What we do in the morning sets the tone for the rest of our day. Here’s what 7 leaders from a variety of industries — including entertainment, business, and medicine — told Thrive they do right after they wake up:
From Handler’s Thrive Questionnaire
“Get up and let the dogs out. First, out of my room. Then, downstairs and out the door.”
On her secret life hack:
“Read for a minimum of 20 minutes every morning before I get in the shower.”
2. Ezra Klein, Editor-in-Chief of Vox
From Klein’s Thrive Questionnaire
“In theory? Meditate for 15 minutes and then read a book for 45 minutes. Sometimes that even happens in practice! The thing I try hard not to do first is check my email. If I can’t stay away from my phone first thing, I only allow myself to look at Instagram. Instagram is a happy place.”
3. Sheinelle Jones, anchor for NBC and MSNBC
From Jones’ Thrive Questionnaire
“Turn my alarm off and just lay there for a few minutes to get my thoughts together and think about what I have to do that day. I find it helps to do that as opposed to just jumping out of bed.”
4. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist and Director of the Hayden Planetarium
From Tyson’s Thrive Questionnaire
“I check my calendar to begin preparing mentally and physically for what the day requires of me, and, more importantly, what I require of the day.”
5. Alexandra Cavoulacos, founder and COO of TheMuse.com
From Cavoulacos’ Thrive Questionnaire
“During the week, the first thing I do is check my email and have a big glass of water. I’m not a big morning person so once I get up, I start my workday right away. On the weekends, I’ll usually pick up a book, or relax a bit with my husband before doing anything productive. Having that time to recharge is precious to me, since I don’t get enough of it.”
6. Maria Menounos, TV anchor and radio host
From Menounos’ Thrive Questionnaire
“I used to check my emails, but I stopped that and I’m soooo much happier everyday. I prime for 10 minutes with Tony Robbins’s priming technique, think of 3 things I’m grateful for and 3 goals I’m working towards.”
7. Dr. Ali Rezai, neurosurgeon and director of Ohio State’s Center for Neuromodulation
From Rezai’s Thrive Questionnaire
“Every day, when I get out of bed, I take a few minutes to clear my mind. I take a few minutes and think about those things that are constant and unchanging in my life: my family, my passions, and the larger reasons I chose to spend my life as a scientist and a neurosurgeon. Only then do I start thinking about schedules, to-dos, and the many other specific details that need to be handled that day and that week.”
Originally published at medium.com