These tips from successful CEOs will make you even more productive

If you line up a number of the world’s most successful people, they all appear to have one thing in common: they’re all very early birds. But what do they do every morning? What are their (morning)routines for more productivity? We’ve selected a few for you, so that you can become just as successful.

First things first: where does getting up so early come from? Here’s the answer from one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever, Richard Branson: "Over my 50 years in business I have learned that if I rise early I can achieve so much more in a day, and therefore in life."

More alert and active thanks to training

So that’s where it starts—getting out of bed early. But then? Former president Barack Obama and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey start their days off with a workout. The former does strength and cardio training, while the latter chooses a 7-minute workout that he repeats 3 times in a row. This has the power to make you more alert and active, kick-starts your metabolism—and perhaps the best benefit—you don’t have to worry about working out for the rest of your day.

THE MORNING ROUTINES OF RITUALS’ OWN CEO RAYMOND CLOOSTERMAN

Raymond Cloosterman, CEO and founder of Rituals, has his own morning routine. He is a big proponent of a cold shower. You might shiver when you think about doing this, but there are all kinds of benefits to be had with this refreshing moment in the morning. It improves circulation, is a good solution to stress and can even help you lose weight.

Few meetings, but always do the dishes

There are of course exceptions to the rule of starting the day early: Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon and one of the richest people in the world, believes religiously in waking up naturally—without an alarm. As he said in an interview, he’s just not a morning person. He tries to prevent morning meetings as much as possible, preferring to enjoy a long, leisurely breakfast with his wife and children. In fact, Bezos is no fan of meetings in general: the investors in his billion-dollar business claim that he’s only available for meetings 6 hours a year! Finally, the American is a big believer in washing the dishes. He swears by doing the dishes after dinner and even finds it “sexy.”

Reading, reading and still more reading

Successful CEOs are, it goes without saying, intelligent people—so it should be no surprise that they find it important to challenge their brains now and again. Bill Gates, for example, says he reads around 50 books per year. Warren Buffett, investor and co-owner of one of the biggest companies in the world (Berkshire Hathaway) dedicates 80% of his day to reading. At the beginning of his career, he is said to have read a thousand pages per day.

Need some inspiration to start reading? Click here to get you started.

Meditate for a moment of relaxation

You do it, we do it, and the titans of industry do it: meditation. Everybody swears that it helps them unwind, from Oprah Winfrey to Jack Dorsey to Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington. They say it helps them sleep better, reduces stress and significantly improves their overall quality of life.

Now you know what to do: get up early, meditate a lot, and read even more. Time to hit the ground running—who knows, maybe in 10 years you can be featured in Forbes Magazine with the world’s richest people.