Billionaire Richard Branson says copying his 5 a.m. morning routine won’t make you successful—and will just cause ‘more burnouts than breakthroughs’

Richard Branson wants you to stop stealing his morning routine. The billionaire Virgin Group founder famously wakes up at 5 a.m., exercises, scrolls on social media, and sits down to a bowl of muesli, fruit and his first of 20 daily cups of tea, before kickstarting his day. But now he’s warning that getting up at the crack of dawn won’t make you more successful—and could actually burn you out.

“The reality is you need to find a routine that works for you and your life,” Branson recently wrote on LinkedIn.

He revealed that he’s “often asked about waking up at 5 a.m.”—nearly a decade after breaking down how he spends his mornings in a Virgin blog post. And now, he’s having regrets. “I sometimes worry that people think it’s the secret to success,” Branson said.

“There’s a lot of noise out there telling people how to live their lives and be successful,” Branson added. “Rigid routines, relentless hustle.” He clarified that he only wakes up early because it comes “very naturally” to him. But in reality, there’s no “one-size-fits-all formula” for success—and following these hustle-culture silver bullets “will more likely lead to burnout than breakthroughs.”

“Work hard, absolutely,” Branson said. “But also work smart, take care of yourself, and create a rhythm that’s sustainable. The best routine is the one that helps you feel your best.”

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