Successful entrepreneurs, including Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett, prioritise rest and swear by seven to eight hours of peaceful sleep. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, reportedly wakes up at five every morning, while Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, rises at 5:45 am.
Nearly two-thirds of successful CEOs say they wake up at 6 a.m. or earlier: 'It's just a matter of establishing routine'
They also wake up very early. In my work with famous entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 CEOs and billionaires, I have seen that getting up early has so many benefits that it is no wonder that most of the world's most successful business leaders get up much earlier than the rest of the world.
7AM: Wake-up call
After a restful 7 hours, Bill awakes rearing to go. This was easy enough, as 7 hours is my personal ideal number of hours for sleep.
Elon Musk says he's upped his sleep to 6 hours per night—and that his old routine hurt his brain.
In a post on the newly launched Threads app, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims that he's mastered what we all dream of—getting about seven to eight hours of sleep per night. “Really dialed in my sleep with Eight Sleep and Oura,” he wrote, referring to a smart mattress and smart ring meant to help us catch our Zzzs.
"Getting up at five in the morning to tackle the top three things you want to accomplish in your day allows you to regain control of your life," Corley says. "It gives you a sense of confidence that you, indeed, direct your life. It gives you a feeling of power over your life.
Most Geniuses Perfected the Power Nap
That's pretty much true. Since a lot of them tend to believe that it is absolutely imperative to stay ahead, they seem to think that sleeping deprives them of this opportunity. Hence, they'd reduce the time they rest at night in order to have more functional, waking hours.
They get up early
Almost without exception, successful people start their day early. Many say they get up between 5 am and 6 am. Rising early is particularly great for those who work from home or have small children, because they can accomplish work tasks without interruption.
Some People Have a Superhuman Strength: Only Needing 4 Hours of Sleep. These “short sleepers” don't necessarily do it by choice—they're genetically programmed to require less shut-eye. Short sleepers are people who do well with about half of the shut-eye that the rest of us require to function.
Get to bed on time to allow yourself at least 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep. So if you are up at 4 a.m., you should have lights out by 9:30 p.m. (this gives you 30 minutes to fall asleep). Stay consistent. Don't just pick a few mornings; if you do, it will really mess up your biological clock.
Successful entrepreneurs, including Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett, prioritise rest and swear by seven to eight hours of peaceful sleep. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, reportedly wakes up at five every morning, while Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, rises at 5:45 am.
Some of the most successful CEOs in the corporate world dedicate their early mornings to personal projects that they don't have time for during the day. These projects make them happy, which in turn frees up their enthusiasm for the hard work that's ahead of them during the day. Spend time with family.
If you want to wake up at 4am, go right ahead. Just don't think that that is the key to success. Success is a cocktail, and it's crucial to understand all the parts that go into it.
Could the secret to your success be as simple as setting the alarm clock an hour earlier every day? In a five-year study of self-made millionaires, author Tom Corley found that almost 50 percent of them woke up at least three hours before their workday began.
Psychology Today reported that intelligent people are likely to be nocturnal beings, with those with a higher IQ going bed later on both weeknights and weekends.
Those with an IQ of over 125 tended to go to bed around 12:30 a.m. and wake up around 8:00 a.m. on weekdays, and go to bed around 1:45 a.m. and wake up around 11:00 a.m. on weekends. Those of normal intelligence tended to sleep from 12:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. on weekdays and from 1:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. on weekends.
Did you know that insomnia is more common for those who have a high IQ. Intelligent people have a harder time switching off their brain. So, maybe you are just too clever to snooze! Don't panic, high IQ or not, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia can help you.
It is Never Too Late to Build Wealth
It is not unheard of for people to become millionaires AFTER they retire. And, the average age when people become millionaires is 58.5 for women and 59.3 for men according to a report from Fidelity investments. Don't ever think it is too late.
Sleep routine: 7 hours
“Once or twice, I stayed up two nights in a row. I knew I wasn't as sharp when I was operating mostly on caffeine and adrenaline, but I was obsessed with my work, and I felt that sleeping a lot was lazy,” he wrote on his blog. Today, Gates regularly gets at least seven hours of sleep per night.
The rising cortisol levels and dealing with emotional events or feelings may be why many people wake up at 3 AM or 4 AM daily. Other reasons why you may be waking up in the middle of the night are: You are wearing uncomfortable or the wrong clothes to bed. Your bedroom is too warm or cold.
Albert Einstein, a household name that has inspired many a crazy hair day and who is most famous for his theory of General Relativity, was a huge fan of catching some Z's. He would sleep an average of 10 hours a night as well as taking daytime naps.
Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Running one of the world's largest companies doesn't stop Jeff Bezos from getting his eight hours of sleep. While the Amazon founder says sometimes getting eight hours is impossible, he's very focused on it.
Musk, 51, says he currently gets around six hours of sleep a night. 'I tried less. Even though I am awake more hours, I get less done. And the brain pain level is bad if I get less than six hours' he told CNBC's David Faber on Tuesday.