This article will discuss what time do successful CEOs wake up, what time they go to bed, their eating habits, and what activities they get up to.
Do successful CEOs even get out of bed? Well, they are probably getting more sleep than you are, and yes, they have to get up for the morning, but it does not mean they get up as early as you.
Part of being a CEO is dealing with the day-to-day, the big decisions, which could potentially affect the business for a long time.
These activities usually start in the morning and then carry through the day. If you wake up early, you have the opportunity to have a full day’s work ahead of you, with no distractions or interruptions.
Let’s compare this to yours truly. I got up in time for work every morning, had a good breakfast, drank loads of coffee, and took a quick shower.
Then I’d have a look at the markets, make a coffee, check my emails, look at Twitter and Facebook, maybe read the newspaper if it was in English, have another coffee and then get back to work.
This is pretty much all I do before I go to bed. There is always a project that needs to be started, but I don’t leave much time for everything else.
If I am lucky, I’ll take a half-hour nap after lunch.
You can’t work like that. It’s far too busy and not much of a life.
You’d never see a CEO like Steve Jobs, who used to sleep only four hours a night. The rest of the time, he would be working, and his research team said that Steve slept about 60% of his time.
So this makes sense. If you want to make the most of your life, work to your own strengths. Don’t waste your time trying to emulate someone else.
I am usually out of bed by 6 am. This gives me about an hour to check my email, Facebook, Twitter, and everything else.
This is the best time to get work done; it’s before most people are up, so the distractions are not there. If you work a normal 8 hour day, this is about 5 hours. If you work longer, then that’s fine too.
If you need to work later in the day, you can always work a bit longer and then take the rest of the day off. Of course, if you can’t take the time, then take some time off.
What do successful CEOs eat?
You will read on in this post about what successful CEOs eat, but the fact is that most of them will have an in-house chef who cooks. The concept is that your chef will be an expert on what will go well with you and your staff.
So he’ll cook things that are healthy, filling, and delicious.
I love food, which is one reason I don’t want to work for someone else. The reason is, no matter how much I am liked, no matter how much effort I put in, no matter how many flowers are in the office and how sweet the little cards say, I am going to lose my job.
So I try and take a more casual approach. I can be seen at most of my meetings eating, as this is usually considered a signal of extreme busyness. I tend to avoid meetings at my desk as I find this really distracting.
I eat mainly fish, like cod or redfish, and not much red meat. If I have some steak for dinner, it’s rare or medium-rare.
I eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and lots of yogurts.
I like fresh fruit, and it should always be kept in the fridge. It should always be freezing, so it stays in good condition for a long time.
Because I eat so well, I feel healthy, drink a lot of water, and have no sugar in my tea. I also avoid the bad stuff like fat, cheese, and alcohol.
What do successful CEOs get up to at night?
Well, it’s the obvious question. There is so much more to life than work, and working is just one part of life.
But I think you’ll find that most successful people don’t spend all of their time doing what they do for work. Most people get up early in the morning and go to work.
Then, they get home or go out for dinner, and then they go to sleep.
This is a healthy and busy life, but it’s not the life I lead.
My evenings are spent doing the things that I really love to do. My wife and I often play tennis together or read or watch films.
It is just an evening, and we don’t spend much time worrying about what’s happening the next day.
I work more in the day. However, I manage to fit my social life into my evening. I like to have dinner with my wife and kids every evening.
If I don’t get home from work before they have gone to bed, I always check that they are okay and that they are happy. If they are, I will stay up with them, or if they are not happy, I will get up again.
If I am lucky, I might have a few glasses of wine at home before I have to go to bed myself. Then I sleep well.
I’m not working long hours, but I am constantly busy. I have about 15 companies that I am managing at the moment.
However, most of the people who employ me don’t really understand my work-life balance. They think that I am always working.
I have a busy diary, but I do other things like play golf with my friends, go to the gym, and have a chat with my friends.
What are the good points of my work-life balance?
It’s not driven by fear of losing my job.
There is a feeling of achievement and satisfaction when I work hard and do well for my clients.
I still get my regular 8 hours of sleep, which is not easy in this age of sleep machines and pillows.
I can do some of the things that I really like to do.
I feel like I am a normal person who does not have to live in the office.
I get a lot of recognition.
Do I have a life outside of my work?
Yes, I do. I have a pretty good social life.
I go out for dinner with my friends, and we enjoy each other’s company. My wife and I play tennis together, and we watch films.
What about sleeping?
Yes, I still sleep well. It is hard for me to do too much, as I tend to be a night owl.
I have a good work-life balance, but I still need to sleep well.
How do you manage all of this?
I’m not able to do all of this on my own. My wife doesn’t work; she is very relaxed about money and life.
However, I do need to spend a lot of time and effort. My main focus has been avoiding making any mistakes, getting a bad reputation, and avoiding bad clients.
I’m fortunate to have an advisor and lawyer who I can trust to guide me through these things.
I only talk to people I am totally comfortable with, with whom I can discuss my life, projects, and plans.
