5 Daily Habits of Billionaires That Will Change Your Life

A closer look at the daily lives of the world’s leading billionaires, such as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos – the richest man in the world, Microsoft Corp.’s Bill Gates, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway – Warren Buffet and Tesla’s Elon Musk will reveal certain habits that prove that success does not happen by accident.

Everyone wants to be successful but only a few reach this goal. The defining quality of these self-made billionaires is that they don’t leave their success to chance, rather every single day, they make strategic moves to get closer to their goal.

Here are the 5 habits drawn from some of the key daily routines of the aforementioned billionaires that you can adopt in your daily life and start seeing positive results.

1. Jeff Bezos wakes up early

The Amazon CEO has disclosed that he wakes up early as his first move toward a highly productive day. Bezos is in charge of a lot but hardly works midnight.

“I go to bed early, I get up early,” Bezos said at the event.

Adequate rest does not only leave Bezos energised for the day to come but enables him to continuously make sharp, thoughtful decisions without suffering from decision fatigue.

“Eight hours of sleep makes a big difference for me, and I try hard to make that a priority. For me, that’s the needed amount to feel energized and excited.” He said.

Other CEOs have also revealed that they wake up before the sun: Apple CEO Tim Cook wakes at 3:45 a.m., while Ellevest CEO Sallie Krawcheck and Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi are up by 4 a.m.

Research backs this claim that waking up early can provide an edge for career success. People who wake up early are more in tune with the traditional corporate schedule and tend to be more proactive.

However, waking up early in the morning is no easy task and is certainly not for everyone as some people are more alert in the afternoon. A recent study published in the Nature Communications journal shows that some people are biologically more likely to feel alert in the morning, while others are at their best at night.

Waking up in the morning has huge benefits for attaining your daily goals but ensure you try it out and see if you’re a truly a morning person otherwise it might turn out to be counter-productive.

2. Bill Gates reads a lot

The Microsoft founder and CEO reads every night, making his way through about 50 books every year.

Gates wrote on his blog “Reading books is my favorite way to learn about a new topic. I’ve been reading about a book a week on average since I was a kid. Even when my schedule is out of control, I carve out a lot of time for reading.”

Reading holds several benefits for an individual. Research published in the Journal of American Academy of Neurology shows that people involved in mentally stimulating behaviors such as reading, experience a slower deterioration in memory than those who do not.

It also boosts creative thinking. Brain scans taken of college students who had read a mind stimulating genres like the thriller, revealed an increased activity in the areas of the brain that deals with language comprehension and sensation.

3. Mark Zuckerberg is frugal

Mark Zuckerberg is known for being careful with money.  He is worth more than $50 billion, but certainly doesn’t flaunt it.

While he can afford any vehicle he desires, Zuckerberg drives a black Volkswagen GTI with a manual transmission worth $30,000.

He married his wife Priscilla Chan in their backyard and the two were seen dining at a McDonald’s on their honeymoon in Italy.

Then there’s his popular, grey T-shirt and jeans uniform. Although it’s not as frugal as it looks, the T-shirt reportedly costs no less than $30 which is still considerably less costly than the wardrobes of some of his billionaire peers.

4. Warren Buffet makes time for a hobby

When Buffett is not busy running his conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway he loves playing the ukulele.

His musical hobby took many audiences by surprise. He has performed the ukulele on live TV, at charity events and before investors.

In addition to drawing a lot of surprise and a few laughs, Buffett’s hobby has probably helped him in other ways too. Research shows that professionals with hobbies are happier with their work, and are less likely to burn out. A National Library of Medicine study indicates that daily physical activities help an individual handle unpleasant feelings such as stress.

5. Elon Musk keeps an extremely specific schedule

Musk sets an extremely specific schedule and splits his calendar into five-minute intervals. He keeps working to make it perfect.

He said, “That’s the single best piece of advice: Constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself”.

When you create a schedule and stick to it, you are setting a routine. As a result, your life is more organised and more focused. It might seem unnecessary but in the long run it enables you to fight against uncertainty which can lead to stress and unhealthy habits.

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