12 ACTIVITIES THAT SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO BEFORE BREAKFAST

Have you ever felt frustrated with not having enough time to do all the things you want and need everyday? Have you been overwhelmed with not experiencing success and seeing others do so? Have you ever felt stuck with how you should manage your daily activities just to throw your hands up and be totally unproductive? Have you ever lacked the time management skills necessary to become extremely successful in your life? Well, I am of the belief that if you are going to do something, do it early and first and foremost.

Remember the early bird gets the worm well in this case the successful person has successfully fruitful days. It is this very philosophy that our extremely successful counterparts enthusiastically hold on to. Many of us often times do not know how to prioritize, therefore we tend to find ourselves year after year frustrated and angry with ourselves because our lives seem and are visibly unproductive. We tend to go back over our lives with a fine tooth comb realizing that each year was a wasted year and can’t seem to get off of this Ferris wheel. The one thing that successful people have in common is that they set aside the very first waking hours to invest in their top priorities before they allow other people’s priorities to take precedent over theirs.

This strategy of getting up early and setting your priorities is one that many successful individuals use and science and the Bible seems to support it. In fact, a Florida State University psychology professor Roy Baumeister’s who is famous for his findings that willpower is like a muscle that becomes fatigued from overuse. Diets, he says, come undone in the evening, just as poor self-control and lapses in decision-making often come later in the day. Even the Bible speaks of countless times that Jesus himself rose before daylight to pray, amongst many others to seek God. So it seems they understood the importance of rising early mornings to give ourselves a fresh viewpoint. Rising early also tends to give people a more optimistic viewpoint that makes them ready to tackle challenging tasks.

Early Risers Mindset

So what do successful individuals whether they are executives, entrepreneurs, athletes, students, etc do first thing in the morning when they are rested and fresh? Here are 12 different activities that I found successful people indulge in before they even eat one bite of breakfast and they are not bad suggestions to incorporate one or two in your daily routine to help you on your journey toward success.

1. They wake up early.

Have you heard the phrase time is money? Well, successful people know that time is precious and do not like to waste one ounce. Although many successful people’s days entail countless phone calls, meetings and other critical emergencies well before they even enter their offices, because of their morning routine they have complete control over their day. These individuals take as much time before their day starts to complete what is important to them in order to set a positive course which is why many of them rise before the sun even shines.

There are many individuals who adhere to these strategies like PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi who wakes at 4 a.m. and is in the office no later than 7 a.m. Also, Disney CEO Bob Iger gets up at 4:30 to read, and Square CEO Jack Dorsey is up at 5:30 to jog. My father use to wake at 4:30 a.m. every morning

THE BOTTOM: Early wake-up calls is the answer to a productive morning.

2. They exercise before it falls off the to-do list.

Exercise seems to not be an optional activity among the successful. Many rich and powerful individuals make exercise their top morning activity albeit lifting weights at home or going to the gym. There are executives such as Xerox CEO Ursula Burns who schedules an hour-long personal training session starting at 6 a.m. twice a week. Among the top executives who make exercise top priority are Christies CEO Steve Murphy, he uses the mornings to do yoga; and Starwood Hotels CEO Frits van Paasschen runs for an hour every single morning starting at 5:30. We would all agree that these individuals are incredibly busy, but someone they not only have time to exercise they make it a priority in their lives. Therefore, it is a must that they take this time for themselves in order for them to be productive.

Exercising in the morning not only means that they have healthy bodies but it enables them to prioritize this activity to not run out of time to do it. Working out as a pre-breakfast has been known to reduce stress, counteracts the effects of high-fat diets, gives added energy throughout the day and improves sleep. My wife ran every morning at 5:30 a.m. She would always have an endless amount of energy and was upbeat and positive. When she was running she never had an unproductive day.

3. They work on a top-priority business project.

It is important that you utilize your time wisely and the quiet hours that God has given each of us is the ideal time to focus on an important work project without interruption. What’s most important is that spending time on a specific project at the beginning of the day ensures that you focus on that task before your attention is taken by kids, employees, bosses, etc.

At one point I was multi-tasking so much and dealt with so many issues that by the end of the day I felt as if I hadn’t completely one thing. It is vitally important to me that I do things in excellence and once I began to work on a specific project like charting my business, writing on a marketing plan, developing the weeks topics for the blog, etc. By doing this type of planning for the my day early in the morning I did not have to worry whether I was going to be interrupted. Once I divided my time in this manner I could finally concentrate and be fruitful and productive throughout my day.

4.They work on a personal passion project.

Every one of us should have something besides work that we are passionate about and is all ours. However, when you begin to spend your time thinking of your novel-writing hobby or crafting it becomes extremely easy to skip when you’ve been in meetings or on calls all day, are tired and hungry, and have to figure out what’s for dinner. For these and a few others are the reason why many successful people will carve out an hour or so on their personal projects before they officially start their days.

There is a history teacher Charlotte Walker-Said at the University of Chicago who spends the hours between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. working on a book about the religious politics of West Africa. She spends time reading journal articles and writing several pages before dealing with her teaching responsibilities at the University.

Taking a little bit of time in the morning to write, which makes it a habit, meant she would actually follow through and see the project to completion. I spend my time writing on a book that I plan to publish this time next year. I do not try and write the book in one day but I write a little every day approximately 15 - 30 minutes. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. You may be the tortoise but what is your outcome.

5.They spend quality time with family.

I am a true believer in family time so much so that I wrote an incredible article in a magazine called Glory Christian Magazine about the importance of family devotions. However, there is nothing that says that having family dinner together is what would equates to spending true quality time with your family. What I have found is that some successful people use the mornings to invest in their families. It may be reading the newspaper together, cooking breakfast, talking about their expectations of their day, etc.

Many times mornings are the most special time because I can use that time to bond and help my sons with their morning routines my wife helps our youngest daughter get dressed, make her bed, and she does both girls hair. There have been times that we spend talking about a scripture and my wife has occasionally worked on projects together. This time is the most precious time I have in the day because I can sit with each one of my children either around the breakfast table or driving them to their bus stops and chat about what’s going on. These 45 minutes are most valuable in making my day successful.

6. They connect with their spouses.

Successful people tend to want success in every area of theirs lives which includes their marriages. Because it’s more likely you’ll be tired from the day’s activities, and time can easily be wasted with dinner preparations, preparing your children for the next day, and even zoning out in front of the TV which is a major reason why many successful people may connect with their partners in a morning ritual. Of course those morning rituals have benefits that help energize you for the remaining portion of the day. After all, regular intimate connections with your spouse may make you smarter, boost your income, and burn calories. Even if they’re not getting frisky every morning, many couples use the early hours to talk and discuss their lives, finances, household to-do lists, and plans for the week. Successful people pride themselves on having healthy, successful relationships and the only way to do that is to connect with one another.

7. They network over coffee.

If you are anything like me then you probably like making it home for dinner, therefore scheduling a morning meeting is ideal for you. Meeting someone for breakfast or coffee tends to be less disruptive than midday lunches and more productive and work-oriented than cocktail parties.

This is exactly what the Purpose Directed Success Contest will help you to do. You can have a successful breakfast at Panera Bread on us. Winning the contest and having a networking breakfast can help you feel fresher and more creative and give you the boost in your business that you may need.

8. They pray and meditate to clear their minds.

Many successful people tend to be Type-A personalities, but not all them. However, these particular personalities seem to demand as much from others as they do from themselves, making it extremely difficult for them to disconnect from their mental to-do lists and calm their minds down. Another practice that many successful people devote themselves to before they walk out the door is a spiritual practice such as meditation or prayer to center themselves for the obstacles of the day.

I have found that rotating my favorite preachers Bishop T.D. Jakes, Pastor Bill Winston, Bishop Clarence Mclendon, Joyce Meyer, Joseph Prince and a few others in the morning before breakfast sets a tempo and tone for my day. The time that I spend with God in the morning is one of the most life-enhancing practices that I have incorporated in my daily routine. In fact, it allows me to be available to my children and send them to school in a upbeat manner because my spirit and mindset seems to carry over to them.

9. They write down things they're grateful for.

It is vitally important that we are thankful and grateful for the things in our lives. When you have an attitude of gratitude it provides a centering of yourself and of course places you in the proper perspective before your day begins and you begin handling business. Try writing down the people, places, and opportunities that you’re grateful for. Keep a gratitude journal, it only takes a few minutes to jot those things that you are grateful for, but it can make a real difference in your outlook.

I like to spend time in the morning while listening to the Word of God giving God thanks, expressing gratitude, asking for guidance, and being open to inspiration. This habit and routine always gives me a clear vision for me and those who I will conduct business with.

10. They plan and strategize while they're fresh.

An important time management tool to keep you on track when you’re in the thick of it is planning the day, week, or month ahead. You can use the mornings to do big-picture thinking to help prioritize and set the trajectory of your day.

My wife wakes at 5:30 a.m. on weekdays, exercises, watches a sermon of her favorite ministers or reads a few Bible verses, and then reviews her tasks for the day before making breakfast. This ritual makes her days more manageable and effective.

11. They check their email.

Did you know that many time management authorities would suggest that you should put off checking your email as long as possible? The funny part about that is that many successful people do quite the opposite. They begin their day with checking their email by just quickly scanning their inboxes for urgent messages. This allows them to prioritize their day especially when their minds are fresh and better focused as to what may need their immediate response or if they need to write a few important emails

Author Gretchen Rubin, of “The Happiness Project,” wakes at 6 every morning before her family’s up at 7. She uses the time to clear her inbox, schedule the day, and read social media. She takes care of these small tasks first to allow her to concentrate better when more challenging projects arise throughout the day. I can share with you that when I check my inbox in the morning I can set my schedule to allow me to address new prospects that answered an online ad, individuals who I need to call, members who have questions and so on. I can ascertain how heavy my workload is and respond accordingly.

12. They read the news.

It is rare that I have an opportunity to go and have one of my favorite bagels at Panera Bread, but when I am able to do that I try and read the news during this time and catch up on what is taking place in the world. I always want to be apprised of the things around me and I teach my children the same. This ritual if you will seems to be a norm for many successful individuals whether it’s sitting in the corner diner and reading the papers or checking the blogs and Twitter from their phones, most successful people have a pre-breakfast ritual for getting the latest headlines.

There are executives such as GE CEO Jeff Immelt who starts his days with a cardio workout and then reads the paper and watches CNBC. Meanwhile, there is Virgin America CEO David Cush who uses his mornings to listen to sports radio and read the papers while hitting the stationary bike at the gym. My wife often indulges in this activity of riding a spinning bike and listening to the news. She will return with a plethora of things to talk about because of this. And it is the same for those other successful individuals, by the time they get to work, they have a pretty good idea of what’s going on in the world which enables them to get down to the business of changing it.

So the moral of this story is your success depends upon how you prioritize your day. It is imperative that you develop a routine before your day starts to bring balance and focus to your day in order for you to have balanced and focused weeks which leads to balanced and focused years. Which leads to Purpose Directed Success. You can have Purpose Directed Success today! Yours In Christ!

If you have not tried it, FocusUp is free for the first 50 people. FocusUp is the world’s first “think drink” that will energize you for hours. Get yours while supplies last.

(Unfortunately, this offer is only available for individuals who have never tried FocusUp and are not currently in the Xooma system).

P.S.: Don't forget to check out the January Recommended Reading list of books in the library that will empower and train you to become a better network marketer.

Did This Help You? If so, I would greatly appreciate if you commented below and shared on Facebook

If you got value from this, please share and comment. Would a vision workshop or academy be beneficial to you? If so, leave me a comment or an email at wharper@cwilliamharper.com.

P.S.S: Wouldn't it be nice to be able to lose weight simply by drinking water or sleeping? You can Check out how right here.

If you enjoyed this post retweet and comment please.