10 Things Successful People Do First Thing in the Morning
if you are like most people, you spend it battling your alarm, anxious about what the day holds, distracted by things you know you should do later, grabbing a quick cup of coffee, and then rushing out the door. You carry the shadow of these feelings with you throughout the day, and this limits your ability to be a successful leader.
Here are 10 things that successful people do at the beginning of the day to set them up for a great day.
1. They wake up early.
Successful people know that time is a precious commodity. And while theirs is easily eaten up by phone calls, meetings, and sudden crises once they’ve gotten to the office, the morning hours are under their control. That’s why many of them rise before the sun, squeezing out as much time as they can to do with as they please.
The bottom line: Productive mornings start with early wake-up calls.
2. They drink water.
Many successful executives reach for water instead of coffee first thing in the morning. Drinking water in the morning helps you feel more alert, rehydrates your body, and kick-starts your metabolism.
3. They exercise before it falls off the to-do list.
The top morning activity of the rich and powerful seems to be exercise, be it lifting weights at home or going to the gym. Beyond the fact that exercising in the morning means they can’t later run out of time. A pre-breakfast workout helps reduce stress later in the day, counteracts the effects of high-fat diet, and improves sleep.
4. They work on a top-priority business project.
The quiet hours of the morning can be the ideal time to focus on an important work project without being interrupted. What’s more, spending time on it at the beginning of the day ensures that it gets your attention before others–kids, employees, bosses–use it up.
5. They work on a personal-passion project.
Novel-writing and art-making are easy to skip when you’ve been in meetings all day, are tired and hungry, and have to figure out what’s for dinner. That’s why many successful people put in an hour or so on their personal projects before they officially start their days.
6. They spend quality time with family.
We may exalt the family dinner, but there’s nothing that says you have to have a big family meal at night Some successful people use the mornings to invest in family time, whether reading stories to the kids or cooking a big breakfast together.
7. They connect with their spouses.
In the evening, it’s more likely you’ll be tired from the day’s activities, and time can easily be wasted with dinner preparations and zoning out in front of the TV. That’s why many successful people make connecting with their partners a morning ritual.
8. They make their beds.
This one-minute habit can make you happier and more productive all day long . Making your bed doesn’t necessarily cause you to get more done at work, but it’s a “keystone habit” that can spark “chain reactions that help other good habits take hold.” In addition to being more productive, people who consistently make their beds also tend to have “a greater sense of well-being and stronger skills at sticking with a budget.
9. They network over coffee.
Especially if you like to make it home for dinner, the mornings can be a great time to meet with people for coffee or breakfast. Plus, networking breakfasts are less disruptive than midday lunches and more work-oriented than boozy cocktail parties, Vanderkam notes.
10. They meditate to clear their minds.
Type-A personalities typically demand as much from others as they do from themselves, so it can be difficult for them to disconnect from their mental to-do lists and calm their minds. Before they head out the door, many successful people devote themselves to a spiritual practice such as meditation or prayer to center themselves for the rush of the day.
