Former UK Prime Minister, and notorious ‘Iron Lady’, Margaret Thatcher, famously survived on just three hours sleep a night. In truth, she would secretly nap en route between official duties.
While our productivity is boosted by deep, restorative sleep, there is a pervasive narrative that super successful people run on very little. So, what are the best daily routines for success?
What is the importance of a good routine for success?
Unlike another famous early riser, Richard Branson, both Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, and Huffington Post’s Arianna Huffington swear by getting the typically recommended eight hours of sleep a night.
The real secret behind most highly successful people is consistent habits. High-profile people such as Barack Obama, Oprah, and Marie Kondo, all claim to start the day the same way every day, which is helped by maintaining a solid sleep schedule and practicing good sleep hygiene.
Top 7 things successful people do as part of their morning routine checklist
There are 24 hours in every day and yet some people always seem to do more. Before we start comparing ourselves to others, remember that most successful people pay for the right support, outsourcing tasks, and responsibilities to an army of nannies, housekeepers, chefs, drivers, dog walkers and gardeners.
However, we can still learn from some of their most popular habits and healthy morning routines to give our personal productivity a boost.
1) Ditch the alarm clock
Plenty of celebrities are vocal about the benefit of waking up naturally. It is definitely more of a risk for those who don’t have live-in staff or a personal assistant on hand to make sure we’re up when we need to be, so until you’re fully in the habit, try using a sunrise or dawn alarm that mimics the rising sun.
2) Set your intention
Our mindset plays a huge part in what we can achieve, so start the day with a clear focus on the day’s goals.
3) Get up early
While there’s a night owl for every early bird, when the days are long and busy, we can create more time for ourselves before the rest of the world is up. Many people find that they can get more done at the start of the day than by staying up late.
4) Get moving
Fitting in some physical activity before breakfast has been shown to increase fat burn and improve sleep quality, focus and energy levels.
5) Meditate
Mindfulness practices like meditation, deep breathing, and gentle stretching can clear the mind and calm the nervous system, so that we are better equipped to handle stress.
6) Don’t skip breakfast
Set yourself up for the day with a balanced breakfast which will stave off cravings and prevent an energy slump later in the morning.
7) Make your bed
Keeping your bed made and the bedroom clean, clear, and free from distractions will create a better decompression zone at the end of a busy day.
What are some things to avoid doing in the morning?
On the flip side, cutting out these habits can help create a much more productive morning routine.
Hitting snooze
Can’t go cold-turkey from the alarm clock? Try to avoid hitting snooze and commit to getting up as soon as it goes off. The constant interruptions to the sleep cycle can actually make us feel more groggy, so this type of sleep is of no benefit.
Avoid social media
Time is precious in the morning and it’s easy to get distracted by social feeds.
Going straight for the coffee
Drinking black coffee on an empty stomach can impair blood sugar regulation and affect your hormone balance, so take your first cup with or after breakfast. Instead, start your day with a mug of warm water with a twist of lemon to hydrate, kickstart the digestion, flush out toxins and boost immunity with the extra vitamin C.
