5 morning habits of successful people

Make it a priority to clear your inbox at the beginning of your day. Photo / Getty

Did you know that how you choose to spend the first hour of your day can set you up for either glory or failure?

According to experts, there are five things successful people do every single morning that sets them up for a productive day - and you should follow their lead.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: "When it comes to staying productive and setting yourself up for a successful day, it's important to make sure that you're energised and focused on what you want to accomplish."

Here, he shares five golden things that successful people do every single morning without fail.

1. Get in some pre-work exercise:

Going for a run or hitting the gym before work is essential. It clears your mind and psyches you up for the day ahead and any challenges it might bring.

Richard Branson starts the day with a cycle ride, Square CEO and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey always takes a six-mile jog, and CEO Katherine Power hits the gym without fail.

2. Eat a healthy breakfast:

You can't expect to be productive if you're not fuelling your body properly, so eat a healthy breakfast as soon as you get into the office.

By starting the day off well, and ensuring that you're giving your energy levels the best possible boost, you'll find it so much easier to focus throughout the day and stay motivated. The most successful people make wise choices when it comes to their first meal of the day.

Richard Branson tends to opt for a high-vitamin high-fibre breakfast like fruit salad and muesli, whilst Jack Dorsey, has boiled eggs.

3. Clear your inbox:

Whilst many people say you should leave this until the afternoon, it's important to start the day off as you intend to go on so as soon as you sit down to work, make it a priority to clear your inbox, and respond to any urgent queries.

Inbox clutter can lead to hours of wasted time and productivity, particularly if you have to spend time filtering through and searching for an email.

4. Determine your goals for the day:

Once you've sorted through your inbox and you know exactly what needs doing, make sure to set clear goals for the day ahead.

Whether it's signing off new artwork, catching up with employees or running through upcoming presentations, it will help you to stay on track and be productive if you know exactly what you want to have accomplished by the end of the day.

5. Set yourself a priority list:

You can't go wrong with a to-do list, so after you've set yourself goals for the day, make a list of the key tasks that need completing, in order of priority and importance.

This, he says, is a simple way of ensuring that you're up to speed, and it enables you to stay productive and focused.