10 Morning Rituals Of the World’s Most Successful People

Everybody has days where we wake up feeling energized and able to complete tasks within a short time. However, by the afternoon, our energy levels drop and we are tired. Our bodies only have a limited amount of energy to sustain our productivity, according to studies. To sustain energy throughout the day, you need to have a good morning routine.

You wake up at 5 a.m. and find yourself lying on your back for the next hour, checking emails and news. You could also wake up feeling confused as to what you should do next. You decide to switch from exercising the next day and instead you start reading books or brewing coffee. To feel great about your accomplishments, you can try yoga or write the day after. Combining these supposedly good activities randomly can only increase cognitive loads because you must decide what you will do each morning. This takes away mental resources. It is possible to start to despise waking early due to the many decisions that you must make in order to make it productive. 

That said, it is critical to cultivate a stable and simple morning ritual – one you can repeat without having to overthink the moment you open your eyes. What better way than to get inspired by the BRIGHTEST and BEST? Read on for tips on how to build your own morning habits from some of the most successful people’s morning rituals:

1. Elon Musk: quick shower, coffee, no breakfast

Known as the real-life Tony Stark, Elon Musk is often hailed as one of our generation’s most innovative, efficient, and hard working CEOs. He works between 80 and 100 hours per week. SpaceX and Tesla share his time. He gets up around 7 in morning and sleeps 6 hours each night.  

Musk’s morning routine is fairly quick and simple: he showers first to clear his headspace and help him focus; then, he gets dressed and enjoys a cup of coffee before heading to work. Unfortunately, breakfast seems out of the question as he’s in such a hurry most of the time. 

2. Jack Dorsey: Cold shower, jogging and no breakfast

Up before sunrise at 5 am, before getting down to running two companies simultaneously, Twitter and Square, Jack Dorsey makes sure he’s physically and mentally prepared for the challenges for the day ahead. He jumps in a cold water shower immediately after getting out of bed to increase his mental strength and willpower. Dorsey uses the morning to recharge his brain by running 5 miles to work or meditating one hour. Dorsey skips breakfast, just like Musk. 

3. Warren Buffett: reading the news and McDonald’s breakfast

Warren Buffett is a business magnate and investor. He also serves as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. He is a market expert and starts every day by reading news articles from USA Today, Forbes and Wall Street Journal to keep his eyes on the markets and economy. Buffet then enjoys a meagre breakfast at McDonald’s as part of his morning ritual. After that, he begins to read before getting into the office. 

4. Mark Zuckerberg: Mark Zuckerberg quick runs, social media updates. Simple breakfast, and wardrobe 

Mark Zuckerberg is founder and CEO at Facebook. He rises earlier than many of his peers who get up at 5 in the morning. He gets up at 8 and goes for a run or workout to get the adrenaline pumping. For quick updates on social media, he checks Facebook Messenger and Instagram. He is famous for sticking to a simple grey t-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers; Zuckerberg explains he doesn’t like to waste time on trivial decisions – another trick to optimize mental resources and reduce cognitive load during the first few critical hours of the morning. To avoid having to make too many choices about breakfast, he also prefers to keep it simple.

5. Ray Dalio: Deep meditation 

Ray Dalio is the rock star who manages the biggest hedge fund in the globe. His morning routine was inspired by The Beatles. His early hours revolve around deep meditation to access the subconscious mind and bring out centeredness and “equanimity.” Consistent 20-minute meditation every morning drives Dalio to face the challenges head-on with clarity and thus yields him great career wins.

“Meditation more than anything in my life was the biggest ingredient of whatever success I’ve had.” – Ray Dalio

6. Puff Daddy: Calls in bed, interviews, and rehearsals

PuffDaddy, one of the best hip-hop performers of all time was a master of No.1 hits. PuffDaddy’s unorthodox routine is what earned him praise for his hard work and determination. Puff Daddy starts his day at 10 a.m., before moving on to phone calls and office work around 11:15. Next, he will go through interviews and rehearsals. Puff Daddy, a hip hop artist who works until 2am almost every night, is constantly on the move to find the perfect way to deliver the highest quality song or performance. He has been slowly adding meditation and reading to his daily routine as he approaches 50. 

7. Jeff Bezos: Breakfast, coffee, and reading the newspaper

Founder and CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, states he’s an early sleeper and early riser. Like many of his successful peers, he’s up around 6:30 am. After brewing a cup of hot coffee and making breakfast, he likes to read his newspaper as any other American father. Then he does the dishes and cleans up and then focuses on work. He leaves home at 10 am and drives to Amazon HQ, where he works until noon, taking care of important paperwork and meetings. 

8. Tim Cook: Customers’ emails and an intense workout 

Tim Cook, Apple Inc CEO, is the oldest riser. He has a morning routine that starts before 4 am. Cook believes that early mornings are the best time to be awake. Surprisingly, he starts his day by reading thousands of customers’ emails to dig into their psychology and find out how they feel, experience, and do things. Cook doesn’t forget to include an hour workout following his email read-ups because it “keeps his stress at bay.”

9. Peter Thiel: After intense training, fresh fruit breakfast

As one of the world’s most prolific billionaire investors, Peter Thiel doesn’t hold back his secret to a wildly successful career, starting with his morning ritual. Thiel gets up every morning at 6:30 without an alarm. For him, morning is not only a time to ward off distractions and clear his mind; it’s also to build up a solid habit for longevity and health. He’s known to take Human Growth Hormone (HGH) for its anti-ageing effects before an intense workout. He then heads to breakfast, which focuses on fresh fruit. 

10. Richard Branson: A range of activities and exercise, including breakfast with your family

Richard Branson is a business mogul and the founder of Virgin Group. He doesn’t shy away from admitting that he attributes his success to being active. He often rises before 5:15 am. Start the day by playing tennis or going on a run or walk, as well as kitesurfing and biking. To Branson, “There’s nothing more satisfying than knowing I have applied myself both physically and mentally every day.” After his exercise regime, he joins breakfast with his family, two non-negotiables for the day before heading to work.

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