Tapping the Power of Your Morning Routine

Jim Citrin at Yahoo Finance has a great article on the morning routines of 17 CEOs [found via Lifehack] that ties in great with my recent articles My Morning Routine and How I Became an Early Riser.

Citrin asked the 17 CEOs what time they wake up, when they have their first cup of coffee, when they start on email, what if anything they do for exercise, what time they leave for the office, and what else they do before walking out the door.

There were a lot of similarities in their routines, and it was very interesting. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Start early. This is the part of your morning routine over which you have the greatest control. To fit it all in, it's a must to start early. The latest any of the surveyed executives wake up is 6 a.m., and almost 80 percent wake up at 5:30 or earlier.
   
2. Get a jump on email.If you think you're alone in feeling overwhelmed by email, take comfort: even top CEOs and the most senior executives feel compelled to stay on top of their email, and most of them find time in the early morning to do so.
   
3. Exercise every morning. It's often difficult to find a way to fit exercise into your busy schedule, but knowing that some of the most successful businesspeople do so might motivate you to find a way to work it into your routine.
   
4. Be thoughtful about the source, form, and timing of your news.
   
5. Problem-solve. The quiet of the morning is often the time when your mind is at its clearest and most well-suited to solving important problems.
   
6. Make family time. Have breakfast with your family or take your kids to school as part of your routine.
   
7. Be creative with your morning routine.