While most of us are still fast asleep, a growing number of top CEOs are already hours into their day – rising as early as 4am to get ahead of the pack.
The excruciatingly early wake-up recently made headlines after a viral video featuring a muscular content creator showed his elaborate morning routine, beginning just before 4am and including bottled water and banana peel facials.
‘Sin lives late at night,’ wrote the creator, Ashton Hall, in one of his now-viral social media posts.
‘If you’re dealing with a weak mind, bad decisions, or lack of productivity, go to sleep early.’
Waking up before dawn has long been stitched into the fabric of the American Dream, with high-powered leaders insisting their success begins in the dark – a time when the quiet hours offer clarity, control and a crucial head start on the competition.
The act is a ‘timeless productivity hack, and goes as far back, at least in American culture, as Benjamin Franklin’, Adam Chandler, author of 99% Perspiration: A New Working History of the American Way of Life, told The Wall Street Journal.
The practice of rising well before dawn gained fresh momentum following a viral video shared by Hall in March, in which the 29-year-old fitness trainer and Instagram personality showcased his detailed routine.
‘Easy routes don’t pay well, get up,’ Hall wrote.
Waking up before dawn has long been stitched into the fabric of the American Dream, with high-powered leaders insisting their success begins in the dark – a time when the quiet hours offer clarity, control and a crucial head start on the competition
Ashton Hall’s elaborate predawn routine begins with removing his mouth tape, plunging his face in an ice bath filled with bottled Saratoga Springs water and using a banana peel for a facial treatment (pictured: Hall)
The practice of early morning wake-up calls – some even rising as early as 4am – gained fresh momentum following a viral video shared by creator Hall (pictured) in March
In the viral clip, Hall showed himself kicking off his day around 3:55am.
Over the next five-plus hours, he can be seen brushing his teeth and shaving, doing pushups on his high-rise deck, reading the Bible and journaling, plunging his face into an ice-cold bowl of Saratoga Springs bottled water, visiting a steam room, exercising, eating breakfast – and rubbing a banana peel over his face.
The video, which racked up more than 10 million views on X, sparked a wave of parody clips mimicking Hall’s routine.
‘I couldn’t really tell if it was meant to be an honest take on the routine,’ Dave de Céspedes, a 40-year-old, Miami-based digital workflow consultant told the WSJ.
‘It was a great piece of marketing content.’
Living what feels like an entire day before the typical 7 or 8am alarm is no joke for some, including de Céspedes. Many executives consider it the cornerstone of their daily routine.
‘I feel like I’m ahead of everybody else in terms of really investing in myself first, before the day requires me to invest in everybody else,’ Dirk Gorman, a 57-year-old business owner, told the WSJ.
Similar to many early risers, Gorman believes that waking up early and getting quality sleep is essential to a healthy routine, describing the benefits as a compound asset – much like a retirement account for one’s health.
Disney CEO Bob Iger (pictured) shared that he wakes up at 4:15am, claiming that the early start energizes him, and that a great leader ‘has to be an energetic leader’
Apple CEO Tim Cook (pictured) has said he typically wakes up between 4am and 5am, noting that it’s the part of the day where he feels most in control
The act of rising early is a ‘timeless productivity hack, and goes as far back, at least in American culture, as Benjamin Franklin’, said Adam Chandler, author of 99% Perspiration: A New Working History of the American Way of Life
‘Can you work out 250 times a year, even if it’s not a ’10’ workout? You do that over decades, you’re gonna be in tiptop shape compared to your peers,’ he told the WSJ.
‘I do think it has a huge advantage in the business world,’ he added. ‘There’s just something to walking into a meeting and people go, “Oh, this guy’s fit.”‘
Top business leaders like Disney CEO Bob Iger and Apple CEO Tim Cook have also publicly endorsed the benefits of rising early.
Last year, Iger shared that he wakes up at 4.15am, claiming that the early start energizes him, and that a great leader ‘has to be an energetic leader,’ Business Insider reported.
For the 74-year-old CEO, waking up before the sun rises and hitting the gym is all about ‘sanity and vanity’, he told the outlet.
‘Staying in shape, having stamina is critical for me, and that’s eating well and exercising and just taking care of my body and my mind,’ Iger said.
‘I could not do this job if I were not in some form of physical and mental health.
Cook has also said he typically wakes up between 4am and 5am, noting that it’s the part of the day where he feels most in control.
Other leading bosses, including 94-year-old Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet (pictured), have a different idea for early morning success. He starts every morning with a cold can of Coca-Cola and a trip to McDonald’s for breakfast
Waking up early provides a handful of health benefits, including improved mental and physical health, enhanced productivity, reduced stress, improved cognitive function and overall well-being
‘I can control the morning better than the evening and through the day,’ the 64-year-old businessman said during a January podcast episode of Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware.
‘As the day starts to unfold, it becomes less predictable,’ he added. ‘So I love the part of the day that I can kind of block out the world and focus on a few critical things and just be silent for awhile.’
Before most dreamers even open their eyes, Cook has already spent an hour reading through emails and an hour strength training at the gym, followed by a shower and a much-needed cup of coffee.
Waking up early provides a handful of health benefits, including improved mental and physical health, enhanced productivity, reduced stress, improved cognitive function and overall well-being.
On the contrary, other leading bosses, including 94-year-old Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet, have a different idea of early-morning success.
After rising each morning, Buffet cracks open a cold can of Coca-Cola before heading to McDonald’s for breakfast
Rather than a banana breakfast and peel facial, Buffet opts for a bacon egg and cheese biscuit if he’s feeling prosperous – all before spending the rest of his day in an office researching investments.