Live Like a Boss
JEC NASHVILLE — Want to live like a boss? The daily routines of these CEOs include similar patterns and practices that leave clues that can benefit any aspiring business leader. Success starts bright and early for Jamie Dimon, Elon Musk, and Barbara Corcoran. Throughout their days, other similar patterns emerge that increase productivity and lead to higher achievement.
Jamie Dimon
Jamie Dimon is the Chief Executive Officer of JPMorgan Chase. He lives in New York City, NY, and starts his day at 5:00 am by reading, “a ton of stuff’ for an hour and a half to two hours” usually on paper. Common reading material for Dimon includes the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and The Financial Times. Then, at about 7:00 am he does 45 minutes of cardio (Locke 2020). Naturally, Dimon drinks coffee in the morning but typically does not eat until 10:00 am or noon. Work-wise, he keeps “an 8×10 handwritten list with him at all times” with his tasks for the day. His list includes emails he has to write or return, phone calls, and meetings on his schedule (Novak 2019). Dimon’s structured morning routine and his daily list have powered his success in leading America’s largest bank.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is an entrepreneur, and most notably, the founder of companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, and PayPal. He has recently moved to Austin, TX, but his companies are all headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Despite the move, his routine generally remains the same. Musk wakes up at 7:00 am and immediately showers. He has noted to multiple sources that showering has “a greater positive impact on him than any of his other daily habits,” making it an essential way for him to start the day. Musk sticks to a strict schedule in the morning, beginning with coffee, but skipping breakfast for time efficiency (Rogers, et al 2017). Musk has also revealed that he schedules his day by 5-minute slots, and divides his time as evenly as possible between SpaceX and Tesla. When keeping up with two companies on a day-to-day basis, rigid schedules and early mornings help keep Musk going.
Barbara Corcoran
Barbara Corcoran is a real estate mogul in New York City, NY, and is also a “Shark” on the television show “Shark Tank,” on which she invests in new ventures and small businesses. Corcoran wakes up at 6:30 am and immediately heads to the bath. She then makes breakfast for herself and her daughter. After breakfast, Corcoran has coffee while waiting for her trainer. She does pilates for an hour every morning and then walks to her office. She is meticulously organized and keeps a list of her to-dos for the day with priority markings A, B, and C on her desk. An “A” task is “something that will make the biggest change” and she never “finishes [a] week without getting rid of [her] A’s” (Erlich 2018). Prioritizing self-care before heading out into the world allows Corcoran to stay grounded; her priority list keeps her efficient all day and all week.
Top 5 Tips
Five practices emerge in the daily routines of Dimon, Musk, and Corcoran that anyone can adopt to create efficiency, increase productivity, and, ultimately, boost achievement:
- Wake up between 5:00 and 7:00 am. An earlier start extends the day, including time for grounding self-care and quiet time to support mindfulness.
- Shower or take a bath right away in the morning. Getting clean first thing is efficient and productive.
- Exercise in the morning. There is no better way to energize for the day ahead.
- Work before breakfast. Keep your priorities straight!
- Keep an organized list of tasks and events for the day. A short and thoughtful list supports focus and productivity.
