The way you start your morning matters. Anyone who's ever over-snoozed and hobbled out the door with one pant leg on and no coffee in their system can attest to that. And, so will anyone who's had an adrenaline rush of productivity from the one-two punch of an early morning gym visit and a healthy breakfast.
Ahead, 10 over-the-top successful types (from a bestselling novelist to a CEO to some badass actors) give us the breakdown on how they power up their morning routines. Looks like every single second really does count.
ADVERTISEMENT
Illustrated by Anna Sudit.
Illustrated by Anna Sudit.
Illustrated by Anna Sudit.
Joe Zee
The stylist, former Project Runway judge and current EIC and executive creative officer of Yahoo Fashion has always been busy — and part of the reason he juggles it all so well is making a (very!) early wakeup time a priority.
“My phone is plugged in next to my bed, and it’s never off. I wake up super early at like 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., because it’s like 6 o’clock in New York. I’ll immediately check email, then I’ll also look at my Twitter feed for breaking news and headlines...I’ll comb through all of that really quickly, click on the headlines I want to read, then get a lot of the news that happened overnight and that kind of stuff. Then, I’ll probably go through Instagram to see what’s going on. I probably go through all of my social stuff first. Then, I’ll get out my laptop and read stories from all the newspapers and blogs and stuff. Then, I’ll make coffee. Sometimes I’ll go to the gym super early in the morning, if I have time. Then, I’ll start my day, whatever my day may be.”
The stylist, former Project Runway judge and current EIC and executive creative officer of Yahoo Fashion has always been busy — and part of the reason he juggles it all so well is making a (very!) early wakeup time a priority.
“My phone is plugged in next to my bed, and it’s never off. I wake up super early at like 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., because it’s like 6 o’clock in New York. I’ll immediately check email, then I’ll also look at my Twitter feed for breaking news and headlines...I’ll comb through all of that really quickly, click on the headlines I want to read, then get a lot of the news that happened overnight and that kind of stuff. Then, I’ll probably go through Instagram to see what’s going on. I probably go through all of my social stuff first. Then, I’ll get out my laptop and read stories from all the newspapers and blogs and stuff. Then, I’ll make coffee. Sometimes I’ll go to the gym super early in the morning, if I have time. Then, I’ll start my day, whatever my day may be.”
Illustrated by Anna Sudit.
Emma Straub
This novelist’s latest book, The Vacationers, can be found alongside sunscreen and water bottles in pretty much every bag on the beach this summer. Here's how she makes time for fiction and family during the morning.
“My son, River, who’s almost one, wakes up at about 6:30 a.m. every morning. The concept of a snooze button is now deeply, deeply hilarious to me. When we're lucky, River will sleep in a tiny bit until 7 a.m., giving my husband and I a few minutes to talk before we’re on parenting duty. River has very elaborate breakfasts — scrambled eggs with some veggies, cheese, and avocado, and then some fruit. After he's done, we'll often go for a walk and I'll grab a bagel and an iced tea. We share the bagel. When we go out for breakfast, pancakes are usually involved. A friend of mine said to me the other day, 'hmm, River has a sweet tooth, wonder where that came from.' The poor thing is destined to love sugar as much as I do, I'm afraid. My husband always has yogurt, which both River and I find rather revolting.
"I go through all my social media right away — Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram — and then try to set myself a task. Preferably something manageable. I have so little time to work these days that it has to be really focused — we'll see how that works when I really get into writing a new novel, but for now, all I need is a little caffeine and an hour and I'm a demon. Babies are wonderful, magical creatures, and utterly destroy the concept of free time. The goal is to use every minute I have as much as possible. Even better when it's in the morning — then I can spend the rest of the day rolling around in the park with my baby and not feel like there's something else I should be doing.”
This novelist’s latest book, The Vacationers, can be found alongside sunscreen and water bottles in pretty much every bag on the beach this summer. Here's how she makes time for fiction and family during the morning.
“My son, River, who’s almost one, wakes up at about 6:30 a.m. every morning. The concept of a snooze button is now deeply, deeply hilarious to me. When we're lucky, River will sleep in a tiny bit until 7 a.m., giving my husband and I a few minutes to talk before we’re on parenting duty. River has very elaborate breakfasts — scrambled eggs with some veggies, cheese, and avocado, and then some fruit. After he's done, we'll often go for a walk and I'll grab a bagel and an iced tea. We share the bagel. When we go out for breakfast, pancakes are usually involved. A friend of mine said to me the other day, 'hmm, River has a sweet tooth, wonder where that came from.' The poor thing is destined to love sugar as much as I do, I'm afraid. My husband always has yogurt, which both River and I find rather revolting.
"I go through all my social media right away — Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram — and then try to set myself a task. Preferably something manageable. I have so little time to work these days that it has to be really focused — we'll see how that works when I really get into writing a new novel, but for now, all I need is a little caffeine and an hour and I'm a demon. Babies are wonderful, magical creatures, and utterly destroy the concept of free time. The goal is to use every minute I have as much as possible. Even better when it's in the morning — then I can spend the rest of the day rolling around in the park with my baby and not feel like there's something else I should be doing.”
Illustrated by Anna Sudit.
ADVERTISEMENT
Illustrated by Anna Sudit.
Brian Stelter
Host, CNN’s Reliable Sources
As a bestselling author (Top of the Morning, a look into the behind-the-scenes world of morning news shows), senior media correspondent for CNN, weekly host of the show Reliable Sources, and a dedicated Twitter user with over 200k followers, is it any wonder that Brian Stelter knows how to use every single second of the day?
“I sleep as late as I can. I usually set my alarm for 5 or 35 after the hour — that way I can virtually wake up with my wife, Jamie. She's the morning traffic anchor on NY1, New York's local cable news channel, and she's on at 8 and 38 after the hour. I text her a specific emoji that tells her I'm awake, and I watch NY1 using Time Warner Cable's TV app on my iPhone. Once in a while she sneaks a word or a phrase into her traffic report that's intended just for me.
"Then, I check my inboxes — first my CNN email, in case there are any urgent emails, and then my Gmail. Then comes Twitter, which is sort of my third inbox. I will admit to sometimes scrolling through Twitter while brushing my teeth. Because our wakeup times are staggered, I always write Jamie an email before I go to sleep, and she always writes me one before I wake up. We call these our love letters (sorry for the corniness).
"I try to get into the office by 9 a.m.; some days I'm booked on a CNN or CNN International show, and other days I'm working on a story for CNNMoney.com. Even if I'm running late, I call into a conference bridge number for the network's daily 9 a.m. editorial call. It's the best way to know what's going on every day. And then, the day begins.”
Host, CNN’s Reliable Sources
As a bestselling author (Top of the Morning, a look into the behind-the-scenes world of morning news shows), senior media correspondent for CNN, weekly host of the show Reliable Sources, and a dedicated Twitter user with over 200k followers, is it any wonder that Brian Stelter knows how to use every single second of the day?
“I sleep as late as I can. I usually set my alarm for 5 or 35 after the hour — that way I can virtually wake up with my wife, Jamie. She's the morning traffic anchor on NY1, New York's local cable news channel, and she's on at 8 and 38 after the hour. I text her a specific emoji that tells her I'm awake, and I watch NY1 using Time Warner Cable's TV app on my iPhone. Once in a while she sneaks a word or a phrase into her traffic report that's intended just for me.
"Then, I check my inboxes — first my CNN email, in case there are any urgent emails, and then my Gmail. Then comes Twitter, which is sort of my third inbox. I will admit to sometimes scrolling through Twitter while brushing my teeth. Because our wakeup times are staggered, I always write Jamie an email before I go to sleep, and she always writes me one before I wake up. We call these our love letters (sorry for the corniness).
"I try to get into the office by 9 a.m.; some days I'm booked on a CNN or CNN International show, and other days I'm working on a story for CNNMoney.com. Even if I'm running late, I call into a conference bridge number for the network's daily 9 a.m. editorial call. It's the best way to know what's going on every day. And then, the day begins.”
Illustrated by Anna Sudit.
Illustrated by Anna Sudit.
Jonathan Mildenhall
CMO, Airbnb.com
The new CMO of Airbnb believes that the key to being the best in the business is taking time away from constant contact. Here, how his packed a.m. routine ensures that he’s ready to bring the company to the next level.
"I don’t actually sleep well. It’s the one thing I wish I could change about me. That said, when my alarm goes off at 5:15 a.m. every day, I quickly jump up out of bed because I'm never that deep in sleep. I believe in service. (It makes for a great Airbnb host, right?) So, the very first thing I do is make my partner Mirco his breakfast. My alarm wakes me up; the smell of breakfast on his bedside wakes him up. We both get to the gym at around 6. I used to go to the gym for reasons of vanity, now it’s all for reasons of sanity. The gym is where I work out my stress and build up my mental clarity and creativity. For resistance work I’ll listen to the likes of Disclosure, Miguel Migs, and Daft Punk. For cardio I bang on numerous Whitney Houston remixes and run until my shorts drip with sweat. For me, the most crucial aspect of planning my day, both mentally and physically, is to leave the email alone whilst in the gym. No checking for anything. My boss Brian knows that the only two hours of the day I’m not available is between 6 and 8. And, if I get distracted from this prep time, my spirit and therefore my leadership productivity tumble. I Uber to work straight from the gym during which time I update all my social media channels (Twitter is my favorite), scan the news on BBC, get a dose of pop culture from the Daily Beast, and, of course, scan Airbnb so I can dream of where I’m going on my next vacation!"
CMO, Airbnb.com
The new CMO of Airbnb believes that the key to being the best in the business is taking time away from constant contact. Here, how his packed a.m. routine ensures that he’s ready to bring the company to the next level.
"I don’t actually sleep well. It’s the one thing I wish I could change about me. That said, when my alarm goes off at 5:15 a.m. every day, I quickly jump up out of bed because I'm never that deep in sleep. I believe in service. (It makes for a great Airbnb host, right?) So, the very first thing I do is make my partner Mirco his breakfast. My alarm wakes me up; the smell of breakfast on his bedside wakes him up. We both get to the gym at around 6. I used to go to the gym for reasons of vanity, now it’s all for reasons of sanity. The gym is where I work out my stress and build up my mental clarity and creativity. For resistance work I’ll listen to the likes of Disclosure, Miguel Migs, and Daft Punk. For cardio I bang on numerous Whitney Houston remixes and run until my shorts drip with sweat. For me, the most crucial aspect of planning my day, both mentally and physically, is to leave the email alone whilst in the gym. No checking for anything. My boss Brian knows that the only two hours of the day I’m not available is between 6 and 8. And, if I get distracted from this prep time, my spirit and therefore my leadership productivity tumble. I Uber to work straight from the gym during which time I update all my social media channels (Twitter is my favorite), scan the news on BBC, get a dose of pop culture from the Daily Beast, and, of course, scan Airbnb so I can dream of where I’m going on my next vacation!"
Illustrated by Anna Sudit.
ADVERTISEMENT
Load more...