Grab a Cup of Coffee and Start Your Day at 4 AM to Be a More Productive Person

Are you a morning person, or are you someone who hits the snooze button on your alarm clock a few times? The early morning hours aren’t for everyone, but for some successful executives and CEOs, they enjoy getting a head start on the day by getting up as early as 3:45 AM. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, Richard Branson, Oprah, Michelle Obama, and Jeff Bezos are all early birds. A big reason why is because there are fewer distractions, allowing more time to get a head start on the day.

Keep reading to find out what these successful executives do this early in the morning that makes for a more productive day. Who knows, maybe this will convince you to get up early too.

Meditate

Self-care is a common reason that busy professionals get up early in the morning. A common practice of self-care is meditation to help reduce stress and anxiety. Both Oprah Winfrey and Arianna Huffington say that they begin the day with a 20 to 30 minute meditation session. If you are new to meditation, meditation apps are helpful guides to get you into the routine.

Have a cup of Jo

If you’re a coffee person, then you are off to a great start to following the examples of these CEOs. Pretty much all the most well-known CEOs and executives you can name, talk about how their mornings begin with a cup of coffee. Starbucks executive Howard Schultz for one starts his day this way. Who would have thought, right?

Eat a healthy breakfast

Racing out the door to get to work many times means skipping breakfast. Giving yourself more time in the morning allows you to eat a healthy breakfast. Real Simple magazine has plenty of ideas for simple, quick, and tasty recipes.

Have an exercise routine

Many times, professionals say they are too busy to exercise, which is a motivation for so many successful CEOs to get up early. Business Insider reported that Tim Cook goes to the gym at 5 AM every day. Kat Cole of FOCUS Brands says she enjoys getting up at 5:30 AM to do her yoga. Whatever your fancy is, an early morning exercise routine will keep you in shape. It also gives you no excuse to not get your heart rate up every day.

Read the morning paper

Reading is a relaxing activity, and many CEOs and executives talk about how their morning routines begin with catching up on the news. Warren Buffet, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, and BuzzFeed’s Jonah Peretti all read the morning paper before they get started on their workday.

Clear out your inbox and schedule emails

Going through emails is time-consuming and can be a distraction during the day. Rather than wasting part of the day checking emails, reserve a slot in the morning to do so. Also, use this time to schedule any emails to coworkers or employees. You’d be surprised at how dealing with tedious emails can affect your productivity later on in the day.

Set goals for the day

In your mind, set goals that you’d like to accomplish by the end of the day. These goals should be different than marking off to-do items you already need to complete. It may sound cliche, but try and make these goals something personal that will make you a more efficient individual.

If you’re not a morning person, we get it. That’s why we’ve created our Personal Productivity Course to help you get more things done each day. Find out more today and see how you can achieve your goals for the day, without the early wake-up call.