It seems like the most successful and ambitious people in the world wake up before everyone else does. They start their days early—often before the sun even rises.
But Lori Greiner, the “Queen of QVC” and Shark Tank star says it’s not really necessary to wake up early to get everything done.
“Here’s something really, really important,” she said in a TikTok video posted this week. “If you want to succeed in life, you need to get up at 5 a.m. in the morning.”
She laughed.
“Not really. Just kidding. I couldn’t stand that,” she said. “I wake up at 8 a.m. If I set my alarm for 5 a.m. I’ll snooze it for two hours, then take another two hours to drag myself out of bed.”
@lorigreiner Something very important…. ♬ original sound – Lori Greiner
Greiner, whose estimated net worth is about $150 million, is a self-proclaimed night owl, so waking up early doesn’t work for her, she said. People were “shocked” when she shared she doesn’t start her day at the crack of dawn, she said, especially because many successful CEOs and other executives swear by 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. wake-up calls.
From shark to lobster
Take Damola Adamolekun, former Wall Street whiz turned CEO of Red Lobster. This 36-year-old CEO previously told Fortune he wakes up at 4 a.m. and runs 8 miles every day.
“You’ll feel better the whole day,” he said. “You’ll be smarter, you’ll be sharper, you’ll be more energetic.”
But he also said his motto is “early to bed, early up.” That still aligns with Greiner’s approach to being productive throughout the day.
“Here’s the truth: Waking up early doesn’t give you more time,” Greiner said. “It simply shifts your schedule.”
“Think about it,” she continued. “Some people work all day, but barely get anything done, while others crush their goals in half the time because they work with their natural energy, not against it.”
Khozema Shipchandler, CEO of $16 billion cloud communication company Twilio’s, told Fortune he wakes up each weekday at 4:30 a.m. and immediately starts scanning Slack, emails, and texts for any “red hot” issues that need addressing early in the day. After that, he has a coffee and breakfast, skims news headlines, and works out.
“I do it in that order intentionally so that while I’m working out, I have an opportunity to think through the various things that have happened, through the course of the news, the things that I’ve seen on email and Slack and stuff like that,” he said.
But, he has a 9:30 p.m. bedtime.
Greiner said the “real secret” isn’t your exact wake-up time, but knowing yourself and your natural energy patterns.
“Build your routine around your natural patterns, not someone else’s success formula,” Greiner suggested. “Success is about maximizing your energy and focusing during whatever hours work for you—whether that’s 5 a.m. or 10 p.m. It doesn’t matter. Do what works for you.”