Getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, showering and sitting down to breakfast. These are the first steps in most people’s morning routines. But not for successful executives, according to Laura Vanderkam, author of “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast.”
According to the expert, successful professionals have many habits in common. She came to this conclusion after interviewing directors of large companies. In an article on the Inc. magazine website, Laura listed some of the things they do before their first meal of the day:
1) Successful entrepreneurs wake up very early – When writing her book, Laura asked 20 executives what time they usually wake up. The results show that, in fact, God helps the early bird: 90% of them wake up before 6 am during the week. For example, Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi wakes up at 4:30 am. Indra, an Indian woman living in the US, says she likes to work in the quiet of the early morning.
2) Many exercise – Laura Vanderkam discovered that physical exercise is part of the morning schedule of many top executives. Some, like Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, go to the gym for exercise sessions; others, like Steve Murphy of Christies, opt for yoga; Another popular physical exercise is running: one of the followers is Frits van Paasschen, from the Starwood hotel chain, who runs for an hour a day starting at 5:30 a.m.
3) And others meditate – In her book, Laura also spoke with people who like to keep their minds healthy. To start the day in a calmer way, some prefer to stay in a private place for a while and meditate. This is the case of Manisha Thakor, from the startup MoneyZen, who does a meditation session in the morning, with breathing exercises and repetition of mantras.
4) They create plans and strategies – According to the expert, one of the morning habits of executives is to think about the future of the company, whether for the rest of the day or in the long term. The interviewees plan and draw up strategies very early because, in the morning, they are less stressed.
5) They check their email – Checking their inbox in the first few minutes of the day is another common practice of successful people. One of Laura’s interviewees was writer Gretchen Rubin, who wakes up at 6 a.m. and responds to messages as soon as she gets out of bed. According to Gretchen, this habit means that priority issues start to be resolved early.
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6) They stay informed – Knowing what is happening in the world can generate business opportunities. That is why executives make news consumption one of their priorities in the morning. Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE, has the habit of reading the newspaper and watching television. Meanwhile, the leader of Virgin in the USA, David Cush, stays informed about what is happening in the world while exercising: he listens to the radio while he is on the exercise bike.
7) They work on priority activities – The calm hours of the morning are the ideal time to work on an important project, because the mind is “fresher” and the chance of being interrupted is smaller.
