A man who studied rich people for 5 years pinpointed a 15-minute daily habit anyone could start using today

Most self-made millionaires got to where they are today by developing "rich habits," a term coined by Thomas C. Corley, who spent five years researching the daily habits of rich people.

"From my research, I discovered that daily habits dictate how successful or unsuccessful you will be in life," he writes in his upcoming book, "Change Your Habits, Change Your Life."

One such habit is blatantly simple: They dedicate 15 to 30 minutes a day to just thinking.

"Thinking is key to their success," Corley observes. The rich tend to think in isolation, in the mornings, and for at least 15 minutes every day.

"They spent time every day brainstorming with themselves about numerous things," he explains. He identified ten core topics the rich think about during this time:

• careers
• finances
• family
• friends
• business relationships
• health
• dream-setting and goal-setting
• problems
• charity
• happiness

They ask questions such as, "What can I do to make more money? Does my job make me happy? Am I exercising enough? What other charities can I get involved in? Do I have good friends? Which business relationships should I spend more time on and which ones should I pull away from?"

The wealthiest, most successful people are curious. They desire constant improvement and innovation, in their own lives and in the world. As self-made millionaire Steve Siebold, who has also interviewed over 1,200 of the world's wealthiest people, says: Rich people are problem solvers.

"When the rich need money, they don't wonder if it's possible, they simply begin creating new ideas that solve problems," he writes in "How Rich People Think." "They don't waste mental energy worrying or wondering about their ability to produce cash, they direct their concentration towards creative thinking."

At the end of the day, "The rich aren't any smarter than us," Siebold writes. "They are just more strategic."