What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast

What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast Plot Summary

Introduction

Mornings represent our most precious opportunity for transformation. While most people stumble through their early hours in a fog of routine and reaction, the truly successful among us have discovered something revolutionary: the time before breakfast holds the key to extraordinary achievement. Think about your typical morning - does it energize and inspire you, or does it feel like a chaotic race against the clock? For most of us, mornings have become a mindless blur of hitting snooze buttons, rushing through showers, and gulping down coffee while checking emails. This book reveals a powerful truth: your morning hours are not just the start of your day - they're the foundation of your entire life. When you take control of these golden hours before the world's demands come flooding in, you gain mastery over your time, your priorities, and ultimately your destiny. The most successful people across every field have discovered that mornings offer unparalleled opportunities for focused work, meaningful connection, and personal growth. By implementing the strategies in this book, you'll transform those precious early hours from a source of stress into your secret weapon for living an extraordinary life.

Chapter 1: Harness the Power of Early Hours

The early morning represents a unique window of opportunity that most people completely overlook. During these quiet hours before the world awakens, you possess your greatest mental clarity, strongest willpower, and highest potential for uninterrupted focus. Research consistently shows that our brains are most alert and creative within the first few hours after waking, making this the ideal time to tackle your most important work. Consider Steve Reinemund, former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. While most executives might claim busy schedules prevent consistent exercise, Reinemund wakes at 5:00 a.m. daily to run four miles on his treadmill. This isn't just about physical fitness - it's about creating a foundation of discipline and clarity that carries through his entire day. "I don't stay in a hotel that doesn't have a treadmill," he explains, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to this morning ritual. Even as a university dean later in his career, he maintained this practice, occasionally inviting students to join him for "Dawn with the Dean" running sessions at 6:30 a.m. What makes Reinemund's story particularly powerful is how this morning discipline translated into extraordinary leadership capabilities. By conquering the hardest part of his day first thing in the morning, he developed the mental toughness and clarity needed to run a Fortune 500 company. The quiet solitude of early mornings provided him space for reflection and strategic thinking that simply wasn't possible during the chaotic workday filled with meetings and interruptions. To harness your own morning power, start by identifying your peak performance window. For most people, this occurs within 2-3 hours of waking. Experiment by setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier than usual and dedicating this time to your most important work or personal development activity. Protect this time fiercely - no email checking, social media browsing, or reactive tasks allowed. Create a morning environment that energizes you. Position your alarm across the room to prevent snoozing, prepare your workspace or exercise equipment the night before, and consider using natural light alarm clocks that simulate sunrise for a more natural awakening. Many successful people find that splashing cold water on their face or stepping outside for fresh air immediately accelerates the waking process. The true magic of morning hours lies in their psychological impact - accomplishing something meaningful before most people have even started their day creates powerful momentum. This "win before breakfast" mentality establishes a positive trajectory that influences every subsequent hour. When you master your mornings, you're not just managing time more effectively; you're fundamentally changing your relationship with each day.

Chapter 2: Master Willpower and Build Lasting Habits

Willpower isn't just some abstract concept of mental strength - it's a finite resource that depletes throughout the day, much like a muscle that fatigues with use. Groundbreaking research by psychologist Roy Baumeister revealed this critical insight: every decision you make, every temptation you resist, and every difficult task you tackle draws from the same limited reserve of self-control. By evening, most people have exhausted their willpower reserves, explaining why diets are typically broken at night, not morning. Consider the revealing experiment Baumeister conducted with college students. One group was asked to resist eating tempting chocolate cookies and candy, consuming only radishes instead. When subsequently challenged with difficult puzzles, these students gave up after just eight minutes, while those who hadn't exercised willpower persisted for twenty minutes. The lesson is clear: willpower depletion is real, and timing matters tremendously for habit formation. This explains why Christine Galib, a former Morgan Stanley wealth manager who transitioned to teaching in inner-city Philadelphia, religiously wakes at 5:00 a.m. When she began teaching at Boys' Latin school, she discovered that "anything I did on Wall Street did not prepare me to teach classes of twenty-five to thirty boys." Her morning ritual of light exercise, task planning, and scripture reading became her foundation for managing challenging days. By establishing this routine during her strongest willpower hours, she transformed occasional practices into automatic habits. To build your own unshakable morning habits, start with just one keystone behavior. Choose something meaningful that aligns with your deepest values - whether that's exercise, meditation, creative work, or learning. Begin with a modest commitment of just 10-15 minutes, gradually extending the duration as the habit solidifies. Track your progress for at least 30 days, as research shows this is the minimum time needed for habit formation. Create environmental triggers that make your morning habit nearly automatic. Place your running shoes by your bed, set out your journal and pen, or prepare your meditation cushion the night before. Eliminate friction points that might derail you when willpower is required. Remember that habits are formed through consistent practice, not heroic efforts. The paradox of willpower is that once something becomes habitual, it actually requires less willpower to maintain. As Baumeister explains, "Getting things down to routines and habits takes willpower at first but in the long run conserves willpower." By strategically investing your morning willpower in building positive habits, you create automatic behaviors that serve you throughout life - freeing your limited decision-making energy for new challenges rather than fighting the same battles repeatedly.

Chapter 3: Prioritize What Matters Most Each Morning

The fundamental difference between those who merely survive each day and those who thrive lies in their ability to distinguish between the urgent and the important. Our modern world bombards us with endless urgent demands - emails requiring responses, meetings to attend, deadlines to meet - creating the illusion of productivity while actually preventing us from addressing what truly matters in our lives and careers. Debbie Moysychyn, who was building a division of healthcare education at Brandman University, discovered this truth when she tracked her time. Her days were fragmented by constant interruptions - ad hoc meetings, brief conversations, and thirty-minute chunks spent on various tasks. While she valued her open-door policy and collaborative culture, she realized these interruptions prevented her from completing critical long-term projects essential to her success. The breakthrough came when Moysychyn noticed an untapped opportunity in her schedule. Her teenage daughter's early morning water polo practice meant she was already awake well before 7:00 a.m. Rather than using this time to watch TV or clean out her inbox, she decided to dedicate these quiet morning hours to her most important work - the strategic projects that required deep focus and creative thinking. The results were transformative. "I can accomplish more before breakfast than I used to do in a day," she reported. "Maybe not quite, but I am checking long-standing things off my to-do list." To identify your own morning priorities, ask yourself this critical question: "What one activity, if done consistently and excellently, would have the greatest positive impact on my life?" This might be advancing a significant career project, developing a creative skill, deepening important relationships, or improving your physical health. The key is selecting activities that deliver long-term value rather than immediate gratification. Create a system for protecting these morning priorities. Prepare everything you need the night before - whether that's laying out exercise clothes, organizing project materials, or setting up your creative workspace. Establish clear boundaries by turning off notifications and communicating your morning focus time to family members or colleagues. Consider using time-blocking techniques to visually reinforce your commitment to these priority activities. Remember that prioritization isn't about doing more - it's about doing what matters most when your energy and focus are at their peak. As author Laura Vanderkam notes, "If it has to happen, then it has to happen first." By dedicating your mornings to high-impact activities rather than reactive tasks, you ensure that life's most important dimensions receive your best attention, not merely what's left over at day's end.

Chapter 4: Transform Your Career with Focused Morning Rituals

Your career trajectory isn't determined by occasional bursts of brilliance but by consistent, focused effort applied to your most valuable professional contributions. Morning hours provide an unparalleled opportunity to elevate your career through strategic work that often gets crowded out during standard business hours. Charlotte Walker-Said, a history postdoc at the University of Chicago, exemplifies this approach by dedicating the hours between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. each day to work on her book about religious politics in West Africa. During these early hours, she reads academic journals and writes pages without distraction before her teaching responsibilities begin. "Once you start looking at email, the whole day cascades into email responses and replying back and forth," she explains. This morning ritual isn't just about productivity - it's about professional identity and mental wellbeing. "Every day I have a job," she says, "but in the morning, I think I have a career." Her experience aligns with research findings that consistent effort yields greater professional success than sporadic intensity. One study of young professors discovered that those who wrote a little every day were significantly more likely to achieve tenure than colleagues who wrote in occasional bursts between other responsibilities. The compound effect of daily focused work creates remarkable career momentum over time. To create your own career-transforming morning ritual, first identify your highest-value professional activities - those that showcase your unique talents and create meaningful impact. For some, this might be writing or content creation; for others, strategic planning or relationship building. The key is selecting work that advances your long-term goals rather than merely responding to immediate demands. Structure your morning work sessions to maximize focus and minimize friction. Christopher Colvin, a law firm partner who wakes at 5:30 a.m., uses this time not only for case preparation but also to build his professional network through IvyLife, a networking group that holds weekly breakfast meetings. "I find I'm fresher and more creative in the morning," he notes. "I'm more open to being inspired by stories I hear around the table. By the end of the day my mind is a little more cluttered." Protect your morning work time by establishing clear boundaries. Turn off notifications, close email programs, and communicate your availability to colleagues. Consider using productivity techniques like time blocking or the Pomodoro method to maintain focus. Remember that consistency matters more than duration - even 30 minutes of daily focused work on your most important professional priorities will yield remarkable results over time. The career advantage of morning rituals extends beyond immediate productivity to include strategic thinking and relationship building that rarely fit into standard workdays. By investing your freshest mental energy in work that truly matters, you'll transform your career trajectory while others remain trapped in reactive patterns.

Chapter 5: Strengthen Relationships Before the Day Begins

In our hyperconnected yet emotionally disconnected world, meaningful relationships often suffer from neglect. While we might spend hours scrolling through social media updates about others' lives, we struggle to find quality time for the people who matter most. Morning hours offer a precious opportunity to nurture these vital connections before the day's demands pull us apart. Kathryn Beaumont Murphy, a corporate tax attorney, discovered this solution when struggling to balance her demanding career with quality time for her young daughter. As a first-year associate, she rarely made it home early enough for meaningful evening interaction, creating significant guilt and frustration. The breakthrough came when she examined her morning routine and realized she was wasting precious time both at home and work - puttering around, checking personal emails, and reading headlines before settling into productive work. By adjusting her schedule to wake up with her daughter and create intentional "Mommy-and-me" time before starting her commute, Murphy transformed their relationship. They began making breakfast together, cuddling, and reading stories before her daughter's nanny arrived. This morning ritual became so meaningful that when Murphy's husband witnessed its impact, he eventually took over these special morning hours as his dedicated time with their daughter and the son they later welcomed. "Breakfast is now a huge production in our house," Murphy shared. "I think they all love it!" To create your own relationship-strengthening morning rituals, first identify which connections need nurturing. For parents with young children, mornings often work better than evenings since children typically wake energized rather than tired and cranky. For couples, morning conversations over coffee can provide connection before work separates you. Even fifteen minutes of focused attention - without devices or distractions - can dramatically deepen your most important relationships. Design your morning connection time intentionally. Judi Rosenthal, a financial planner, creates special moments with her daughter every morning by preparing a beautiful breakfast setting and engaging in meaningful conversation. "We sit together and chat about whatever," she explains. "If we have time, we will do some coloring or 'scissoring' with construction paper and glue. Then we make her bed together and I help her to get dressed, singing songs and brushing hair and chatting away. It's about forty-five minutes of the most precious moments I have in a day." For couples, consider the approach of Obie McKenzie, managing director in BlackRock's Global Client Group, who transforms his morning commute into quality time by driving into New York City with his wife. This daily ritual provides nearly 84 minutes of uninterrupted conversation that "keeps us connected all day long." They discuss household matters, finances, and life in general, turning what could be a stressful commute into a relationship-building opportunity. The beauty of morning relationship rituals is that they establish connection as a priority rather than an afterthought. By investing in your most important relationships before the day's demands take over, you create an emotional foundation that sustains both you and your loved ones through life's challenges.

Chapter 6: Invest in Yourself: Health, Growth, and Mindfulness

Personal investment - in your physical health, mental clarity, and ongoing growth - isn't selfish indulgence but rather essential maintenance for a meaningful, sustainable life. Yet these crucial activities are typically the first sacrificed when schedules tighten. Morning hours provide the perfect opportunity to prioritize self-investment before the world begins making demands on your time and energy. Consider Ursula Burns, who rose from senior vice president to become CEO of Xerox. Despite her demanding schedule, she consistently dedicated time to personal training sessions beginning at 6:00 a.m. twice weekly. Similarly, Steve Murphy, former CEO of Rodale, blocked out ninety minutes for yoga three mornings each week. These aren't merely fitness routines - they're strategic investments in leadership capacity, energy management, and mental clarity that pay dividends throughout demanding days. Julie Delkamiller, an assistant professor specializing in special education and sign language interpreting, discovered the transformative power of early exercise when she began attending 5:30 a.m. jazzercise classes. "I love the community of other women, who help with accountability, and the instructors are so motivating," she explains. Beyond physical benefits, she found unexpected psychological advantages: "It's funny, but it is almost a meditative time for me as well." By returning home by 6:35 a.m., she notes, "Everyone else is sleeping so I don't feel like I've missed out on anything 'important' and yet I am taking care of myself, which has an amazing impact on my productivity throughout the day." To create your own self-investment morning ritual, consider three essential dimensions: physical wellbeing, mental clarity, and personal growth. For physical wellbeing, research suggests morning exercise provides unique benefits, including better sleep quality and more consistent adherence. One study from Appalachian State University found that people who exercise first thing doze off faster and experience less disrupted sleep than those who exercise later. For mental clarity, practices like meditation, prayer, or journaling can be transformative. Manisha Thakor, a portfolio manager turned personal finance expert, credits her morning Transcendental Meditation practice with enhancing her professional performance. "I think more clearly. Creative ideas 'pop' into my head with more frequency. I am able to look at my day's to-do list with a much calmer and more strategic eye," she reports. This twenty-minute morning ritual has "made this triple-type-A-driven work junkie a lot more fun to be around." For personal growth, consider dedicating morning time to reading, learning new skills, or creative expression. Happiness researcher Shawn Achor starts each day by writing down things he's thankful for and sending a quick appreciation email to someone in his life. "If you're thinking about things you're looking forward to, that makes it easy to get out of bed," he explains. "What your brain focuses on becomes your reality." The key to successful self-investment is consistency rather than duration. Even fifteen minutes of daily exercise, meditation, or learning creates compound benefits over time. By placing these activities first in your day, you ensure they actually happen rather than being perpetually postponed for "someday" when life is less busy.

Chapter 7: Design and Sustain Your Ideal Morning Routine

Creating a morning routine that transforms your life isn't about willpower alone - it requires thoughtful design, strategic implementation, and ongoing refinement. The most sustainable morning rituals emerge from aligning your practices with your deepest values while respecting the practical realities of your life. Time management expert Laura Vanderkam discovered the power of intentional mornings when she began tracking how she spent her hours. She noticed a clear pattern in her productivity: "During normal business hours, I would have one really good burst of productivity in the morning, when I could focus for ninety minutes or more on a single project. Later in the day, I became more easily distracted." This observation led her to redesign her mornings to capitalize on her natural energy patterns, pushing meetings and calls to the afternoon while protecting her morning hours for focused creative work. To design your own ideal morning routine, begin by tracking your current time use. Keep a detailed log for at least a week, noting not just what you do but also your energy levels and focus quality at different times. This data reveals patterns you might not consciously recognize - like how much time you spend on social media in the morning or how your productivity fluctuates throughout the day. Next, envision your perfect morning without constraints. What activities would most energize you and advance your most important goals? For Vanderkam, this vision included "a run followed by a hearty family breakfast with good coffee, then, after getting people out the door, focused work on a long-term project like a book." Your vision might include exercise, meditation, creative work, family time, or professional development - whatever aligns with your deepest values. With this vision in mind, address the practical logistics. How much time will your ideal routine require? What time would you need to wake up and, crucially, what time would you need to go to bed to get adequate sleep? What physical preparations or environmental changes would support your routine? For example, if morning exercise is your goal, you might need to set out workout clothes the night before, invest in home exercise equipment, or research gyms with early hours. Start implementing your routine gradually rather than attempting a complete overhaul overnight. Begin by going to bed fifteen minutes earlier and waking fifteen minutes earlier for a few days until this adjustment feels comfortable. Then introduce one new morning habit at a time, focusing all your energy on establishing that single practice before adding another. As Baumeister's research shows, willpower is limited, so concentrate it where it matters most. Track your progress for at least thirty days, celebrating small victories along the way. Consider creating accountability through a morning routine partner or by joining communities of like-minded early risers. Remember that your routine should evolve as your life circumstances change. When Vanderkam became pregnant, she temporarily replaced her sunrise runs with afternoon exercise and focused instead on enjoying relaxed breakfasts with her children. The true power of a morning routine lies not in its specific components but in its consistency. As novelist Anthony Trollope observed, "A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labors of a spasmodic Hercules." By designing and sustaining your ideal morning routine, you create a foundation for extraordinary achievement and fulfillment that extends far beyond those early hours.

Summary

Throughout this book, we've explored how the quiet hours before breakfast can become your most powerful tool for personal and professional transformation. From harnessing your peak willpower to prioritizing what truly matters, from advancing your career to strengthening your most important relationships, mornings offer unparalleled opportunities for meaningful progress in every dimension of life. The most successful people have discovered what Anthony Trollope articulated so perfectly: "A habit has the force of the water drop that hollows the stone. A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labors of a spasmodic Hercules." Your journey toward morning mastery begins with a single step: choose just one meaningful activity to incorporate into tomorrow morning. Whether it's fifteen minutes of exercise, meditation, creative work, or quality time with loved ones, commit to this practice for the next thirty days. Track your progress, celebrate small victories, and watch how this single habit creates a cascade of positive changes throughout your life. Remember that "when you make over your mornings, you can make over your life. That is what the most successful people know."

About Author

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Laura Vanderkam

Laura Vanderkam is the author of several time management and productivity books, including:The New Corner OfficeOff the ClockI Know How She Does ItWhat the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast168 HoursLaura is also the author of a time management fable, Juliet’s School of Possibilities and another novel, The Cortlandt Boys, which is available as an ebook.Her 2016 TED talk, "How to Gain Control of Your Free Time," has been viewed more than 5 million times. She regularly appears in publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Fortune. She is the host of two weekly podcasts, Before Breakfast and The New Corner Office and she is the co-host, with Sarah Hart-Unger, of the weekly podcast Best of Both Worlds. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and five children, and blogs at LauraVanderkam.com.

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