Exclusive Interview: Entrepreneurs share the first thing they do each morning when they wake up.
I like
to know how successful people live their lives, how they spend their time, how
they think and even to know the first thing they do when they wake up. How you
start your morning can determine how the rest of the day goes.
According to a
research carried out by Business News Daily asking successful business owners to share the first thing they
do in the morning. From hitting snooze and drinking coffee to exercising and
planning out their to-do lists, here's what 63 different entrepreneurs said
they do when they wake up.
No. 1:
"'Feared thing first' has been one of my entrepreneurial go-tos. Whatever
I dread the most on my to-do list is the first thing I want to cross
off in the morning. The adrenalin rush of conquering this intimidating task
drives me through the rest of the day." – Nancy Cleary, publisher and
owner, Wyatt-MacKenziePublishing
No. 2:
"Typically, I'm already up by 6 a.m. I usually just refresh
and do my transcendental meditation before I look at my email and social
media — although it's tempting! Then I do yoga for at least half an
hour. This quiet time alone supports me throughout my day. I'm calmer,
more present and ready to make better decisions than yesterday." – Kate
Spasic, founder, Bikes & HumansCo-Op
No. 3: "As a
founder of a global investment-management firm, I wake up a few times through
the night to check in on markets. The final time of waking up, at 5:30, I
spend time with my family — [they're] early risers — and dogs. Early
morning, before the office starts, is a great time to collect thoughts and plan
the goals for the day." – Joseph Hosler, managing principal, Auour Advisory
No. 4:
"Every morning, I start my day first by checking emails to see if
there is a new order or [if a customer] has a question. Then I
proceed by checking our social media accounts and website performance data
to see if we have any comments by our visitors and if everything works
fine." – Santare Slavinskiene, founder, Dizaind
No. 5:
"I go for a morning run. No set distance, no set time — I
just set my alarm for 5:30 a.m., jump out of bed, put on my running gear
and run until I'm tired or bored, then walk back. Rain or shine, it
doesn't matter." – Neil Andrew, account director and founder, Piccana
No. 6:
"[My] first job in the morning — which is 6 [a.m.] for me — armed with a
large cup of tea, is to organize my social media posts and replies,
[including] LinkedIn Pulse, Twitter, blog posts, replies to followers and
connection requests. I find that if I allow this activity to sneak
anywhere else into my day, it can hijack four times more space in my
schedule than if I simply look after them all in that hour. Then it's the
daily, uphill struggle of getting two teenagers out of bed for school, and
15 minutes of breakfast chat with my wife." – Chris Murray, founder
and managing director, Varda KreuzTraining
No. 7:
"After reading the book 'The
Miracle Morning' [Hal Elrod, 2012], I've started waking up an hour early to
start my morning ritual. Within that hour, I spend 10 minutes [each] doing six
personal development activities. These activities include meditation,
writing affirmations, visualization, reading, journaling and working out.
It equips me physically, mentally and spiritually for whatever the day throws
at me." – Talaya Waller, personal branding consultant and founder, Waller & Company
No. 8:
"As soon as my computer is ready to go, I check the HARO [Help A
Reporter Out] feed. I check it again as soon after [the HARO
email] arrives as possible in the afternoon and evening. HARO — and
similar services — not only get me mentioned in top-tier publications like
The New York Times and Entrepreneur, but also allow me to build relationships
with reporters, including freelancers who write for many publications,
[and] be seen as a valued source." – Shel Horowitz,
marketing consultant, speaker and author
No. 9: "I
once took a creative writing class, and the teacher told me that your most
creative time of day is right when you open your eyes, before you even reach
for your alarm clock. This is why every day, the first thing I do before
the distractions and stress of daily life creep into my head, before I even
glance at my emails on my phone or scroll through Instagram, is just
write. I fill up a whole page in a composition notebook — yes, a real
notebook with paper and a pen! — with whatever comes to my mind that
morning." –Erica Feld, CEO and founder, Wagdrobe
No. 10:
"The first thing I do every morning is read over my schedule
for the day and then go for a long, brisk walk. While I walk,
I think about the clients I'm going to meet [that day]. My best insights
come to me while I'm on the move. This practice has made me a much more
effective coach." – Tim Wolski, owner, Wolski Success Partners
No. 11:
"[The] first thing I do when I wake up is turn on NPR so I can
catch up on the news while I shower and get ready for my day.
Then I check email and get going." – Paige Arnof-Fenn, founder and
CEO, Mavens & Moguls
No. 12:
"I wake up at 5 a.m. every day, drink a glass of water to
get my metabolism going — it's also important to help fuel your brain. Without
enough water, your brain does not function at its optimal level. Next, I'm on
the elliptical for 30 minutes. [Then I] take a shower, grab some coffee, and
I'm ready to start my day!" – Mike LaTour, owner, Soundwave Art
No. 13:
"The first thing I do when waking up in the morning is to turn to
my wife and tell her, 'ti adoro' — 'I adore you,' in Italian.
Doing so immediately puts my day in perspective. I know that if everything
starts well with my top priority — our relationship — then the rest of the
day will fall into place better." – John Rasiej, CEO and founder,
Speak Louder Than Words
No. 14:
"The first thing I do in the morning is swim. I do it
because all the challenges of the day are played out in my head. I focus
on my breathing between strokes — it creates an almost meditative, totally
chilled-out feeling." – Nat Wasserstein, managing director, Lindenwood Associates
No. 15:
"My 18-month-old wakes us up, and I go downstairs with him while
giving my wife an extra hour or so of sleep. I change my son, play
with him. We read some books, and then we make breakfast together.
He usually stands in a learning tower and helps me crack the eggs. We then
eat breakfast together. After that, we wake up my wife. I get ready for
work and head out." – Gennady Borukhovich, co-founder and CTO, FarFaria
No. 16:
"While having my coffee, I log into four sites: LinkedIn, Facebook,
Twitter and Google News. I have my Google News feed tailored, so I
review stories for my industry, divorce. Once I find an
interesting one, I share it on our social media platforms. This routine
allows me to start my day up-to-date on the applicable news and allows me
to focus on the business of my business, rather than just the tasks that
need to be completed during the day for clients." – Andrew
Vaughn, CEO, NuVorce
No. 17:
"I usually take the first 10-15 minutes in bed to check and
respond to my emails. I answer the more important ones I know
will [be] on my mind so I can enjoy my coffee and have a little time in
the a.m. to relax and clear my mind!" – Heather Grabin, founder and
publicist, AichG
No. 18:
"I get up at 5:30 every day, and head straight to the office.
I start working as soon as possible. That's the first thing I do whenever
possible: I work. The momentum takes over, and sometimes the next thing I
know it's 12 hours later and that's a pretty damn good workday." –Dan
Shure, owner, Evolving SEO
No. 19:
"I'm by no means a morning person, so I prefer to listen to my body's
rhythm. I set my sleeping around a sleep clock, and I don't drink
coffee. I find I'm much more productive if I'm not forcing myself
awake. It makes for a slow morning, but I use that time to catch up on
news and email digests, with the exception of any immediate work
priorities that may come in overnight." – Dimitri Zakharov, founder
and CEO, Impact Enterprises
No. 20: "I work in PR, so when I wake up I obviously check
all my social media accounts while watching our local morning show.
Depending what's happening on the show — even before I get out of bed —
I'm tweeting on behalf of my clients and interacting with the newscasters.
Morning news equals great social media!" – Kate Marlys, owner, Philly PR Girl
No. 21: "I have two sons, and I unfortunately don't get to spend
too much time with them in the evening because of sports schedules, work
commitments, etc. So my morning routine consists of spending that time
with my boys, whether it's taking them to school or just having
breakfast with them. Even a little quality time counts." – Gary Green,
founder, Green Technology Services
No. 22: "[The] first thing I do is take care of myself and get a
win. I get up at 4:23 a.m. for a 5 a.m. CrossFit workout.
It's tough, but I feel like I've accomplished something I wasn't sure I
could, so to start the day I have a feeling of accomplishment and
well-being, and I'm ready for anything!" – Mike Stratta, founder and
CEO, Arcalea
No. 23: "I wake up, lift the blinds to see
daylight. I get back on the bed, reach over to my nightstand, grab my iPhone
and check my emails for anything new to respond to or delete." – Lisa
Cocuzza, founder, It's a Glam Thing
No. 24: "The first thing I do in the a.m. is grab my iced
tea, note pad, pen and phone and start making my list of to-dos. Some
come from emails that I've received during the night from abroad suppliers or
customers, and the rest from [a] list I've emailed myself the day before. I
always pick 1-2 big accomplishments for the day and generally list the least
liked but [most] important at the top. I like to have my to-do list on paper,
so I can physically cross them off as I complete." – Jill Bigelow,
founder, Pelv-Ice
No. 25: "The first thing I do every morning is take a
shower. I've found that the hot water washes off the fog of sleep
and gets my body ready for whatever comes next — even if that is a workout!
The next thing I normally do is meditate and do some light stretching
before I head off to meet with clients, teach a yoga class or take my dog
for a long walk in Central Park." – Dana Campbell,
yoga instructor and career strategy and burnout coach
No. 26: "The first thing I do each morning, before I even put my
feet on the floor, is to think of at least one thing for which I'm
thankful. Ever since I started doing it a few years ago, I have
seen what a difference it makes in my attitude for the day." – Michael
Zwick, president, AssetsInternational
No. 27:
"The first thing I do in the morning is grab my 14-year-old
spaniel mix and bring her up onto the bed. Then I name 10 things
I'm grateful for — in my head — while giving her a big cuddle. Of course,
she's always first on the list!" – Susan Wildes, founder, Miss Violetta
No. 28:
"The first thing I do in the morning is get a cup of coffee ready. Then I sit
down and read for about an hour. I usually have a book that
I'm reading. I subscribe to a couple of weekly newspapers, so when those
come I read those. I'll also catch up on stories that I save in
Pocket." – Dayne Shuda, founder, GhostBlog Writers
No. 29:
"The first thing I do in the morning is shower and grab coffee on the
way to work. I walk from Gramercy Park to SoHo, where our office is
located, while talking to my parents who live in London.
I try not to check email until I get to work — this bit of personal quiet
time I have every day helps me take on the day with a sense of calm."
– Mareza Larizadeh, founder, pulsd
No. 30: "The first thing that I do in the morning is walk
over to a cafe and write at least one page in a notebook about
what I learned about running a business the previous day. I reflect on
things such as the importance of persistence, infrastructure and grit.
This morning ritual is simple, but it does absolute wonders for me in
igniting my brain and kick-starting my creativity for the day ahead."
– Alex Kehr, founder and head of creativity and technology, Wander
No. 31: "The first thing I do when I wake up, before I get out
of bed, is check my store stats to see how my traffic was when I
was asleep, and to see if any orders were made. Then I check and
respond to my emails." – Kristie Glenn, owner, Blue Labels Boutique
No. 32: "[I] wake up between 6:30-7, dip in the hot tub for
30 minutes and listen to 'Mike & Mike' on ESPN Radio, followed by
a nice walk with my dogs. No email. No work stuff. Just try to relax and get my
head right for the usually busy day." –Adam Greenbaum, CEO, Greenbaum
No. 33: "First thing I do is check the news with the
Haystack app. As a business owner, I spend my entire day focused
on my business. If I don't check the news as soon as I wake up, I would
probably go all day without knowing what's going on in the world." – Sam
Colvin, president, IDCreator
No. 34: "Since I get to work at home, the first thing I do in the
morning is treat my morning like I'm 'going to work.' I shower, get
dressed in comfy casual, including shoes, and put my full makeup on. I
make the bed, straighten the kitchen a bit so that I don't get distracted later
in the day by my messy house, and grab my cup of coffee. I feel that this
routine starts my day most productively." – Stacy Parkelj, co-owner
and education consultant, Tutor Doctor
No. 35: "The first thing that I do is nothing.
Seriously, it's so important that I have time to be still and think about
my day before I get up. It's truly a meditative time for me, and it's when
I get my best and most successful ideas. I set my alarm clock 15 minutes
ahead so that I can just think. While I'm there, I can see my vision board
as well." – Janice Celeste, founder, Encore EntrepreneurInstitute
No. 36: "Before bed, I organize myself for the following day so I
can take the time to have a healthy breakfast smoothie in
the morning and catch up on the latest news while taking the train into
the city." – Gurminder Kandola, co-founder, CTO Boost
No. 37: "The first thing that I do in the morning is take a moment
and consciously decide that it is going to be a great day."
– Rachel Charlupski, founder, The Babysitting Company
No. 38: "When I wake up in the morning, I say, 'It's a beautiful
day,' and I thank God/nature/whatever-you-believe-in that I am alive.
I also do a mental exercise. I look at a few items and say their name. For
example: Chair. Shoes. Gloves. This helps me be in the present moment for the
entire day." – Jesse Harrison, Zeus Lawsuit Funding
No. 39: "The first thing I do in the morning is stay in bed.
There is a magic time in the haziness between sleep and [being] awake that
gives me clarity. I first think about how I'm going to make today a
productive day, and then drift into thoughts about issues I am going to
tackle. No hard thinking, just slowly moving from item to item and
approaching each one from different angles." – Wayne Gathright,
president, Tenant File
No. 40: "I live in Canmore, Alberta, a beautiful mountain
community. The first thing I do in the morning is make a smoothie —
blackberries, bananas, flax, chia, goji berries, kale and organic almond
milk — and go and stand on my deck to breathe in some cold, crisp
mountain air and take in the views. It is the perfect way to
start the morning feeling calm, but energized and motivated." – Mike
Liverton, CEO and founder, Leavetown
No. 41: "The first thing I do every morning is brew a cup
of tea, and while I wait for it to steep, I meditate to clear my
mind for the day. When the tea timer goes off, I then start on my most
important task for the day — that I decided upon and wrote out the
previous night — while I'm fresh, to make sure I spend my working [hours]
on things that will move the needle before diving into the more mundane
administrative stuff that needs to be done but won't be high impact."
– Han Chang, co-founder, InvestmentZen.com
No. 42: "If it's a Monday, I make out my to-do list for the
week. Then, each morning I review those items that [are] the most
time-sensitive and go from there!" – Lori Hirons, CEO, Island Contessa
No. 43: "The ride into the office can be stressful. Living in the
third largest city in the country, traffic can be quite a nightmare and
can get you started on the wrong foot if it's really bad. So I
created a playlist on Spotify of my favorite motivational music that
keeps my mood upbeat and gets me ready to take on the day's
challenges." – Leonard Ledford, owner, WG Storage & Delivery
No. 44: "I make art and maps using vintage license plates. The
first things I do in the morning are check email for sales reports on new
originals, [check] sales reports for reproduction prints through multiple
vendors and then run out to the studio to do an early morning
paint coat on whatever piece I am working on that particular day.
That allows me to have several hours for the paint to dry in preparation
for the next coat in the distressing process." – Dave Bowman,
owner and artist, Design Turnpike
No. 45: "The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is pray
and watch an inspirational program. I need to get my mind right before
I start my day. I never know what's going to happen, and this prepares me to
handle whatever is thrown my way." – Zondra Wilson, owner, Blu Skin Care
No. 46: "The first thing I do is kiss my wife. My
family is my foundation and core. I then meditate for about 15 minutes to
draw in positivity and set the tone for the rest of my day. If I am
positive, I will attract positivity and success." – Ken Collis,
CEO and owner, TLK Fusion
No. 47: "[I] stretch, and while I do this, I have a little
mantra that I say: 'Today will be the day of my amazing good fortune'
— this gets me thinking positively." – Margie Floris, president, Savvy Travelers
No. 48: "The entire reason I started my own business is so I could
have time to spend with my daughter, so every morning, whether I've been up all
night working or whether I've got a deadline in the morning, I plan everything
around making a large breakfast for my tiny girl, making her
lunch to bring to school and talking about the day." –Sally Murdoch,
owner, Sally Murdoch Media Relations
No. 50: "I make the bed. It helps me start every
day off with knowing something is already accomplished." – Brad
Cummins, founder, Local Life Agents
No. 51:
"The first thing I do in the morning is stretch while I listen to
some music. The music helps to put me in a good mood, and the
stretching gets me feeling more awake and ready for the day." – Kate
Delossantos, owner, Pandy Apparel
No. 52: "What I do first thing in the morning is play piano.
Playing an instrument has been scientifically proven to engage practically
every area of the brain at once, especially the visual, auditory and motor
cortices, so it gets my mental capacity going. It's like a mental
full-body workout." – Gene Caballero, co-founder, GreenPal
No. 53: "My morning habit is to review my vision board.
This serves as a reminder of where I see my leadership institute headed in
the future. My vision also sets the course of my day by outlining the
practical steps on how to reach my goals. It also reminds me to be
grateful for the many milestones — growth in my business, development of
new skills, furthering my vision — that we have achieved." –Artika Tyner, attorney, author
and educator
No. 55: "I don't set an alarm clock. I don't set a time to wake up.
My dog — every morning — knows somehow that it is 5 a.m. and that
it is time to get started. Ashebrooke, a 10.5-year-old-beagle,
politely nudges me and lets me know that it's time to wake up, feed him
and let him out." – Zack Miller, founder, Hatch
No. 56: "I have a spreadsheet that I fill in for
people I need to contact, people who I am expecting to hear from, and the
three most important projects I'm working on along with what needs to be
done next for them. This helps my day be productive." – Dustin
Colthorp, owner and co-founder, iCarePhone Repair
No. 57: "I begin the day by picking up my dad, who
is a part of the third-generation ownership of Graeter's Ice Cream, to
spend some quality with him as we drive into work together. I feel
fortunate to still be able to see and work with him every day." – Chip
Graeter, chief of retail operations, Graeter'sIce Cream
No. 58: "I always sleep with one of my bedroom window shades
halfway up because I love watching the sunrise — it makes me
happy!" – Sofia Crokos, founder and CEO, Sofia Crokos Events
No. 59: "The first thing I do in the morning is listen to
my environment. I pay attention to see if my son or my husband is up.
It relaxes me to hear their conversations sometimes in the kitchen. It gives me
motivation to get up and participate in the conversation. It is inevitable to
look at my phone and check my schedule for the day, but as long as I have those
most lovable voices in the kitchen talking about what their day is going to
look like, then everything makes sense." – Debora Balardini,
co-founder, Punto
No. 60: "The first thing I do in the morning is drink warm
water with freshly squeezed lemon juice inside. I drink this while I
go through my emails, and it's a relaxing way to start my busy morning.
Drinking lemon water is great for my health, and I like to feel refreshed
before diving into my morning cup of coffee." – Alex Pierson, founder,
springpop
No. 61: "I have a digital voice recorder and through the day speak
into it my to-dos, important thoughts for writing and inspirations. Each
morning, I sit at my computer, listen to the previous day's notes
and take action, sending the emails, writing what I spoke and creating
reminders so things don't slip through the cracks." – Richard Shane,
founder, Sleep Easily
No. 62: "The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is to look
at myself in the mirror and tell myself that my efforts today will
determine whether or not I reach my ultimate goal." –Joseph Forton,
owner and developer, InventionIntention.com
No. 63: "The first thing I do in the morning is go straight
for two glasses of water to hydrate my body, and if I'm feeling tired,
I add a caffeine pill, too. It always improves my productivity!" –
Mariah Vitoria, owner, Sweet CheeksFair Treats
- Source : http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/
Labels: Business Advice, Business mind, Interview, Snail Farming
