I have a problem. That problem is sleep. I love it all too much. But I guess if media mogul and sleep advocate, Ariana Huffington, has the same fascination with REM then I guess I’m better for it. Though Huffington advocates sleep, she also advocates productivity. And unless you have the type of sleep apnea that allows you to send emails and attending meetings, then you may want to read up on the # things successful before do before breakfast if you’ve want to establish new habits.
1. They Wake Up Early
Time is precious…if you believe time exists. Let’s not venture into an existential crisis this early in the morning. That’s one thing success people don’t do. Focus now because time is valuable. It should be obvious that waking up is the number one thing to do before breakfast. I mean, you can’t even have breakfast if you’re not awake. As an entrepreneur myself, my day gets eaten up with phone calls, emails, meetings, and so on. Aside from running the day-to-day operations of CARRA, I’m also consulting on branding initiatives to help up-and-coming entrepreneurs. To maximize the day, I wake up as early as 4 a.m. This is coming from a girl who used to sleep until 1 p.m. during her teen and college years. Mindy Kaling has been known to wake up at 5 a.m. Anna Wintour is probably up around 4 a.m. as well considering she’s playing tennis for an hour by 5:45 a.m.
2. They Replenish Their System With Water
When you’re sleeping, you’ve gone hours without eating or drinking. Your body is dehydrated at this point and still asleep, actually, until you feed it. Drinking water does two beneficial things for you: 1) it hydrates you and 2) it kick-starts your metabolism. I recommend having a glass of warm water with apple cider vinegar with the mother. It’s an early morning detox and it’s way better than coffee because it gives you a boost of energy.
3. They Meditate To Align Themselves To Source
Sitting still for minutes on-end as a beginner meditator sounds boring and pointless. I can relate because I thought the same thing. I recommend you grab your Beats By Dre and plug in to a soothing morning guided meditation. The narrative helps you enter a state of relaxation because the narrator helps guide your breathing; helps you visualize, and even helps you feel “as if.” Give it a try. It’s an a addicting tool to help you get out of the funk the day throws at you. Imagine doing this one powerful thing every morning? You’ll be resistant to the bullshit you’ll probably have to deal with. It centers you– truly.
4. They Jump-Start Their Body And Mind With Exercise
Amongst the top morning rituals of the rich and powerful is exercise whether lifting weight or practicing yoga. It’s been reported that Xerox CEO Ursula Burns dedicates two days a week to physical training before 7 a.m.
5. They Practice Mindfulness By Journaling
Tim Ferriss has become a productivity guru as well as a master interviewer via his famous podcast “The Tim Ferriss Show”. He’s famous for journaling, or scripting as others may it, before his day starts on what he’s grateful for. When you think about the word “mindful” break it up into two words: mind full. The notion is that you are practicing an act that fills your mind. And when you’re being “mindful” about being grateful, you enter a state of gratefulness and ultimately you feel full of happiness, motivation, and optimism. Try being after implementing this daily.
6. They Make Their Bed Before Brushing Their Teeth
Making your bed before leaving your room has been linked to increase productivity as seen in the book The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. And, it makes sense actually. If you’ve ever felt great after accomplishing something, then you know the feeling. Doing your bed is simple but it also makes you feel proud in some way and that’s a good mindframe to enter your day on. This is an effective hack to trick your mind in order to release those endorphins.
7. They Think And Strategize During The Shower
Remember: time is precious. In the shower, you have time to shampoo, rinse, and strategize about the first thing you’re going to do after the minute you sit in your work chair…or couch if you’re a techy. Mentally create a list of what you’re looking forward to accomplishing during the day and then get it down on pen-and-paper or on your Reminders app.
8. They Schedule Their Day With Their Goal-List
The Reminders app or anything where you can use time to help you achieve your goals for the day is one of the things successful people do before breakfast. It’s the practice of time management.
9. They Read
What we consume becomes our reality and for some reason Hollywood films and TV shows alike have aligned reading while eating breakfast. Your breakfast is your me time. Enjoy that all on its own. When reading in the morning, do it before eating breakfast. Read not just what’s of interest in your field but read up on other current events. You can get inspiration from one outlet and alert your team of changes in the market from another outlet.
Photo Credit: Mindy Kaling
