NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • Generate wealth weekly
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reveals his unusual morning routine

Alexis Carey
news.com.au·
3 Dec, 2018 01:21 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
The Amazon CEO tackles the most mentally challenging decisions first every day. Photo / AP

The Amazon CEO tackles the most mentally challenging decisions first every day. Photo / AP

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has revealed fresh insight into his daily morning routine — including several clever hacks even everyday workers can swipe.

Speaking at a conference in Washington DC in the US earlier this year, Bezos shared a detailed account of his average day.

And it turns out his routine is designed to set himself up for success — and make sure he's making the best decisions to ensure he stays at the top of his game.

For starters, Bezos is focused on getting the right amount of sleep each night.

"I go to bed early, I get up early," he said, according to CNBC.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I get eight hours of sleep, unless I'm travelling in different time zones.

"Sometimes it's impossible but I am very focused on it. For me, I need eight hours of sleep. I think better, I have more energy, my mood is better, all these things."

He went on to explain that a healthy sleep schedule has a direct impact on decision-making capabilities.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Think about it, as a senior executive, what do you really get paid to do?" Bezos said at The Economic Club of Washington event.

"As a senior executive, you get paid to make a small number of high quality decisions.

"Your job is not to make thousands of decisions every day. (The) quality of those decisions might be lower because you're tired or grouchy or any number of things."

Bezos also revealed he likes to spend his mornings "puttering around" and enjoying some relaxed family time with wife MacKenzie and their four children.

Discover more

Retail

Where Jeff Bezos' jet flies most - and what it says about Amazon's second HQ

05 Nov 03:28 AM
Business

Amazon CEO's dire warning for company

16 Nov 11:47 PM
Business

How Jeff Bezos made $9 billion in a day

29 Nov 04:41 AM
Business

Everyday mistakes that can kill your career

03 Dec 10:39 PM

"I like to putter in the mornings," he said.

"I like to read the newspaper, I like to have coffee, I like to have breakfast with my kids before they go to school.

"My puttering time is very important to me."

And perhaps most surprisingly, Bezos admitted to starting his work day relatively late for a high-powered CEO.

He said he also tackled the most complicated and difficult decisions first thing every day.

"I set my first meeting for 10am," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I like to do my high IQ meetings before lunch — like anything that's going to be really mentally challenging, that's a 10am meeting.

"By 5pm, I'm like, 'I can't think about this today, let's try that again tomorrow at 10am.'"

The 54-year-old entrepreneur has an estimated net worth of $US162 billion ($A221 billion) according to Forbes, mostly thanks to his holdings in Amazon.

He's now the richest person alive, eclipsing Microsoft founder and serial rich-lister Bill Gates by tens of billions of dollars.

He's also the first person in modern history to amass a fortune of over $US100 billion.

He founded Amazon on July 5, 1994.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But despite his astronomical wealth, the Bezos family is notoriously low-key, with Jeff Bezos famously washing the dishes each night while wife MacKenzie drove their four kids to school in a Honda Accord every day until 2013.

It has even been reported that Bezos still has a desk at Amazon made out of a door with four-by-fours for legs as a reminder of his humble beginnings.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Business

Premium
Shares

Market close: NZ stocks end flat before GDP data, Fed's rate decision

12 Sep 06:07 AM
Premium
Media Insider

'They've saved the day for us': Regional media firm, 20 jobs rescued by local identity

12 Sep 05:19 AM
New Zealand

Warning as Uber drivers to strike over pay and conditions

12 Sep 04:27 AM

Sponsored

Future leaders start by Dreaming Big

12 Sep 02:29 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Premium
Premium
Market close: NZ stocks end flat before GDP data, Fed's rate decision
Shares

Market close: NZ stocks end flat before GDP data, Fed's rate decision

New Zealand stocks ended flat while telco company Spark lost more ground.

12 Sep 06:07 AM
Premium
Premium
'They've saved the day for us': Regional media firm, 20 jobs rescued by local identity
Media Insider

'They've saved the day for us': Regional media firm, 20 jobs rescued by local identity

12 Sep 05:19 AM
Warning as Uber drivers to strike over pay and conditions
New Zealand

Warning as Uber drivers to strike over pay and conditions

12 Sep 04:27 AM


Future leaders start by Dreaming Big
Sponsored

Future leaders start by Dreaming Big

12 Sep 02:29 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP