Book quiz
What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast Quiz
What the Most Successful People Do Before BreakfastLaura VanderkamWhile some people rush around answering messages, others fit in a run, work on their own book and a talk with their kids before breakfast. Laura Vanderkam asked busy people how they use their mornings and found a simple logic: this is time that still belongs to you. A short book about taking your mornings back step…
Question 1 of 5
Why, according to Vanderkam, is the morning especially good for your own things?
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Right answer: In the morning many people have more control over their time
During the day your schedule is set by the boss, clients, kids and email. Early on there are fewer demands, so important but not urgent things get a chance.
Question 2 of 5
Skipping sweets is easy in the morning, but at ten at night you reach for cookies. How does the book explain it?
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Right answer: Self-control tires during the day, like a muscle
Vanderkam draws on Baumeister: willpower is like a muscle that tires with use. So the hard "should do" things are easier in the morning. The model itself is now disputed.
Question 3 of 5
How does the book link habits and willpower?
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Right answer: It takes effort at first, then saves willpower
A habit takes effort at first, but later it saves willpower. So it pays to turn something useful into a habit instead of forcing it by will every day.
Question 4 of 5
For months you've meant to read before bed, but you fall asleep on page two. What would the book advise?
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Right answer: Move reading to the start of the day, before everything else
This is "pay yourself first": a personal thing left for the evening gets pushed out by fatigue and requests. In the morning it gets done before the day sends its bills.
Question 5 of 5
Where does Vanderkam suggest you start if you want to change your mornings?
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Right answer: Track where your time goes for a week
First you need to see where your time goes: write down what you do for at least a week, mornings included. The ideal morning is drawn only after that.
Want all of the book's key ideas? Read or listen to its retelling in Livria.