What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast

A Short Guide to Making Over Your Mornings—and Life

By: Laura Vanderkam

Narrated by: Laura Vanderkam

Length: 1 hr and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Mornings are a madcap time for many of us. We wake up in a haze—often after hitting snooze a few times. Then we rush around to get ready and out the door so we can officially start the day. Before we know it, hours have slipped by without us accomplishing anything beyond downing a cup of coffee, dashing off a few emails, and dishing with our coworkers around the water cooler. By the time the workday wraps up, we’re so exhausted and defeated that any motivation to accomplish something in the evening has vanished.

But according to time management expert Laura Vanderkam, mornings hold the key to taking control of our schedules. If we use them wisely, we can build habits that will allow us to lead happier, more productive lives.

Drawing on real-life anecdotes and scientific research that shows why the early hours of the day are so important, Vanderkam reveals how successful people use mornings to help them accomplish things that are often impossible to take care of later in the day. While many of us are still in bed, these folks are scoring daily victories to improve their health, careers, and personal lives without sacrificing their sanity. For instance, former PepsiCo chairman and CEO Steve Reinemund would rise at 5:00 a.m., run four miles, pray, and eat breakfast with his family before heading to work to run a Fortune 500 company.

What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast is a fun, practical guide that will inspire you to rethink your morning routine and jump-start your life before the day has even begun.

©2012 Laura Vanderkam. (P)2012 Gildan Media LLC

A statement or two could summarize this book

Any additional comments?

Glad it was short, glad it was inexpensive. Not a lot of information just commonsense ideas. Basically it tells you to get up early and get moving. Your brain works better in the morning. Try not to rush out of the house and start your day in a frenzy. Duh

Everything Old is New Again?

*Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise*...stretch that commonsensical proverb out for an hour and 4 minutes, add a little update regarding exercising and not wasting time on the internet and you've got the whole guide.

Vanderkam really doesn't have anything to add to what Aristotle was saying way back when, no clever updates, no creative time management secrets, nada. Perhaps for young people just starting a career or family (that have never read any self-improvement books) this could be considered an organized reminder that the early bird catches the worm. But also remember that *a fool and his money are soon parted*...maybe not a complete waste of money at $2.44, but definitely a huge waste of a full credit.

Suggestion... on a post-it note write: *Get up early, Exercise, Prioritize* and bank the cost of a book credit.

Glad it was short.

What did you like best about What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast? What did you like least?

It was a quick listen. But it lacks any substantial new ideas. I didn't learn anything.

Has What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not at all. I've read quite a few of these books before and I find most of them to be very intriguing. This was not one of them.

What aspect of Laura Vanderkam’s performance would you have changed?

There was no entertainment value. Just reiterated facts. Almost all of which are not only covered in other books but by books by this same author.

Who do you think would benefit most from listening to What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast?

People who can't seem to find the time to do what's needed to make the changes in their lives they want to.

Any additional comments?

Could have been summed up in a 2 page blog. But still a fan of the author.

Get up ...... and start Living!

Any additional comments?

Get up and use your unused time! It's been said before, but for under $3 it was well worth hearing again. The narration is a bit slow and lacking enthusiasm, but, the point comes across clear. There is not a whole lot of information, but some nice short stories about some very successful and high profile people. What they do in the mornings, why and how it has helped them become a success.

Listen to the preview first

The reader speaks slow enough that it is preferable to listen to the book at 2x speed. I bought it on a whim and realize now that I should have listened to the preview. It is nearly impossible to get to the meat of the story as the narration is so slow (and even at 2x speed, the pauses between sentences are excruciating).

Good Ideas

Ok, here's my problem. As soon as my eyes open, I only have one thing on my mind: Where's the food! So my pre-breakfast productivity is at a startling low. I am feeling guilty. I already get up at 5:30, but I don't get the exercise in. I need to start doing it, but then I need to start doing a lot of things. I enjoyed this book, but there wasn't a lot new in it. I love getting up early and getting a lot done, but then, I also love staying up late and sleeping in when I can. Which should I do? I guess I stay up too late too often because I am not that successful, at least not in monetary terms. (more guilt)

This author reads her own book. I have heard worse, but it would have been much better if she had hired a professional reader.

Seems obvious, but it wasn't...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! I absolutely would. It is read in a tone that is easy to understand, follow, and feels like the author speaks from experience. She teaches you to not only make-over your mornings to find that time, but also makes it seem very possible, no matter how busy you are.

What was one of the most memorable moments of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast?

The list of what you can do with your time was the most memorable as it gave ideas of ways to use your time in the mornings in ways you may not think of.

Which scene was your favorite?

There isn't a particular scene that was my favorite, however I really enjoyed the success stories of individuals that have made over their mornings and have integrated the tools into their lives successfully.

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

It's important to make healthy choices and changes in your life for yourself first. If you don't have a daily ritual that you look forward to, you won't be as productive.

Prayer and bible? Really?

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Religious people?

Would you be willing to try another book from Laura Vanderkam? Why or why not?

Never say never, but probably not.

What didn’t you like about Laura Vanderkam’s performance?

Dragging and laboured to keep to, what seemed to be, an enforced slow pace, and choppy at times as a result. Was this done to perhaps stretch the material in a certain pre-defined length of time....? Found myself waiting for the next word to come.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Some good pieces of advice that could be used in practice

Any additional comments?

Some good points, but way too many references to religion, which can be, as we all know, insulting to many people's open-minded intellect... I remember there were some such references in her book 168 Hours - You Have More Time than You Think and, while these were red flags, there weren't too many of them, and it was not difficult to disregard them and still focus on the many good points the book contained. But in this very short Guide to making over mornings, these references took a lot of the space, and it made it harder to focus on the objectiveness of the advice for the obvious reason that religious thinking is as far you one can possibly get from objectiveness....

A definite step down from 168 Hours. Please have some respect for the ever growing number of agnostics and atheists in the modern world - the same way respect was given to religious folks.... There is a very easy way to do it - leave religion out. It has no place in a book about time management.

Short, informative

Would you listen to What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast again? Why?

Although nothing new in time management, I liked Laura's take on it. I liked her delivery and her humor in it. It was well-written, short enough to not get boring but long enough to get in all the information. I took quite a few ideas from it. Definitely recommend it.

Informative and new ideas!

Would you consider the audio edition of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast to be better than the print version?

I'm not sure.

Would you be willing to try another book from Laura Vanderkam? Why or why not?

I think her narration is good for her own book as she explains what she has learned about early risers and getting her message across, however I wouldn't really listen to the pace of this narration on another book most likely. I am really surprised at some of the *one* stars people give narrators that I think are very good. I can only guess these people are born angry and like sharing their griefs that have nothing to do with the product they just purchased.