Mornings are sacred. This is how business leaders optimize their time
Since launching a series that looks inside the daily routines of highly successful CEOs, founders, investors and public figures, Business Insider has been asking successful people a seemingly simple question: how do you actually spend your day?
The answers were as fascinating as they were varied. To determine which habits were most common among these leaders, we entered months of interviews into ChatGPT and asked it to find common themes.
What stood out was how consciously successful people design their days – especially the beginning and end of them.
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Mornings are sacred. Meetings are planned, not reactive. Movement and reflection are not optional. Evenings have clear emergency exits, not endless scrolling.
Their routines indicate a common philosophy: optimal performance isn't about cramming more and more stuff into your daybut on making better decisions within the hours you have.
Here are nine habits of successful people, taken directly from conversations about their daily routines.
1. They are protective of their mornings — even if they (quickly) check their phone
Stacey Kennedy, president of Philip Morris International, allows herself five minutes to check her emails before starting her morning routine. On an ideal morning, she wakes up at 6:30, leaves the house for a mindful walk around the neighborhood, and when she returns, she does 15 minutes of yoga before heading to the office at 8:00.
She's one of many leaders who told Business Insider that protecting their mornings is important — even if they're not completely offline. Tori Dunlap, president of Her First 100K, quickly checks her phone when she wakes up and then takes a walk along the shore to improve her digestion, metabolism and energy levels throughout the day.
Meredith Whittaker, CEO of Signal, wakes up around 6:30 a.m. and fits in a morning protein shake, coffee with cardamom, dance music, housework, and a non-negotiable yoga session — but still leaves time to catch up on the latest AI news.
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2. They don't let their email dictate their day
What do Carter Reum, venture capitalist and husband of Paris Hilton, and Mark Cuban have in common? None of them let their inbox take over their schedule.
Reum said that the moment he opens his email in the morning, he stops being in control – he starts reacting to what others want. To avoid this trap, he writes down his priorities before opening his email.
Then there's Cuban, the email enthusiast. He uses his inbox to avoid meetings, not to be consumed by them. He manages his email on three phones, which allows him to process 700 to 1,000 messages a day on the go. For Cuban, this means fewer “long, boring meetings” and more time for his own priorities.
3. They start the day with a drink ritual
For many people we spoke to, their morning drink isn't just about caffeine — it's a ritual that signals the start of the day.
Kennedy starts his mornings with a non-negotiable double espresso from a Nespresso machine. David Risher, Lyft's CEO and self-proclaimed coffee addict, is also a Nespresso loyalist and says he's still searching for the perfect pod.
Reum prefers cold brew from a Cumulus espresso machine, and former presidential candidate and entrepreneur Andrew Yang opts for iced matcha with oat milk, usually purchased at a local coffee shop.
For some leaders, this ritual creates a space to build relationships. Mark Rivers, president of Canyon Ranch, hosts a daily “cowboy coffee” meeting where employees and guests enjoy coffee around a warm fire before the day heats up.
4. They focus on protein
One trend that has consistently emerged among leaders is eating a protein-rich breakfast to maintain energy.
Justin Nedelman, president of Pressed Juicery, skips breakfast three days a week. When she eats them, however, she chooses fats and protein over carbohydrates – green squeezed juice, avocado or grilled cold fish with lettuce, and fat-free Greek yogurt with fruit and seeds.
Will Ahmed, president of Whoop, starts his day with six to eight eggs on training days (and a “more moderate” number on non-exercise days). His love for eggs is also shared by Sunny Jiang, CEO of Eyebuydirect, who describes herself as a “big fan of eggs.”
After finishing his workout, happiness expert Arthur C. Brooks comes home for a protein breakfast of Greek yogurt, protein powder, nuts and berries.
5. They exercise so they can think clearly
“Shark Tank” star and investor Kevin O'Leary told Business Insider that he bikes 12 miles every morning “for longevity and mental fitness” — otherwise “bad things happen.”
Jimmy Spithill, president of the Red Bull Italy SailGP team, said he goes to the gym before doing anything else because he makes better decisions once he gets his blood pumping.
Brooks is at the gym as early as 4:45 a.m., training intensely for an hour without podcasts or distractions — which she says helps maintain dopamine, a key factor in concentration. Jiang focuses on a 30-minute combination of brisk walking and slow running, followed by 20 minutes of strength training, and Ahmed starts the day with an hour of strength training with a trainer.
6. They treat meditation as a daily anchor, not a chore
When the task list seems endless, these leaders don't push harder – they turn inward. Ahmed has been practicing meditation for over 11 years. He spends 10-20 minutes every morning with his eyes closed, breathing deeply and letting his thoughts calm down.
Rivers takes a different approach, using structured breathing exercises in the evening to quiet the mind and transition smoothly into an early bedtime of 8:30 p.m.
For others, meditation is closely related to faith. Former Netflix marketing director and current “Real Housewives” star Bozoma Saint John starts her mornings with up to an hour of meditation, reading or prayer — a routine that she says gives her the greatest mental clarity.
Brooks attends Catholic Mass every day at 6:30 a.m., even if it means traveling to find a church. The meditative nature of the mass helps him regulate his mood, sharpen his creativity and maintain his ability to concentrate.
7. They walk a lot – and optimize their walking
A walk isn't always a break from work – it can be part of it.
Risher takes a 30-minute walk every day to buy iced matcha, sometimes turning it into a one-on-one meeting with a team member. When he leaves the office, before cycling home, he uses the walk to talk on the phone or listen to a podcast.
Ahmed conducts meetings while walking outside and has purchased a walking desk that he plans to use more often. Yang uses the lunch route to get news updates from her team.
8. Design and group meetings to protect work that requires focused attention
Without clear rules, meetings can replace real work. Emily Fontaine, global head of venture capital at IBM, keeps meetings short and purposeful, limiting most to 20 minutes and avoiding back-to-back meetings whenever possible.
Jiang delegates non-essential meetings and clearly sets expectations for those he attends. Kennedy created PODD meetings—short for problem, opportunity, discussion, and decision—to make room for conversations that don't fit easily on the calendar.
Another habit that emerged regardless of role or industry: meetings are inevitable, but when intentionally grouped, they become a leadership tool rather than a drain on the day's energy.
Whittaker saves mornings for focused, independent work, and groups most conversations into a long afternoon block of meetings, often from 2 to 9 p.m. Kennedy goes even further with long-term planning, scheduling many meetings up to a year in advance.
9. They end their evenings with a wind-down ritual
After a long day at work, it's difficult to “switch off” the mind, so leaders rely on simple, offline rituals to signal the end of the workday.
For Dunlap, reading is such a ritual – from fantasy erotic literature to crime novels. The species does not matter as much as the habit itself. He also journals in the evenings, using this practice to process thoughts and reset for the next day.
Kennedy prefers to end her evenings with 30 to 60 minutes of reading, even when her husband tries to get her into a TV series, although she saves fiction books for weekends.
Brooks ends the day by praying the rosary with his wife and avoiding screens before bed at 9 p.m. Whittaker wraps up her evenings with cleaning and listening to music, a podcast, or an audio service that reads research articles aloud, creating a smooth transition from work to rest.
The above text is a translation from the American edition of Business Insider
