Morning Routines — Are They Really Worth The Effort?
I have heard the term routine used often amongst people that I would call “successful.” Now, not all of those people wake up at 4 am, are well-known public figures, or have millions and millions of dollars. However, they are consistently achieving their goals and credit much of that success to the daily practice of productive habits.
We all like hearing how the well-known organize their day and spend their time. I, for one, enjoy learning about how CEOs, athletes, authors, and busy political figures set themselves up for success.
That led me to research a handful of individuals and their routines (many of which are morning routines). Let’s dive in and learn a little bit about how each of these individuals structures their morning (with a little insight into the rest of their day as well).
Bob Iger — Formerly the CEO of the Walt Disney Company (recently authored a book called The Ride of A Lifetime… I recommend you give it a read)
- Wakes up at 4:15 am every morning
- Focuses on organizing his own thoughts and then exercises
- Avoids looking at his phone until after his personal time
- Drinks his coffee and catches up on the news
- Heads to the office (roughly around 7:30 am)
J.K. Rowling — Famous for writing Harry Potter
- Rowling credits her writing success to putting in the work and showing up every day to write.
- She also has an awesome sense of humor (see her thoughts on waking up at 4 am below)
- On a typical writing day, Rowling will start working before 9 am and write until 3 pm before taking a break.
When asked about what makes her productive (and this is ironic given her tweet above) Rowling stated…
“The earlier in the day I start, the more productive I am. In the last year or two I’ve put in a couple of all-nighters on the screenplays for Fantastic Beasts, but otherwise I try and keep my writing to the daytime. If I’ve started around nine, I can usually work through to about 3pm before I need more than a short break.”
Barack Obama — the 44th President of the United States of America
- Usually wakes up at 7 am (his wife Michelle wakes up at 4:30 am)
- Gets a 45-minute workout in (this is non-negotiable)
- Arrives to work between 8:30 and 9:00 am
- After dinner with the family (around 8:30 pm), he reads briefings
- Usually goes to bed between 11:30 pm and 12:30 am (sometimes even later)
Barack Obama had a uniquely difficult job but was able to balance his responsibilities by maintaining his daily habits. Organizing and prioritization were key and taking time to think proved invaluable. On that topic, Obama shared the following.
“The most difficult thing is to carve out time to think, which is probably the most important time for somebody who’s trying to shift an organization, or in this case, the country, as opposed to doing the same things that have been done before. And I find that time slips away.”
Beth Comstock — Former Vice Chair of General Electric and a member of the Board of Directors for Nike
- During her time at GE, she would wake up at 5 am and be at the office before 7:30 am
- Her days would consist of back to back meetings and conference calls until 6 or 7 pm
- Now, as an author (and no longer at GE) she still wakes up at 5 am to enjoy the calm hours of the morning to write and think
Dwayne Johnson — The Rock, former pro-wrestler, and well-known actor
- Wakes up at 3:30 am (crazy!) and usually only gets 4–5 hours of sleep
- Eats a strict diet that is high in protein and works out religiously
When asked about his routine, The Rock shared some simple advice.
“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success.”
LeBron James —4x NBA champion and one of the greatest basketball players of all time
- LeBron usually wakes up at 5 am
- He tries to get 8–9 hours of sleep per night and naps for a few hours each day
When talking about sleep, LeBron outlined why it is so important for his success in the NBA.
“Sleep is the most important thing when it comes to recovery. And it’s very tough with our schedule. Our schedule keeps us up late at night, and most of the time it wakes us up early in the morning. There’s no better recovery than sleep.”
Kamala Harris — Former Senator of California and the current Vice President-Elect of the United States of America
- She wakes up at 6 am and spends 30 minutes working out
- Kamala then reviews her schedule for the day prior to getting to the office
- What keeps her grounded? Kamala says that reading cookbooks and preparing meals for her family is how she finds balance in her life.
“Everything else can be crazy, I can be on six planes in one week, and what makes me feel normal is making Sunday-night family dinner. If I’m cooking, I feel like I’m in control of my life.”
Guy Raz — Host of the How I Built This podcast
- Raz and his wife wake up by 5:30 am
- He drinks a glass of water and does some work until 6:30 am (his wife does her yoga routine)
- While his wife leaves for work (around 6:30 am) he makes breakfast for his sons and helps pack their lunches
- At 7 am he gets his boys out of bed and by 7:45 am they are in the car and on the way to school
- Work begins for Raz when he gets home at 8:30 am
In his own words he shares:
“The best trick is to get as much ready the night before.”
I hope you enjoyed those interesting perspectives from a number of different individuals. Did you notice any patterns or similarities? I did, but before sharing those I wanted to state the obvious.
Each routine is different!
There is not one routine that is better than another. Depending on the circumstances, it varied. However, it is clear that having a morning routine is definitely worth the effort. If it wasn’t a meaningful practice, none of the above-mentioned individuals would have one.
So, how can you get started on creating your own morning, or daily, routine?
- Prepare for tomorrow, tonight — make a list of your priorities so you are organized and focus (keep the list to your top 5)
- Distractions are your worst enemy — avoid picking up your phone first thing in the morning and make sure you take time to meditate/think for yourself
- Exercise — Run, lift weights, walk, dance… just get moving
- Whatever it is you do, be consistent — remember what The Rock said, “Consistent hard work leads to success.”
Now, you will not be perfect! None of the people mentioned above are perfect with their routines. If you miss a day, don’t sweat it. If you miss multiple days and it just isn’t clicking for you, switch up the routine (or go to bed earlier).
I got curious and explored more routines than those I listed above. Most of the information came from the following source. For more ideas I suggest you check out the link below:
