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Disney CEO Bob Iger wakes up nearly every day at 4 a.m. to work out for at least 45 minutes. He said he does this to maintain the level of energy he needs to be a good leader.
“You have to bring your energy to your job every moment of the day, meaning every waking hour, because it’s motivating,” Iger recently told Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, on the bank’s podcast “In Good Company.”
Iger went on to explain that part of keeping your energy up is preparation.
“Some of it is how you’re wired, it’s genes, some of it is how you have prepared. Staying in shape, having stamina is critical for me. And that’s eating well and exercising and just taking care of my body and my mind. It’s really important. I could not do this job if I were not in some form of physical and even mental health,” Iger said.
Iger said he goes to bed between 10 and 11 p.m. on most nights, acknowledging that this schedule likely leaves him with just five to six hours of sleep — well below the recommended eight hours.
When he wakes up at 4 a.m., the first things he does are drink coffee, change into his workout clothes, and exercise for up to an hour. Iger said his early morning routine allows him to begin his day with “more purpose” and gives him the ability to “attack the world and day a little more organized.”
“That morning time for me is rejuvenating, actually. It’s, first of all, meditative. It’s quiet. The stimulation that exists in my life — when it’s still dark and no one else is up ... and I get a chance to be alone with my thoughts. And that gives me an opportunity to order things, meaning to figure out an order and a set of priorities. It gives me an opportunity to think more creatively,” Iger said.
Iger has been with the media conglomerate for four decades, serving as its CEO from 2005 to 2020. He later became executive chairman before retiring in 2021. Iger returned to the company in 2022 to serve a two-year term as CEO, which has since been extended. He is now expected to leave the company in 2026.