Mornings can be the most productive, creative and personally fulfilling time of the day — a brief respite before other people's demands come crashing in.
That's why many highly successful people have crafted morning routines that help them center themselves and gain energy before their hectic schedules begin.
Here's a look at how Warren Buffett, Mark Cuban and other moguls start their days.
— By Marguerite Ward
Posted 6 Sept. 2016
Howard Schultz goes for a bike ride
Mornings are all about exercise and, not surprisingly, coffee for the chairman and CEO of Starbucks. Schultz wakes up at 4:30 every morning to walk his three dogs and then goes for a bike ride, according to a piece he wrote in Bloomberg Businessweek in 2012.
He said he then makes coffee for his wife and himself using an eight-cup Bodum French press.
Richard Branson organizes his day
"Over my 50 years in business I have learned that if I rise early, I can achieve so much more in a day, and therefore in life," Branson wrote in a company blog post in 2014.
After getting up at 5 a.m., the founder of Virgin Group said, he catches up on the news, replies to emails, organizes his day, and exercises, Inc. reports.
Michelle Phan checks email in the shower
For the makeup vlogger-turned-millionaireentrepreneur, mornings require some serious multitasking.
She checks email in the shower (thanks to a reliable waterproof case),does squats while brushing her teeth, and does pushups while readingmore emails, she told NBC's "TODAY" in 2014.
Warren Buffett reads multiple newspapers
Back in 2007, the billionaire CEO of Berkshire Hathaway said he reads — a lot. He said he starts his mornings reading The Wall Street Journal, followed by USA Today and Forbes.
Then onto The Financial Times, The New York Times, The Omaha World-Herald and American Banker throughout the day.
Mark Cuban works while still in bed
For the serial entrepreneur, "Shark Tank" investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, every morning starts with work — right from bed, Entrepreneur reported in 2014.
"Business is my morning meditation," Cuban told the publication. "I get up and I work immediately."
Ursula Burns works out
Ursula Burns, chairwoman and CEO of Xerox and the first black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company, wakes up at 5:15 a.m. and immediately checks her email.
According to Laura Vanderkam's book "What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast," Burns also has a personal training session twice a week at 6 a.m.
Jack Dorsey meditates
Twitter co-founder and Square CEO Jack Dorsey wakes up everymorning at 5 a.m. and then takes 30 minutes to meditate.
Afterward, hegoes for a 6-mile run and then brews a fresh pot of coffee,New York Magazine reported in 2012.
Arianna Huffington does yoga
The media mogul regularly makes time for early morning yoga and meditation, according to a 2011 story in Vogue.
And for Huffington, a good morning starts with a good night's sleep. Her recently published book, "The Sleep Revolution," discusses how getting enough sleep is crucial to having productive days.
Daymond John reviews his goals
The serial entrepreneur, "Shark Tank" investor and author of "The Power of Broke" reminds himself of his goals every morning.
John keeps a running list of about seven goals (personal, family and business related) along with deadlines, Business Insider reported in February. Every morning, he reads the goals to himself.
Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank."