17 Essential Skills You Must Have to Reach Success

Knowing how to do things, being self-reliant and confident, are key to a productive, effective, and successful life, reports inc.com.

But to get there, you need to master some basic skills and fundamental wisdom.

Here are 17 things I'm asked about most often.

This list is far from comprehensive. There's more to come, but these basics will get you started.

1. Know how to stop overthinking. When you overthink, your judgment becomes cloudy, your stress is elevated, and negativity threatens. Overthinking can make it difficult to act when you need to. Here are 10 simple ways you can stop yourself from overthinking.

2. Know how to combat fatigue. Are you feeling stressed, exhausted, burned out? Are your days hectic and your nights busy? Do you have to be constantly on and available? Here are 10 simple steps to help you combat fatigue.

3. Know how to improve your memory. With so much information coming at us all the time, a good memory is a competitive advantage. Here are 10 tricks to help you remember anything without the help of your phone.

4. Know how to sharpen your focus. Your ability to stay focused is a critical factor in your success or failure. Getting things done is imperative, and focus is the key. Here are 10 tips to help you stay focused at work by managing distraction, drawing healthy boundaries and eliminating opportunities for procrastination.

5. Know how to live without the approval of others. What other people think has nothing to do with you, and the sooner you know that, the faster you will find success on your own terms. You already have the power to be what you want to be and do what you want to do. Here are 10 reasons you should stop waiting for approval.

6. Know how to tell when someone is lying to you. Research says that we are lied to from 10 to a staggering 200 times a day! Some lies are readily apparent, while others are more subtle and harder to see. Here are 10 quick ways to tell if someone is lying to you.

7. Know how to avoid toxic people. Just like toxins in your air, water, or food, toxins in the people around you can cause serious harm. Here's a rundown of what to look out for so you can keep yourself safe.

8. Know how to simplify. Sometimes we make things more complicated than they need to be. The more we can simplify, the better we can focus, and the more effective we can be. Here are some of the ways you may be needlessly complicating your work and your life.

9. Know how to make time for yourself. Your time is incredibly valuable. Each hour, each moment is a resource that can never be recovered or replaced. Treating time with the respect it deserves is one of the best things you can learn in life. Learn 10 ways to better utilize your time.

10. Know how to overcome a bad day. We all have days when nothing goes right. When your turn comes, take heart, keep perspective, and keep fighting the good fight.These reminders can keep you moving forward.

11. Know how to get over laziness. Laziness most often originates in feeling overwhelmed, frightened, or unprepared. Whatever the cause, if laziness is interfering with your productivity, you must learn to overcome it. Stop making excuses for why you can't get it done and start focusing on all the reasons why you must make it happen. Get going with these simple techniques.

12. Know how to get organized. Successful people don't have more hours in the day, but they do have more time--because they know how to organize their lives. Organization happens by building good and effective habits. Here are some of the most effective techniques.

13. Know how to be persuasive. You may be surprised to know that you probably already have the qualities you need to be persuasive. It doesn't mean you have to be manipulative or a suck-up. Genuine persuasiveness is an important part of being successful. These secrets will help you learn to develop it.

14. Know how to unstress. When life gets stressful--and it does--it's easy to feel like you're losing your balance, but those are exactly the times when you need to be at your best. Learn how to get past stress and find your groove with these tricks.

15. Know how to overcome shyness. Those who have never suffered from shyness have no idea how debilitating it can be, especially for someone in a professional situation. If shyness is holding you back, these techniques can help you learn how to leave it behind to become more confident.

16. Know how to stop procrastinating. Especially when we're surrounded by distraction, procrastination is a constant temptation. Sometimes you have to boss yourself around to get things done. Here's how.

17. Know how to listen to good advice. When you hear good advice, you should always do two things: Take it in and pass it on. But most people ignore even the best advice. Here is a list of advice worth taking to heart.