These Are the 3 Bad Habits Mark Cuban, Elon Musk and Bill Gates Had to Break Before Becoming Successful

We all have our vices and bad habits, but according to experts, there are some bad habits even they had to break in an effort to be more successful.

If you want to become your most successful self, consider making like some of the entrepreneur greats and cut these bad habits immediately.

Stop procrastinating

All of us are guilty of sometimes putting off tasks we’re not excited about doing, and guess what? So did Bill Gates as a young man in business. He used to procrastinate all the time while attending Harvard. "People thought that was funny," he told students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Business Administration. "That was my positioning: the guy who did nothing until the last minute."

He had a rude awakening when he entered the business world and discovered that deadlines and being on time matters. "Nobody praised me because I would do things at the last minute," Gates said. So, he went on to "reverse" this habit and emulate those "who were always organized and had things done on time."

It worked out, clearly!

Stop being dependent on caffeine

Lots of us are very dependent on caffeine to get through the day. Elon Musk has admitted to working 120-hour workweeks. And he’s made up for lack of sleep with a whole lot of caffeine.

"There were probably times when I had like eight [diet cokes] a day or something ridiculous," Musk told the German automobile magazine Auto Bild in 2014. "I think these days it's probably one or two, so it's not too crazy."

He also struggled with a coffee addiction. "I used to have so much coffee...that I'd get really wired," said Musk. "I'd get over-caffeinated and it wouldn't be good."

Too much caffeine actually is bad for you and can increase jitters and stress and anxiety. Now Musk tries to swap out that coffee for more water!

Bad communication

Yelling is not a great way to get your point across, but Mark Cuban often had issues controlling his temper.

I would yell at my partner Martin Woodall," Cuban admitted on "The Jamie Weinstein Show" podcast.

"We could drive each other crazy," Cuban wrote on his blog. "He would give me incredible amounts of s--- about how sloppy I was. I would give him the same amount back because he was so anal he was missing huge opportunities."

In time, Cuban learned that yelling did more harm than good. "That just increases stress," he said on the podcast. "When you increase stress — the people around you, productivity, profitability [and] competitiveness decline."

Learning to listen when you talk is a way better way of having a better work environment, and getting your point across!