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Vogue's Anna Wintour: Daily routine includes a 4 a.m. wake up call and her 'magic box of tricks'

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Dave M. Benett | Getty Images for Burberry

In 2017, Forbes named Vogue's editor-in-chief and artistic director of publishing company Condé Nast Anna Wintour the most powerful woman in media and entertainment, topping even Beyonce, who scored the fourth spot.

Wintour, 69, has been leading the fashion magazine for more than 30 years after getting the position in 1988 at the age of 39.

But despite her high-profile position, Wintour keeps a relevantly low profile, granting only a few media interviews.

She is also infamous for reportedly inspiring a main character in the 2003 book "The Devil Wears Prada," written by a former assistant at Vogue. The book and later the film depict a fashion editor (played by Meryl Streep in the movie) who is an icy and unreasonably demanding boss.

"I know many people are curious about who I am and how I approach my work," Wintour tells Masterclass.com in a 12-part series teaching her management techniques.

In the video, Wintour says she credits her career success to having a strong vision, surrounding herself with a good and diverse team and maintaining a daily routine that helps her stay on track.

"I have a pretty consistent structure for my day that I follow that I find that works really well for me," Wintour says.

Here's a look at Wintour's daily routine, according to Masterclass.com.

4 a.m to 5:30 a.m.

Wintour says she typically wakes up between 4 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on workdays, and the first thing she does is read both the British (she's originally from London) and the American newspapers online to make sure she knows exactly what's happening in the world.

Then she often goes to play tennis and has breakfast, which consists of mainly "Starbucks," she says.

8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m

After her Starbucks run, she heads into the Vogue offices in downtown Manhattan, usually arriving between 8:00 a.m and 8:30 a.m.

At about 9:30 a.m, she begins her meetings with Vogue fashion or features editors or the Conde Nast digital team.

"I could also be reviewing pictures that have come in from a recent shoot, or reviewing clothes to be photographed for an upcoming cover," Wintour says.

Wintour (who has been known to wear sunglasses at the office) describes her management style as hands-off; she says she does not believe in micro-managing and likes to hold informal meetings involving one or two people.

"I feel very strongly that it is important to empower those who are working with you," she says. "They will work much more effectively if they can make leadership decisions on their own."

But at the same time, she is a "great believer" in having one large meeting a week with the whole staff, "so everyone feels involved and part of the conversation."

2:30 p.m.

At around 2:30 p.m., Wintour sometimes schedules off-sight meetings, to either meet with designers for lunch or head to The Metropolitan Museum (where she throws the Met Gala every year in May) to plan events or attends an outside presentation. After her meetings are over, she heads back to the office.

5:00 p.m.

At 5:00 p.m., Wintour leaves the office to head home with a take-home bag which she calls her "magic box of tricks."

The bag is full of Wintour's homework for the night, which can include resumes, idea pitches, copy and other publications for her to look at.

It also contains what is called "the dummy," or sample pages from whatever issue of the magazine is being worked on at the moment.

"It's super important to me to get everything done at night so I can keep on top of the work and nobody is waiting for my feedback," Wintour says.

However, she says the biggest thing that she has learned over the three decades as the head editor of a major fashion magazine is to learn to "love a surprise."

"However much you might talk to an editor about what a shoot or a piece might be when it comes in, it could be something completely different. And sometimes, that's completely okay," she says.

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