What the most successful people do every morning

They wake up early.

Successful people know that time is precious and while its easily eaten up by phone calls, meetings, and sudden crises once they’ve gotten to the office, the morning hours are under their control.

In a poll of 20 executives cited by Vanderkam, 90% said they wake up before 6 a.m. on weekdays. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, for example wakes at 4am and is in the office no later than 7 a.m. Meanwhile, Disney CEO Bob Iger gets up at 4:30 to read and CEO Jack Dorsey is up at 5:30 to jog.

They drink water.

Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington and Birchbox Man chief Brad Lande start their days with a glass of hot water with lemon.

Drinking water in the morning helps you feel more alert, rehydrates your body, and kick-starts your metabolism.

Exercise and get oxygen pumping through your body

Whether its lifting weights at home, going to the gym or a morning walk at the beach, it doesn’t matter, just get moving.

Incredibly busy people make time to exercise. It helps you digest thoughts,  release tension, sleep better and also maintain a healthy weight.

They work on a top-priority business project.

In the quiet hours of the morning focus on 1 important work project without being interrupted.

Meditate to clear your mind

Type-A personalities typically demand as much from others as they do from themselves, so it can be difficult for them to disconnect from their mental to-do lists and calm their minds.

Manisha Thakor, a financial adviser and former corporate executive, practices Transcendental Meditation to clear her mind. She does two 20-minute sessions a day, the first before breakfast and the second in the evening, and focuses on breathing and repeating a mantra in her head.

Write down 3 things your are grateful for

Expressing gratitude is another great way to center yourself and get the proper perspective before heading to the office. Writing down the people, places, and opportunities that you’re grateful for takes just a few minutes but can make a real difference in your outlook.

Entrepreneur and author of the 4 hour work week Tim Ferriss, spend 5 minutes each morning writing down what he’s grateful for and what he’s looking forward to.

They plan and strategise

Planning the day, week, or month ahead is an important time-management tool to keep you on track when you’re in the thick of it. Using the mornings to do big-picture thinking helps you prioritise and set the trajectory of the day.