Paul Brian
Successful people come from all walks of life, but they share something in common:
They start their day with certain routines that set them up to flourish and hit home runs.
Let’s take a look at the daily routine of highly successful and fulfilled people.
1) They wake up bright and early
Step one to having a successful life is getting up early and making the most of the day.
Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi gets up at 4 a.m. on workdays and she is at the office by 7 a.m. You don’t need to be Nooyi, but getting up bright and early is a definite life hack.
The best time to get up for most individuals is in sync with the sun.
“Waking up early in the morning, around 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., aligns with the natural rise of the sun and can promote a sense of well-being.”
2) They make their own bed
Highly successful people start every day by making their own bed.
This may seem like a small detail, but it can be crucial in setting your mindset right for the rest of the day to come.
By making your bed you take responsibility for yourself and also formalize the division between sleep and wakefulness.
You’re not half in bed and half asleep. You’re up and ready to face the world.
3) They do some physical activity to start their day
Now that you’re up, it’s time to get your body in motion.
I recommend 10 to 15 minutes of light exercise. This could be a brisk walk, a workout set, tai chi, qi gong, stretches or anything that gets your pulse activated.
Once you start to break a sweat and feel like you’re in the swing of things, it’s time to grab a drink, which brings me to the next piece of advice.
4) They get well hydrated with lemon water
Hydration is one of those crucial parts of life that are easy to overlook, that’s why it’s important to make a habit of it.
Drinking hot lemon water when you get up is a great idea and increases the absorption of nutrients in your stomach. Lemons are also packed full of vital nutrients like potassium, vitamin C and antioxidants.
Those who weigh under 200 pounds can squeeze half a lemon into their water, while those weighing more can squeeze a whole lemon into their water.
It’s best to drink about fifteen minutes after waking up on an empty stomach, which gives you time to do the exercise mentioned in the last pointer.
5) They have their clothes laid out
Another great habit to get into is laying out your clothes the night before.
After waking up nice and early and having a shower, you can then get dressed without having to think too much about what you’re going to put on.
You’ve already planned that out and chosen clothes that will be comfortable and well-suited to the activities and work of the day ahead.
6) They do a short morning meditation or prayer
After getting your body moving, hydrating and getting dressed, it’s time to focus the mind.
This is where a short meditation or prayer is extremely advisable. Even just five minutes will make a discernible difference to your day.
You pray to what you believe in or sit and allow yourself to feel and observe without judgment.
Focusing on the peaceful and energized feeling that comes into you is the cornerstone for your day ahead.
7) They reflect on what they want to improve or change today as compared to yesterday
Now is the time when the successful individual gets down to brass tacks, taking out their planner or device and writing down goals and priorities.
Make a special note of what you want to do differently today rather than yesterday.
It could be at work, in your personal life or both. It could be a fitness goal or a mental health goal or both.
Write it down. Get it prioritized.
8) They eat a healthy and nutritious breakfast
Eating a healthy breakfast helps to keep blood sugar levels steady and moderates appetite for the day.
When you don’t eat breakfast it’s more common to feel overly hungry at lunch and have big mood swings (being “hangry”).
Keep breakfast light so it’s not too calorie heavy, but make sure it’s enough to stop your hunger pangs.
Having a productive day requires eating a healthy breakfast. It’s as simple as that.
9) They get started on important projects as soon as possible
Successful people get started on important projects as soon as they’re up and have got their body and mind into gear.
This will be noted down in their plan and involves focusing on the next steps they need to take on whatever they’re working on.
Instead of giving into the temptation of procrastinating, successful people work hard when they set their mind to it and tackle the day head-on.
10) They check their emails and voicemails
The morning routine after breakfast is going to include checking voicemails, emails and messages.
Successful people will often do this on their way into work while sitting in traffic or on the bus or train.
They may also get Alexa or a home assistant to read out some emails and focus on the important ones that need answering first.
This brings me to the next point…
11) They answer the most important messages first
For busy and successful people, there’s no way to always respond to every message right away.
It’s absolutely vital to prioritize and get to the most critical messages first.
This prioritization may spread throughout the day or week or even more than one week for matters which aren’t highly crucial.
By responding to vital messages on the way to work or as soon as possible after their first morning ritual, successful people put the ball back in the other person’s court.
By clearing their outbox, they can now focus on less vital matters or begin new work and projects that mean more to them which would have been otherwise prevented by urgent matters that need responding to.
Responding early and fast to important things is the name of the game here.
12) They get informed about the days news
Successful people stay up to date on news and what’s going on.
It may affect business, but it’s also a way to stay in touch with other people and be able to converse about important issues that come up.
When it comes to networking and building bridges, the news and current events are often a way to make that link.
Thus, even from a purely practical point of view, successful people try their best to stay connected when it comes to the day’s main headlines.
A formula for success
The above habits are a formula to boost your life.
By focusing on getting the day started early and started well, you give your body and mind the resources it needs to tackle everything the day ahead has to offer.
These habits are powerful.
They won’t create perfection, but they will get you more into an empowering routine that has you more energized and committed than ever before.
