Breakfast of (Business) Champions

There is an old saying, "The early bird gets the worm." or "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." as a young man, I can tell you I used to sleep in all the time.  I couldn't possibly get up early if my life depended on it. However I thought I was making up the difference by working late each night.  I could stay up into the wee hours of the night/morning working on whatever was at hand.  Trouble with that is there isn't very many people (in the business world) that are up that late with you.  Flash forward a few decades and now I am no longer a young man...young at heart, YES.....however in body...that is another thing.  It screams out that it is tired all the time. I seem to make my way to bed before 10PM most nights.  Many nights before 9PM....and yes sometimes I just plain give up and am in bed by 8PM.

Mornings now are completely different. I haven't used an alarm clock in years.  My body wakes up everyday 5 minutes til 6AM or earlier.  Often times I am awake at 5:30. It could be the "old man syndrome" The old man syndrome is talked about more in my personal blog if you care to read up on what all entails becoming an old man.....it includes women too. Or maybe it is my common business sense telling me that I need to get up and begin work.  Start taking care of all the emails, internet marketing, blog posts and more. A cup of coffee or two sitting in bed and my laptop pecking away at the keys writing a new story or firing off some emails about the duties of the day.

Once I have read up on all the significant News I can possibly be interested in, I will often jump up and go for a short run.  Yes, I need to be more consistent at this part of my life, but I am working on it. I would like to say I am following after many others that are considered great successes in business.

Former Oxygen Channel CEO Gerry Laybourne is often up by 6AM and out the door 30 minutes later walking in Central Park. She claims that, "If someone is up early in the morning then they are serious about life." I guess the question for us is are we serious about life? Then the next question is define serious or even define life. That is a quantum consideration that maybe we will need a few cups of coffee to pontificate some.

Virgin America CEO David Cush described his morning routine as waking up at 4:15AM, sends emails, calls business associates on the East Coast, and that's before listening to Dallas sports radio, reading the paper and hitting the bike at the gym. Apple CEO Time Cook also finds himself up and at the gym by 4:30AM. I would say that certainly paid off well for him as he recently was named the highest paid CEO in the San Francisco Bay area at $375M for 2011. I think that morning exercise helps to get the blood pumping in your body and flowing to your mind to assist in all those important decision making processes. After all, more than likely you would have had to make a few important decisions if you are planning to be considered "successful". Success can be measured in many ways. It isn't always the amount of money you make that means you are successful. Again, read some of my blog posts in my personal blog called ET THIS I BELIEVE.

All of your big decisions should be made early in the day  Why, You ask? I believe that we have a finite supply of "decision-making power" meaning that all of the small decisions add up quickly and use up our super powers. Consider it your super powers, if you don't recharge your brain power, the villains of the economic world will capture you and and subject you to their scheme to conquer the world......errr...or maybe you just wont make the best of decisions that day. Maybe it is best to set up the critical meetings the first thing in the morning. Other meetings that require less input can possibly be put off to later in the afternoon.

At IONIC, we schedule our production meetings in the mornings.  It is a time where all the architects, designers and project managers get together in a round table setting and update the status of their projects.  It is important to communicate where we are and if there are any struggles we are having with certain issues. The team can then combine their efforts if needed to resolve the problem. Not only do we schedule for the first of the day but also early in the week. It help set the plan in motion (in a good way) for the tasks needed to be accomplished all week long.

Being rested and fresh helps the brain function at the highest level.  Later in the day I am more tired and even dragging at times. Even the wisest people won’t make good choices when they’re not rested and their glucose is low, That’s why the truly wise don’t restructure the company at 4 p.m. They don’t make major commitments during the cocktail hour. And if a decision must be made late in the day, they know not to do it on an empty stomach. This makes good sense to me as a diabetic, when my blood sugar drops, I probably will be more likely to make rash decisions or comments.

Christie's CEO Steve Murphy turns to poet William Blake for inspiration on how to start his day: "'Think in the morning, act in the noon, read in the evening, and sleep at night.' This has made a huge difference in my life."  He says that thinking and planning in the morning makes him strategic and proactive, rather than reactive. How about that plan.....a plan for thinking! Another idea is to "sleep on it" which aligns with psychologists' recommendations for complex decision making. This is always sound advice. We have learned that when we are about to make a big purchase we think and pray about it before moving ahead.  We tell the salesman that we will sleep on it.  They always say, " It might not be here tomorrow." and we always respond, "Then I guess that helps me make our decision whether it was right or not for us." Plan your moves and your decisions. Sometimes your conscious attention is limited, you should enlist the help of your unconscious. Dream a little dream!

Speaking of Prayer....let's enlist the best to assist us in making decisions, The Lord! Hain Celestial Group CEO Irwin Simon accomplishes more before 9AM than most people do all day. He wakes up at 5AM, going through emails and calling operations in Europe and Asia. He also prays, walks the dog and exercises before his kids wake up. He arrives at his office in Long Island usually after squeezing in a breakfast meeting in Manhattan as well. Combining all the best...Prayer, Exercise, Kids and a good breakfast.

Stress should be avoided as well. The most successful people conserve willpower by developing effective habits and routines in school and at work so that they reduce the amount of stress in their lives. They use their self-control not to get through crises but to avoid them. They give themselves enough time to finish a project; they take the car to the shop before it breaks down. They make their big decisions in the morning, before decision fatigue sets in.

Successful people make time for adequate sleep, eating healthfully and exercising.

Benjamin Franklin would wake up at 5AM and say to himself, "What good shall I do this day?" That is an excellent thought for the first moment of each day....What GOOD shall I do?

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