What time do you get up every morning, guys? Don’t be ashamed. At noon??? Shame on you!!! Weren’t you aware that the best way to remain productive all day is by dragging yourself out of bed super early? But don’t just take my word for it. There are a lot of really successful people who take the “Early to bed, early to raise, keeps a man (and woman!) healthy, wealthy, and, like, really smart and stuff.” Enjoy this list of 7 of them.
1. L. Rafael Reif – President of M.I.T
Rafael Reif sets his alarm for 6, although he usually wakes up at 5. There is probably some super smart mathematical reason for doing this. Anyway, the first thing he does is check his messages, then he has breakfast and chats with his wife for a bit. Then it’s off to work to rule the nerds.
2. Bob Ferguson – Attorney General of Washington State
The state of Washington’s top cop is pretty damn busy, which is why he locks up the morning hours to make time for his wife and children. He wakes up between 5 and 6:30, eats breakfast, catches up on all of the depressing news, enjoys a cup of coffee, then wakes up the family so that he can make them breakfast!
3. Mellody Hobson – President of Ariel Investments
Hobson, president of Ariel Investments and former chairman of Dreamworks Animation, gets up between 4 and 5, checks her text messages and news alerts (gotta make sure the world isn’t on fire, you know), and then does an intense workout regimen that includes weight lifting, swimming, cycling and jogging. Then after breakfast (two boiled eggs, if you care to know) she takes a nice hot bath.
4. Caroline Burckle – US Olympic bronze medalist
Burckle, who won bronze medal swimming in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, has been getting up at 5:30 for as long as she can remember, since it was one of those things that came with training to be a competitive swimmer at an early age. While she sets the alarm, she states that thanks to her internal clock she usually wakes up around 4 minutes before it goes off. Once she wakes up, she has an energy bar and does her workout routine. A couple of times a week she allows herself to wake up as “late” as 7. What a rebel!
5. Scott Adams – Creator of “Dilbert”
Adams keeps things flexible by waking up between 4 and 6 every morning. He states that he is happiest and most creative at the early hours of the day. However, what makes him stick out from the others is that he doesn’t go to bed particularly early, usually tucking himself in at around 11pm.
6. Bill McNabb – CEO of the Vanguard Group
The head of the world’s largest provider of mutual funds, McNabb has maintained his strict morning wake up routine for more than 3 decades. He gets up between 5 and 5:15, grabs a cup of java on his way to work, and gets into the office as early as 5:45! 30 minutes from bed to work??? It takes me that same amount of time just to drag myself from bed to the kitchen! Anyway, he says the early hours are when he is most creative. The quiet time between 6 and 7:30 is when he gets most of his work done.
7. Melody McCloskey – Founder and CEO of StyleSeat
The founder and CEO of the largest online marketplace for beauty and wellness services, McCloskey states that she was never much of a morning person, but at some point realized that starting her day at 5:45 makes her feel happy and productive. She works out for an hour with a personal trainer or attends yoga classes, Pilates or TRX. She’s an early riser on weekends as well.
