8 Insightful Things Successful People Do During the First Hour of the Workday

8 Insightful Things Successful People Do During the First Hour of the Workday8 Insightful Things Successful People Do During the First Hour of the Workday The first hour of your work day is one of the most critical times. You can eitzu sich set yourself up for a day of success or for confusion and failure. If you want to stay on top of your game , its important to make sure your day starts right. If you dont start off on the right foot, your day could become unnecessarily chaotic.Do you want to end your day like a superstar? Here are eight things successful people do during the first hour of the workday.You might reason if you check just one email first thing in the morning, it should be fine. However, one email usually turns into five . And who can check email without eventually responding to one or two of them? Before you know it, youre spending half the morning responding to messages and getting stressed out before your day has barely begun. Its notlage the best way to start your day. For example, Tumblr founder David Karp told Inc. magazine he doesnt peek at his inbox until roughly 930 a.m. or 1030 a.m. during the work week.One key to attaining success is to visualize yourself with what you want. Athletes visualize winning a sporting event, and public speakers imagine themselves giving a successful talk. The most accomplished people know if you cant see the end goal, its unlikely youll achieve what youve set out to do.One way you can reach your desired goal is to create a vision board . Put it next to your bed to see it when you wake up, or hang it on your office wall to remind yourself of your goal before starting the workday. Media personality Oprah Winfrey said she relies on a vision board to help zu sich achieve her dreams.Theres nothing like a workout first thing in the morning to get your blood pumping and prepare your mind for the day. If you want to get a boost of energy that will last longer than your morning cup of coffee, pu t on your workout gear and squeeze in a quick workout. Research shows exercise sharpens focus and helps you to make better decisions. Former President Barack Obama told Mens Health that he wakes up early to work out for 45 minutes, six days a week.Constant stress has a way of making it hard to focus. If youve been under overwhelming stress without a break, all you want to do after a while is get away from it all, so you can recharge. Its difficult to make important decisions when your brain is fried. This is why the most successful people carve out time for meditation. Its a simple way to refocus and reconnect with ones mind and body.Actress Jennifer Aniston, of Friends fame, said she begins and ends her day with meditation. Transcendental Meditation is her practice of choice. The Transcendental Meditation news site reported that Aniston said she feels a big difference when she fails to incorporate meditation into her morning routine.If you dont believe in yourself, who will? The f irst step to achieve career and life success is to believe you can do it. Your thoughts greatly impact the outcome of whatever it is you are trying to accomplish. Once you take control of your thoughts , you can design the future of your dreams.Having a solid plan will help ensure your workday doesnt get out of control. Take a moment to sit down and map out what youd like to get done and when. This way the little (yet important) things wont slip through the cracks. Successful people have a clear understanding of what needs to happen for their day to go smoothly and for key goals to be reached. Joel Brown, founder of Addicted2Success , shared in his Entrepreneur column that he updates a to-do list nightly, so hes prepared for the next day.Skipping breakfast might help you start your workday sooner, but itll cost you. By the time youre ready to eat lunch, youll be so famished that youll likely overeat. Consequently, instead of feeling recharged, youll just feel bloated and sluggish . Instead, make time to have good breakfast. No one knows the power of a good breakfast better than singer and actor Justin Timberlake. He told Bon Apptit he eats two breakfasts every day.Successful people dont spend a lot of time getting ready in the morning. They already know what they are going to wear. Some successful CEOs save a significant amount of time by wearing the same, or similar, outfits every day . Simon Cowell and Mark Zuckerberg, for example, stick to a basic work uniform. The late Steve Jobs was also known for wearing a similar outfit daily.This article was originally published on The Cheat Sheet . It is reprinted with permission.