While it's true that many successful and high-profile entrepreneurs put in 60 to 80 hours per week, really successful people don't neglect their mental health and self-care or time with family, hobbies, or other interests. They recognize that if they can't take care of themselves, the business suffers.

That's a tall order. Most ambitious people are driven for results and doing more, not less. If you're an entrepreneur, for example, you are relentless in your pursuit of capitalizing on every opportunity presented to you if it means growing your business and income.That means saying a lot more "yesses" than "no's."But is it sustainable?

No To Almost Everything?

“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”

The “Buffett-ism”

But here's what we can do, and is very much within our control: choose how to use that time by managing ourselves wisely.

Focus In What You Can Control

As we near the end of the year, this is typically the time people start thinking about what goals to set for the new year. Here’s one suggestion to add to your list based on Buffett's advice:Learn to manage yourself .

Learn To Manage Yourself

Billionaire <a href="https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/warren-buffett-says-this-is-how-you-can-instantly-spot-a-great-leader.html">Warren Buffett </a>, chairman and CEO of <a href="https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/warren-buffett-recommends-these-33-books-to-berkshire-hathaway-shareholders.html">Berkshire Hathaway </a>, learned a long time ago that the greatest commodity of all is time. That's why he is religiously protective of his own time by setting strict boundaries for himself.This leads to a "<a href="https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/warren-buffet-says-this-career-advice-is-all-wrong-its-like-saving-up-sex-for-your-old-age-it-just-doesnt-make-a-lot-of-sense.html">Buffett-ism </a>" that has garnered a lot of debate over the years since he said it. It's a quote about the difference between successful people and really successful people.

Why manage ourselves and not time? Because we can't manage time. There's no such thing. We all wake up in the morning with the same exact number of hours, minutes, and seconds in a day. We can't control time. As it ticks away, it's gone -- in the past, never to be reclaimed again.

Manage Yourself, Not Time

<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Say no to opportunities and things that don't speak to your values, or further your personal or organizational mission</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Say no to superficial networking. Really successful people don't network. They build relationships.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Say no to overworking by doing all the work yourself. Delegate instead and trust in others' abilities and skills to get the job done.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Say no to neglecting your deepest wishes and desires for what your want to accomplish in life. Stop accommodating and yielding to others' wishes and desires. It's your life, take control of it, and live your calling.</li></ol>

Similar ideas

An argument for a shorter workweek

Conservatorship protect those who struggle to care for themselves

Types of people