.”

4) Bypass long-winded conversations: Get to the point, say what you need to say and move on. Don’t waste precious. potentially productive time in rambling discussions that may not really be valuable.

5) Don’t over-delegate: Do not lose sight of your goals. Stay attuned to the work you’re doing so that you know exactly what to prioritize at any given moment. Maintain your passion for what you do and most of all, have fun — take time to enjoy life and everyone around you.