Words: Holly
Many studies, including one by Roy F. Baumeister, Professor of Psychology at Florida State University, have shown that actually the morning is the best time to get stuff done, you are more focused, you have more will power because you are less fatigued and, therefore, you are more ready to face challenges and tasks. According to Inc Magazine, morning people have been found to be more proactive. This is why the top CEOs and Executives utilise this time pre-9am to get things done. Former Chairman and CEO of General Motors, Dan Akerson and Robert Iger, the CEO of Disney, both wake up before 5am. Here we explore 10 things successful people do before breakfast.
THEY WAKE UP EARLY, Successful people know that in normal working hours, their time is going to be taken up by scheduled and unscheduled meetings, phone calls and unforeseen emergencies. If they hadn’t planned ahead, it would get to the end of the working day and they wouldn’t have gotten what they wanted done. So whether it is for work or pleasure, studies have shown that the majority of successful people rise before 6am. Time to set that alarm?
THEY HAVE PRE-BREAKFAST MEETINGS, Haven’t you heard 7:45 is the new 9:00 when it comes to meetings? 9:00 meetings eat into the day and are a lot busier when trying to find somewhere to meet. Networking or meeting with a client pre-9 allows you to be fresh and not worry about other people wanting to get hold of you. For successful people, pre-breakfast is often the only time they can meet.
THEY EXERCISE, Getting a pre-9am work out is a great way to energise and focus for the day. It is also often the only time available to exercise without having it eat into the working day. For example, the former chairman and CEO of Pepsi, Steve Reinemund awoke at 5am to get some time on the treadmill before work.
THEY CHECK THEIR EMAILS, The commute on the way to work is the perfect time for checking emails. You can also get a handle on the overnight influx of 100+ emails and sort through any late night ones from the day before. This will leave you less overwhelmed when more start flooding in.
THEY EMAIL COLLEAGUES/CLIENTS, If you can get a jump start on emailing other people for the day, yours will be the first they read in the morning and you are more likely to get a prompt response.
THEY CATCH UP ON THE NEWS, Most successful people are success because they have a pro-active grasp on what is going on both in the general news and news that effects them directly. This means delegating time in the morning to read the newspapers and check blogs and social media. GE CEO Jeff Immelt makes sure to read the paper and watch CNBC before work.
THEY STRATEGISE FOR THE DAY, Pre-9am is not only the perfect time to plan out and organise the day ahead, but also the week and month ahead as well. Your mind is fresh and clear ensuring your focused when it comes to strategising the big picture stuff. This will also mean that the day runs a lot smoother and more organised.
THEY DO SOMETHING FOR THEMSELVES, Time is a commodity and unfortunately the evenings cannot be relied upon to have time to do the things you have been wanting to do for yourself. Work always runs over, amirite? This is why the peace and quiet of the mornings are the perfect time to work on that personal passion project, do some reading or spend quality time with the family.
THEY SPEND TIME WITH THEIR PARTNER, Often with success comes long working hours and, unfortunately, this means time away from loved ones and partners. This is why the morning is the perfect time to connect with a spouse, free from the things that plague the mind in the evening or at the end of the day, in the morning
THEY MEDITATE, The working day can often be very stressful and can leave you at the end feeling mentally and physically exhausted. This is why successful people use the time before work to centre themselves and mentally prepare for the day.
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