10 Morning Routines of Successful Entrepreneurs

A strong morning routine helps set the tone for your day. And, as an entrepreneur brimming with an intensive to-do list, calibrating your day to be as productive as possible is crucial. These are the top tips to optimize your morning routine as a startup entrepreneur.

Tim Ferriss, author of “The Four-Hour Work Week,” is a huge proponent of starting the day early, and he isn’t alone in this belief. In fact, several super entrepreneurs have been publicly vocal about how early they set their alarms, such as Oprah Winfrey, Tim Cook, and Richard Branson. 

However, waking early in the morning shouldn’t be at the expense of prioritizing quality sleep. Developing a routine that enables you to have a restful sleep and an early wake-up time can help set up your day to be productive.

Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world swear by meditation as a factor in their success. Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post, is one of them. 

It is no surprise that super successful entrepreneurs would utilize the power of meditation to optimize their day. Clearing your mind and mitigating stress can be extremely beneficial in being able to more effectively prioritize important tasks and maintain productivity.

If you’ve never been one to jump out of bed and run 10 miles, you aren’t alone. However, incorporating some type of exercise into your morning routine can help keep your energy levels up, mitigate anxiety, and keep you healthier overall. 

In fact, some of the world’s most successful startup founders swear by exercising in the morning. Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Media, cites exercise as one of the most important parts of his morning routine.

Although a cold shower may sound like the last way you’d like to begin your day, some entrepreneurs and highly successful people swear by cold therapy. For example, Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, starts every morning with an ice bath. 

Not only is a cold shower a jolt to the system, leaving you more alert, it actually can increase oxygen intake and circulation — preparing you for a busy day ahead.

It may seem unrelated to the success of your day; however, making your bed as part of your morning routine can be surprisingly impactful. Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit,” claims making your bed is a “keystone habit” that can influence your decision-making for the rest of your day by increasing productivity and helping you maintain much-needed structure.

While it can be tempting to roll over in bed and do a quick scroll through your inbox first thing in the morning, you might want to try avoiding your emails first thing in the morning. 

You may not be able to detox from screens for a week like Kode with Klossy founder Karlie Kloss, but giving yourself a bit of breathing room to begin the day without the bombardment of your inbox gives you time and space to set a strong foundation for your day.

Opting for a healthy, nutritious breakfast is a great way to kick your metabolism into gear in the morning and provide you with more energy during your day. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world swear by a healthy breakfast as an invaluable part of their morning routine. 
In fact, Oprah Winfrey shared on her website her belief in breakfast as “a simple way to power up" for the day — with fruits and multi-grain bread as her ingredients of choice.

If you aren’t a morning person, one of the best ways you can set yourself up for a successful day is to prepare for the morning the night before. Preparing breakfast ahead of time, creating a to-do list, or even setting out your clothes for the day can help you avoid “decision fatigue” and focus on creating an energizing morning routine. 

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and President Barack Obama are both proponents of this strategy, opting for preselected wardrobe choices to make the transition into their day a little less stressful.

The first beverage you want to reach for in the morning might be a hot cup of coffee; however, some highly successful entrepreneurs opt for water before (or instead of) a morning cup of joe. Kat Cole, president of Focus Brands, prioritizes consuming 24 ounces of water in the morning, for example.

While ensuring you are hydrated all day is vital, rehydrating in the morning is especially important since you typically haven’t consumed water in the past six to eight hours.

The most important thing to keep in mind when crafting your ideal morning routine is to create one that is best suited to you. After all, you are far more likely to follow a routine if it aligns with your lifestyle, schedule, and personal goals.