5 Things Successful People Do Before 8 AM

I’m a self-improvement junkie. I love reading self-help articles, books, and I enjoy sharing tips on how to be a healthier, happier individual. So today I wanted to talk a bit about productivity and how to be more productive by becoming a “morning person.” For those who don’t know, early rising is a very common trait among highly successful and influential people. Now I know what some of you are thinking – “But I work best at night.” Well, not so fast. Maybe you’re not as productive as you think, and moreover, maybe you could be even more productive if you switched things up a bit. Fact is, countless studies have shown that morning people tend to be more proactive, more productive, and healthier overall. So check out these 5 things successful people do before 8 am, and learn why you should start doing the same.

1. Exercise. Research has found that most people who actually stick to a daily workout schedule tend to exercise in the morning, which doesn’t surprise me at all. I’m a strong advocate of morning exercise and I regularly encourage folks to exercise in the morning. Why? Because exercising in the AM helps give you a boost of energy for the day and a well-deserved sense of accomplishment. Furthermore, taking the morning to get your exercise session out of the way will totally eliminate the possibility of flaking out after a long, tiring day at work.

2. Map Out Your Day. The wee, early hours of the morning can be a gold mine for meditation, self-reflection, and prioritizing tasks for your upcoming day because all is quiet and most in your household (your wife, hubby, kiddies, boyfriend, girlfriend, cat, dog, etc…) are still asleep. So capitalize on this uninterrupted early morning time and maximize your productivity potential by mapping out your schedule for the week, as well as your life goals in general.

Note: I want to further point out that while I do believe the morning is a great time to plan and reflect, I don’t think the morning of (or the day of) is the best time to plan your day. Instead I recommend, at the very latest, planning your next day the night before. For example, use Tuesday evening to make your Wednesday schedule. Even better, plan your week a few days in advance. Personally, I like to take the weekend to plan my entire upcoming week. And overall, I find that planning days ahead helps people become more productive, helps them follow through on important tasks (like exercising), and it also helps people feel more in control of their lives and time.

3. Eat a Healthy, Balanced Breakfast. We all know that mad rush out the door on an empty stomach. You sit down at your desk, and by 10am you’re dipping into the courtesy box of assorted donuts and pastries in the office lounge. Then by 11:30, your stomach is growling again, and instead of concentrating on work, you’re daydreaming about the taco truck that sets up camp outside your office building. Bottom line: Most people’s diets need a serious overhaul when it comes to breakfast– and just nutrition in general. And because so many people totally miss the mark on what actually constitutes a “healthy, balanced breakfast,” they end up being less productive during the day.

To learn what you should be eating if your goal is to eat a healthy, balanced breakfast, check out Why Fit People Eat A Balanced Breakfast

4. Visualization. These days we talk about our physical health ad nauseam, but sometimes our mental health gets overlooked, and the morning hours are a perfect time to spend some quiet time inside your own head for a bit of meditation or visualization. So use the morning hours to visualize the day ahead of you, as well as all the successes you want to have. Even just 5 minutes of visualization and positive thinking in the morning can help improve your mood and outlook for the day.

5. Make Your Day Top Heavy. One of the smartest things you can do is make your day top heavy in regards to your “to do” list. This is especially the case for procrastinators. Here’s the thing though: While procrastinators are often labeled as “lazy,” reality is a lot of procrastinators are actually perfectionists, and just leave things for the last minute because they fear failure or making mistakes. Thus procrastinators use avoidance techniques (i.e. procrastination) to put off the stress of completing a task. And ultimately, by avoiding the task for as long as possible, procrastinators do relieve some immediate stress but they also end up causing more stress in the long run because they end up rushing to get through a project at the last minute. So the best way to avoid this problem entirely (for procrastinators and non-procrastinators alike) is to make your day top heavy. You want to do this because the morning is the time when you’re well rested, your energy level is at its highest, and you’re best equipped to handle more difficult projects. Also look at it this way: By making your day top heavy, things will get progressively easier as the day goes on, not the other way around. So come end of the day, all your heavy tasks will be done, things will have winded down, and now you’ll have the rest of the day to totally relax and bask in the joy of your accomplishments.

How early do you wake up? When it comes to productivity, would you consider yourself a “morning person?” – Doc

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