--- title: Advice: What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast description: Take time to strategize canonical: https://time.com/3989260/what-successful-people-do-before-breakfast/ author: Shane Parrish article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-17T11:00:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:49:33.248Z article:section: Ideas og:title: What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast og:description: Take time to strategize og:url: https://time.com/3989260/what-successful-people-do-before-breakfast/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00cf186ca48669a9/69877c8acd1bba51066f4eec/coffee3.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Man on desk holding cup of coffee, close up og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast twitter:description: Take time to strategize twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00cf186ca48669a9/69877c8acd1bba51066f4eec/coffee3.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast ## Video: How to Actually Land Your Dream Job [Watch (HLS stream): How to Actually Land Your Dream Job](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1LRCIH4o.m3u8) (1:53)  _Published 2015-07-29. Figuring out the perfect job isn't easy, so author Kerry Hannon helps list some steps to take to ensure you get a solid start._ by [Shane Parrish](/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Aug 17, 2015 11:00 AM CUT  Man on desk holding cup of coffee, close up Man on desk holding cup of coffee, close upGetty Images by [Shane Parrish](/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Aug 17, 2015 11:00 AM CUT Mornings are an underutilized tool to aid productivity. Let me explain. We’re often at our peak in the mornings. This is why Mark McGuinness suggests [the single most important change you can make](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/05/the-single-most-important-change-you-can-make-in-your-working-habits/ "undefined") to your workday is to move your creative time to mornings. We’re more mentally alert and our mental batteries are charged. Where do we spend all of this energy? Email. Meetings. We fragment our time. This, however, isn’t the path to success. There is another way. “Before the rest of the world is eating breakfast,” writes Laura Vanderkam in [_What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591846692/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1591846692&linkCode=as2&tag=farnamstreet-20&linkId=UZVVW5PF2MPO3UZN "undefined") “the most successful people have already scored daily victories that are advancing them toward the lives they want.” Vanderkam studied successful people and she discovered that early mornings were when they had the most control over their own schedules. They used this time to work on their priorities. Taking control of your mornings is very much like investing in yourself. This is [how Billionaire Charlie Munger got so smart](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/05/the-buffett-formula-how-to-get-smarter/ "undefined"): he set aside an hour in the mornings every day just to learn. While there are 168 hours in the week not all of them are created equally. Vanderkam writes: --- > “” --- Most people find doing anything that requires self-discipline easier to do in the morning. The same can be said for focus. Roy Baumeister, author of [_Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143122231/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0143122231&linkCode=as2&tag=farnamstreet-20&linkId=GHPAOK425ZGJRCXT "undefined"), has spent more time studying willpower and self-discipline than most. In his book he highlights one famous experiment where students were asked to fast before coming into the lab. They were then put into a room with food. Specifically, radishes, chocolate chip cookies, and candy. Some of the students could eat whatever they wanted while others could only eat the radishes. After the food, they were supposed to work on “unsolvable” geometry puzzles. --- > “” --- “Willpower,” Baumeister and co-author John Tierney write, “like a muscle, becomes fatigued from overuse.” This is a problem because you don’t just have one willpower battery for work and another one for home. They are the same battery. And this bucket is used to control your thought processes and emotions. As Baumeister said in an interview: --- > “” --- Most self-control failures happen in the evening after a long day of traffic, bickering kids, pointless meetings, and other things that zap our self-control. Baumeister continues: “Diets are broken in the evening, not the morning. The majority of impulsive crimes are committed after 11: 00 p.m. Lapses in drug use, alcohol abuse, sexual misbehavior, gambling excesses, and the like tend to come about late in the day.” After [a good night’s sleep](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/11/sleep/ "undefined") your battery is charged and ready to go. ### 5 Horrible Habits You Need to Stop Right Now  Do Not Email First Thing in the Morning or Last Thing at Night “The former scrambles your priorities and all your plans for the day and the latter just gives you insomnia,” says Ferriss, who insists “email can wait until 10am” or after you check off at least one substantive to-do list item. Chris Pecoraro—Getty Images  Do Not Agree to Meetings or Calls With No Clear Agenda or End Time “If the desired outcome is defined clearly… and there’s an agenda listing topics–questions to cover–no meeting or call should last more than 30 minutes,” claims Ferriss, so “request them in advance so you can ‘best prepare and make good use of our time together.'” Sam Edwards—Getty Images/Caiaimage  Do Not Check Email Constantly Batch it and check it only periodically at set times (Ferriss goes for twice a day). Your inbox is analogous to a cocaine pellet dispenser, says Ferriss. Don’t be an addict. Tools like strategic use of the auto responder and Boomerang can help. Jetta Productions—Getty Images  Do Not Carry a Digital Leash 24/7 At least one day a week leave you smartphone somewhere where you can’t get easy access to it. If you’re gasping, you’re probably the type of person that most needs to do kick this particular habit. by nacoki ( MEDIA ARC )—Getty Images/Flickr RF  Do Not Let People Ramble Sounds harsh, but it’s necessary, Ferriss believes. “Small talk takes up big time,” he says, so when people start to tell you about their weekends, cut them off politely with something like “I’m in the middle of something, but what’s up?” But be aware, not everyone agrees with this one (and certainly not in every situation), and you may want to pay particularly close attention to norms around chit chat when traveling internationally. Reza Estakhrian—Getty Images In [_What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591846692/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1591846692&linkCode=as2&tag=farnamstreet-20&linkId=UZVVW5PF2MPO3UZN "undefined"), Vanderkam writes: --- > “” --- “Getting things down to routines and habits takes willpower at first but in the long run conserves willpower,” says Baumeister. “Once things become habitual, they operate as automatic processes, which consume less willpower.” If we learned anything from Mason Currey’s book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, it was that [routines and habits played an important role in success](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/06/daily-routines-of-famous-creatives-artists-writers-composers/ "undefined"). In 1887 [William James wrote on Habit](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/05/william-james-on-habit/ "undefined"): --- > “” --- As Tierney and Baumeister write in Willpower, “Ultimately, self-control lets you relax because it removes stress and enables you to conserve willpower for the important challenges.” **So what are the best morning habits?** Vanderkam writes in [_What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591846692/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1591846692&linkCode=as2&tag=farnamstreet-20&linkId=UZVVW5PF2MPO3UZN "undefined"): --- > “” --- **Nurturing careers** The reason people do work requiring focus early in the day is the lack of interruptions. Once the day gets going, everyone wants a slice of your time. --- > “” --- **Nurturing relationships** One of the secrets to happy families is that [mealtime with family matters](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/11/the-secrets-of-happy-families/ "undefined"). --- > “” --- **Nurturing yourself** The general sentiment here is that everyone else is sleeping so you’re not missing out on something important and you can spend time taking care of yourself, which generally leads to a positive impact on your productivity throughout the day. In [_What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591846692/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1591846692&linkCode=as2&tag=farnamstreet-20&linkId=UZVVW5PF2MPO3UZN "undefined") Vanderkam suggests making over your mornings by tracking your time, picturing the perfect morning, thinking through the logistics, building a habit, developing a feedback loop and tuning up as necessary. Shawn Achor, author of [_The Happiness Advantage_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307591549/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307591549&linkCode=as2&tag=farnamstreet-20&linkId=4VMWUJIC4C4L2QU5 "undefined") and a self-proclaimed night owl, taught himself to appreciate mornings by thinking about the positive. --- > “” --- **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Farnam Street_**](https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/01/what-the-most-successful-people-do-before-breakfast/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 60,000 readers and get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/newsletter/ "undefined")**.** _Read next:_ [_The Morning Routine Experts Recommend for Peak Productivity_](?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Download TIME’s mobile app for iOS to have your world explained wherever you go_](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/time-mobile/id328218429 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3989260/what-successful-people-do-before-breakfast/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3989260/what-successful-people-do-before-breakfast/"},"headline":"What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast","datePublished":"2015-08-17T11:00:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:49:33.248Z","description":"Take time to strategize","url":"https://time.com/3989260/what-successful-people-do-before-breakfast/","keywords":["Innovation","advice","Success topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00cf186ca48669a9/69877c8acd1bba51066f4eec/coffee3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shane Parrish","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00cf186ca48669a9/69877c8acd1bba51066f4eec/coffee3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Man on desk holding cup of coffee, close up","caption":"Man on desk holding cup of coffee, close up","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/innovation/","name":"Innovation"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3989260/what-successful-people-do-before-breakfast/","name":"What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How to Actually Land Your Dream Job","description":"Figuring out the perfect job isn't easy, so author Kerry Hannon helps list some steps to take to ensure you get a solid start.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1LRCIH4o/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-07-29T22:28:32.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1LRCIH4o.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3989260/what-successful-people-do-before-breakfast/","duration":"PT1M53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3989260/what-successful-people-do-before-breakfast/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```