As these workplace habits go to show, some of the most successful people of our time have their fair share of quirks – from starting meetings in total silence to brainstorming underwater. Read on to find out more.
Nicknamed 'Nuclear Wintour' on account of her icy demeanor, the editor-in-chief of American Vogue is renowned for her steely decisiveness and will make a decision and wing it, even when she has no clue what she's talking about. “Even if I’m completely unsure,” she once said, "I’ll pretend I know exactly what I’m talking about and make a decision.” The fashion mogul also wakes up at 5am every day to play tennis, and is keen on 'tuning off' at the weekends.
For an icon of the fashion world, Michael Kors keeps it remarkably simple when it comes to his day-to-day work outfit. The designer opts to wear the same black crewneck every day of the week. His reasoning? Not having to choose different clothes each day saves decision-making energy, which can be channeled into his work. And he's not wrong to do this: there is a productivity logic when it comes to creating your own uniform, particularly if you’re working at home, and more formal clothes will help you get into your work mindset and be more productive, according to Charlotte Armitage, aka The Media Psychologist. Kors also isn’t alone in wearing the same clothes to work every day, as Segway inventor Dean Kamen, the late Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld, and film director and producer Christopher Nolan all had the same idea.
The founder of sociologyofstyle.com and author of Startup Your Life: Hustle and Hack Your Way to Happiness, Anna Akbari has analyzed the strategies of Silicon Valley’s greatest start-ups – so she should know what she’s talking about. The author swears by eating the exact same breakfast and lunch every day, which frees up her time for more important decision-making.
One of the most successful screenwriters on the planet, the writer behind The West Wing and The Newsroom likes to act out his scripts in front of a mirror. Sorkin's writing sessions are famously animated and the seasoned screenwriter even managed to break his nose on one occasion during a particularly lively session.
For most of us our commute to work doesn't top the list when it comes to things we enjoy. But others actively seek out a a journey to their desk. Sara Blakely, billionaire founder and CEO of Spanx, purposely gives herself a commute each morning, despite living a short walk away from her office. Even before many of us started working from home, Blakely drove a 'fake commute' for an hour before starting work, because she believes that the car “is where [her] best thinking happens”.
Comedy Central's hit show South Park is famous for never taking itself seriously, and if their habits are anything to go by, neither do its creators. Trey Parker and Matt Stone insist on leaving everything to the last minute, creating panic in the office, which they believe helps them to get things done more efficiently. It also means that their shows can be as topical as possible, as instead of working months ahead, they create each episode of South Park in the six days before it airs. And it normally works out, with the team only missing the deadline once, in 2013, when the studios where they work had a power cut.
He's been called the "Spielberg of video games" by Time magazine, yet Nintendo's co-representative director Shigeru Miyamoto didn't become successful by playing it safe. His most bizarre habit is guessing the length of objects, then measuring them – with a tape measure he carries at all times for that purpose – to check his accuracy.
Writer's block is an author's biggest bugbear, yet bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown, has an unorthodox way of dealing with it: he hangs upside down. Brown is a big fan of inversion therapy and believes he comes up with his best story ideas while hanging precariously on his trusty inversion table.
The Tesla and Twitter CEO freely calls himself a 'nano-manager', meaning he is far more hands-on and involved than the average company boss. "I have OCD on product-related issues," he told The Wall Street Journal. "I never see what's right," he said. "It's not a recipe for happiness." His meticulous attitude means his daily life is pretty full-on, and the tech boss allegedly eats his lunch in just five minutes.
We've all got that colleague who seems to be constantly on a health kick, but former Twitter and current Block CEO Jack Dorsey has taken it to the next level. Among his extreme 'wellness' habits are: taking ice baths, fasting and only eating one meal per day, walking five miles a day to work, and meditating for two hours.
Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi recently told the New York Times that she has "never, ever, ever asked for a raise." She went on to say that she couldn't imagine "working for somebody and saying my pay is not enough" and found the idea "cringeworthy". Her reserve clearly hasn't damaged her bank balance. According to the Guardian, Nooyi earned $31 million a year in her role at PepsiCo and has since moved to work for Jeff Bezos at Amazon. If you already earn a multimillion-dollar salary, feel free to follow her advice.
David Solomon, the CEO of American investment bank Goldman Sachs, has a second identity. As DJ D-Sol, he also works as a professional DJ – and it's "a great way to connect with younger co-workers", apparently. Not only does his side hustle help him build connections in the workplace, it's also a relaxing way to unwind from the stresses of the corporate world, which he says means he can focus better in meetings.
Now take a look at some more orthodox work habits of successful people anyone can follow