{"id":17893,"date":"2020-07-31T15:43:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T05:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-328533-4778250.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=17893"},"modified":"2022-05-05T09:43:39","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T23:43:39","slug":"daily-routines-habits-rituals-of-successful-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/balancethegrind.co\/collections\/daily-routines-habits-rituals-of-successful-people\/","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Routines, Habits & Rituals of Successful People: Barack Obama, Richard Branson, Jack Dorsey & More"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Behind every successful person, there is a successful routine. Well, that’s what we’re trying to figure out with our Daily Routines series<\/a>, where we profile world leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs, artists and business executives to see how they set up their day for success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Whether it’s Lebron James with his 12-hours of sleep a day<\/a>, Jack Dorsey<\/a> having only one meal a day, Michelle Obama working out at 4.30am<\/a>, or Aaron Levie’s evening power nap<\/a>; here are some of the most interesting daily routines of successful people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn how the most successful people in the world structure and manage their days. Sign to the Balance the Grind newsletter<\/a>!<\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Michael Phelps had a race day routine during the 2008 Beijing Olympics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Known for: Former competitive swimmer, most decorated Olympian of all time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waking up 6.30am, Phelps arrived at the Olympic Village cafeteria by 7am to eat his usual breakfast of \u201ceggs, oatmeal and four energy shakes, the first of more than 6,000 calories he would consume over the next 16 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two hours before his first scheduled race for the day, Phelps would begin his stretching routine, \u201cstarting with his arms, then his back, then working down to his ankles, which were so flexible they could extend more than 90 degrees, farther than a ballerina\u2019s en pointe.\u201d Following that, Phelps started his 45 minute warm-up routine in the pool \u2014 \u201c800 metres of mixed styles, followed by 600 metres of kicking, 400 metres pulling a buoy between his legs, 200 metres of stroke drills, and a series of 25-metre sprints to elevate his heart rate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once he was done stretching and warming up, Phelps put on his LZR Racer swimsuit, and waited for the race to start while listening to a hip-hop rotation of Eminem, Biggie, G-Unit, JAY Z, Rick Ross and Young Jeezy. Eminem\u2019s \u201c\u2018Till I Collapse\u201d played a big part in Phelps\u2019 mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more: Michael Phelps daily routine<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes her time drinking water in the morning <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Known for: American politician; U.S. representative for New York’s 14th congressional district<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a typical day in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s life, she\u2019s up at between 7-8am, usually cuddled up next to Deco, a French bulldog she and her partner Riley Roberts got earlier in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s not a day where she needs to head out the door right way, Ocasio-Cortez will take her time to have some breakfast (\u201ctoast with a little bit of peanut butter or almond butter\u201d), drink her matcha tea, and scan through the news on The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and New Republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, she\u2019ll drink her water, a meditation-like ritual that has become a vital part of her day. \u201cThe most important part of my morning routine has been drinking water. I like to put some lemon in my water and I try to drink it pretty slowly and mindfully,\u201d she said. \u201cI will look out my window. I will try to look at the clouds passing by just really slow down for even a minute, five minutes in the morning and that has been my little meditative practice recently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez daily routine<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virgil Abloh doesn’t have an office and works almost entirely off his phone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Known for: Fashion designer; creative director; DJ <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bulk of Virgil Abloh’s work is done on the go. Instead of an office with a computer, Abloh operates almost entirely using his phone, with separate WhatsApp groups for each project he\u2019s working on. \u201cIt removes you from being plugged in to an ironically corporate desk-like place,\u201d he explained to Mr Porter. \u201cAll of a sudden, everywhere is an office. If I have a fully charged phone, I can do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI literally have no desk in the world. I work on the street, phone in hand,\u201d he told The New York Times. \u201cI\u2019ve occasionally been stuck at the corner of Prince and Mercer Streets in Manhattan not even realizing I\u2019ve been standing there for 20 minutes responding to messages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more: Virgil Abloh daily routine<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Caro wears a suit and tie on his writing days<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Known for: Journalist; author of The Power Broker, The Years of Lyndon Johnson<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though Robert Caro is the only person in his office \u2014 there\u2019s no secretary getting him coffee, he makes his own in the kitchen \u2014 and rarely receives visitors, he still prefers to wear a suit and tie while working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I go to work I wear a jacket and a tie, because I\u2019m inherently quite lazy, and my books take so long to do, and my publishers don\u2019t bug me, so it\u2019s so easy to fool yourself into thinking you\u2019re working harder than you really are. So I do everything possible to make myself remember this is a job I\u2019m going to, and I have to produce every day. The tie and the jacket are part of that.<\/p>RISING EARLY, WITH A NEW SENTENCE IN MIND | THE NEW YORK TIMES<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Read more: Robert Caro daily routine<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom Ford has a bath every morning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Known for: Fashion designer; filmmaker<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On most mornings, Ford is up at 4.30am and the first thing he does is weigh himself. \u201cI do this every morning, and if I have gained more than two or three pounds, I try to eat fruit and vegetables exclusively for a couple of days until my weight is back to my ideal,\u201d he told Harper\u2019s Bazaar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019ll then make himself a large cup of iced coffee and do some work and answer emails until 6am. He\u2019ll then make himself another cup of iced coffee and run a bath. \u201cI lay in my bathtub with a bendable straw in my coffee and no lights and only one candle lit,\u201d he told Mr Porter. \u201cI love that time in the morning when no one else is awake, and I\u2019m alone, and then I can slowly come to life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more: Tom Ford daily routine<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack Dorsey only has one meal a day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Known for: Co-founder & CEO of Twitter; founder & CEO of Square<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the interview with Ben Greenfield, Dorsey revealed that he had been on the One Meal a Day (OMAD) diet for the past two years, with dinner being his only meal for the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t have anything until around 6:30[pm]. And then, I usually eat a really big meal and I have a protein, whether it\u2019d be fish, chicken, or some steak. I try to have a lot of greens in terms of salad, a big arugula salad, spinach. And then, I sometimes have asparagus or Brussels sprout or some other green vegetable. And then, I have mixed berries as a dessert, maybe some dark chocolate.<\/p>THE JACK DORSEY PODCAST | BEN GREENFIELD FITNESS<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Read more: Jack Dorsey daily routine<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill Gates like to wash the dishes in the evening<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Known for: Co-founder of Microsoft; co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To unwind at the end of a busy day, one of Gates\u2019 preferred options is to do some household chores, telling the readers of his Reddit AMA session that he finds washing the dishes quite enjoyable and a way to de-stress from the day, \u201cother people do volunteer, but I like the way that I do it\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more: Bill Gates daily routine<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gordon Ramsay’s go-to breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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To cater to his demanding lifestyle, as well as maintain his health, Gordon Ramsay keeps a close eye on his diet and exercise. For breakfast, he\u2019ll usually keep it simple with a bowl of oatmeal. During the reddit Q&A, Ramsay described his go-to oatmeal recipe:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe night before, put 3-4 bananas in the oven on a pilot light. And the next day, squeeze the bananas into almond milk, bring it to a boil, then add the oatmeal and dried cranberries, and you\u2019ll have the most amazing oatmeal for breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more: Gordon Ramsay’s daily routine<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malcolm Gladwell prefers writing in cafes and restaurants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Known for: Author of The Tipping Point, Outliers; staff writer for The New Yorker<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At around 9am is when Gladwell will start the most important part of his work \u2014 writing. But not at home, or in his office. In a 2009 profile by The Guardian<\/a>, Gladwell explained that as a result of spending 10 years in a newsroom, he can\u2019t write when it\u2019s quiet and needs the buzz of people around him, \u201cI like people around me; but I don\u2019t want to talk to them.\u201d He\u2019ll ride his bike around lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, setting up shop in cafes and restaurants where he\u2019ll write for a few hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more: Malcolm Gladwell daily routine<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joe Rogan has a “Hulk Loads” shake <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Known for: Comedian; podcast host; UFC commentator <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joe Rogan has one of his his Insta-famous \u201cHulk Loads\u201d kale shakes<\/a> every day, which he calls his \u201cmorning nutrient blast,\u201d made up of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n