Many people think that squeezing in breakfast before work is a feat in itself. However, research from the World Economic Forum states that successful people make the most of their mornings.
很多人覺得上班前能擠出時間吃早餐就已經很了不起了。然而，世界經濟論壇的一項調查顯示成功人士都充分利用了早晨的時間。

They have released a list of 14 things that successful people do in the mornings before the first meal of the day.
調查人員列出了成功人士早餐前會做的14件事。

It includes exercising, spending quality time with the family, networking over coffee and working on a personal-passion project.
這些事情包括鍛煉，與家人共度珍貴的時光，在喝咖啡時瀏覽社交網站和做自己熱愛的項目。

The WEF states: "Those among us who have managed to find professional success and eke out a life actively embrace this philosophy. They must set aside their first hours of the day to invest in their top-priority activities before other people’s priorities come rushing in."
世界經濟論壇稱：“我們當中那些事業有成、生活積極的人都遵循這樣的理念。他們把一天中最開頭的幾個小時用來做自己最重要的事情，然后才處理對其他人重要的事情。”

This is backed up by science - Laura Vanderkam, a time-management expert and the author of “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast", cites the famous finding of Roy Baumeister, a Florida State University psychology professor, that willpower is like a muscle that becomes fatigued from overuse.
時間管理專家勞拉·凡德卡姆用科學支持這一理論，他在自己的著作《成功人士早餐前做什么》中引用了弗羅里達州立大學鮑邁斯特的重要發現，那就是意志力就像肌肉，會因為過度使用而疲憊。

Diets are easy to keep up with during the day, for example, but often fall flat in the evening when our bodies and willpower get tired.
例如，白天節食一整天很容易，但在晚上我們經常因為身體和意志力都疲憊而大吃大喝起來。

However, rest assured that you don't have to do all 14 every day before you munch your museli - just a selection.
但也放心，你不必在早餐前把14件事情都做了——挑幾件就行。

The WEF says: "While they might not do all of these things every morning, each has been found to be an effective way to start the day."
世界經濟論壇研究人員稱：“雖然那些成功人士并不會在每天早上做所有這些事情，但它們當中每一件都是開啟新的一天的有效方式。”

1. Wake up early - according to Laura Vanderkam, 90% of executives wake up before 6am on weekdays. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, for example, wakes at 4am and is in the office no later than 7am. Meanwhile, Disney CEO Bob Iger gets up at 4:30 to read, and Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey is up at 5:30 to jog.
早起——勞拉·凡德卡姆稱，90%的高管工作日都會在6點前起床。比如百事公司的CEO英德拉（Indra Nooyi）每天早上4點起床，7點前就會到辦公室。迪士尼CEO鮑勃伊格爾（Bob Iger）每天4點半起床開始讀書，Twitter和Square的CEO杰克·多爾塞（Jack Dorsey）每天早上5點半起床慢跑。

2. Drink water instead of coffee. Drinking water in the morning apparently helps you feel more alert, rehydrates your body, and kickstarts your metabolism.
喝水而不是咖啡。早晨喝水會幫助你更清醒，為身體補充水分，加快新陳代謝。

3. Exercise - beyond the fact that exercising in the morning means they can’t later run out of time, Vanderkam says a pre-breakfast workout helps reduce stress later in the day, counteracts the effects of high-fat diet, and improves sleep.
鍛煉——在時間充裕的情況下，凡德卡姆說早餐前的鍛煉可以減壓，中和高脂肪食品，提高睡眠質量。

4. Work on a top-priority business project
做最重要的一個商業項目。

5. Work on a personal-passion project
做自己熱愛的一個項目。

6. Invest in family time, like reading stories to the kids or cooking a big breakfast together.
注重與家人相處，比如為孩子講故事或者與家人一起做一頓豐盛早餐。

7. Connect with spouses before you are tired from the day's activities
趁自己還未被公事所累的時候與愛人溝通

8. Make your bed - this leads to a happier and more productive day
整理床鋪——這可以讓你有一個愉快又高效的一天。

9. Network over coffee
喝咖啡的時候查看社交網絡

10. Meditate to clear your mind
冥想，理清思緒。

11. Write down things you're grateful for
寫下讓你感激的事情

12. Plan and strategise for the day ahead - Using the mornings to do big-picture thinking helps you prioritize and set the trajectory of the day
為一天做計劃——用早晨的時間計劃一整天有助于決定事情的優先次序。

13. Check your email
查郵件

14. Read the news
讀新聞

Some people have been sceptical about the list:
有一些人對這個列表表示懷疑：

Successful people apparently get round to eating breakfast at about 4pm.
— James Ball (@jamesrbuk)
成功人士顯然能在早晨4點左右抽空吃飯。
— 詹姆斯·鮑爾 (@jamesrbuk)

I don't always even wake up before breakfast, let alone anything else
— Tim Brown (@sockformation)
我在早餐前都醒不過來，更不用說做什么事了。
— 蒂姆·布朗 (@sockformation)

By "before breakfast", you mean the 24 hours leading up to breakfast?
— Declan Cashin (@Tweet_Dec)
“早餐前”是說早餐前的24小時嗎？
— 德克蘭·凱辛 (@Tweet_Dec)

To be successful, you now have to "work on a personal-passion project" before breakfast...
— Asa Bennett (@asabenn)
想要成功，你現在就得在早餐前“從事自己熱愛的一個項目”……
— 阿薩·貝內特 (@asabenn)

However, there is no doubt that getting organised before work does lead to a more productive day.
不管怎樣，工作前井井有條無疑是會提高效率的。

Vocabulary

eke out: 設法過（活）
fall flat: 失敗；達不到預想效果
museli: 雜錦果麥
metabolism: 新陳代謝
get round to: 抽出時間來做

英文來源：每日電訊報
譯者：張卉
審校&編輯：丹妮