When you have the opportunity to ask some of the most interesting people in the world about their lives, sometimes the most fascinating answers come from the simplest questions. The Thrive Questionnaire is an ongoing series that gives an intimate look inside the lives of some of the world’s most successful people.
Thrive Global: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Danny Meyer: I pick up my iPad and read the news via Twitter. I also scan emails that have arrived overnight for issues I need to address. Then I check weather, Asian/European stock markets, sports scores, and, of course, review my day ahead.
TG: What gives you energy?
DM: Going to the gym (three mornings each week; running on the weekends).
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
DM: Smiling.
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
DM: No. It charges overnight away from my bed. But… my iPad is close by.
TG: How do you deal with email?
DM: I abhor email. I read it in the morning and throughout the day. I have a fantastic assistant who reads all of my email and responds to many with a CC to me. That way, we can advance topics, and I can know when to add my two cents. I do a lot of thanking on email, and try to be thoughtful about that.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
DM: Usually I think of someone in my family, or a close friend I’d like to call. And then I call!
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out?
DM: Tired — almost always. But I love what I do so much that I’ve rarely felt burned out.
TG: Share a quote that gives you strength when times are tough.
DM: From my late grandfather: “Remember that you are never quite as good as all the nice things people will say about you, and never quite so bad as the negative things. Just know your own center and what your aspirations are, and then take your own measure.”
Originally published at medium.com