12 Daily Habits of Highly Productive Indian Business Leaders

What Sets Highly Productive Leaders Apart?

Ever wondered how India’s top CEOs and entrepreneurs manage to stay laser-focused, calm under pressure, and relentlessly productive — day after day?

In my journey as a business journalist and interviewer for The CEO Magazine, I’ve had the rare privilege of speaking to dozens of India's most successful business leaders — from unicorn founders to legacy tycoons. And one thing is crystal clear:

Success isn’t just built on strategy. It’s built on habits.

Whether you're leading a fast-scaling startup, managing a corporate empire, or building a bootstrapped venture, how you spend your day defines how far you go.

So let me show you the 12 daily habits of highly productive Indian business leaders — real practices that can transform your routine and skyrocket your results.

1. They Start the Day With a Clear Intention

Before the calls, the chaos, or the emails — productive leaders begin their day on purpose.

Most leaders I’ve interviewed swear by morning clarity rituals like:

• Journaling for 5–10 minutes

• Reviewing top 3 priorities for the day

• Visualising outcomes before executing tasks

Mukesh Bansal, Co-founder of Cult.fit, begins his mornings by planning his day and mentally rehearsing key meetings.

“If you don’t plan your day, someone else will do it for you.”

2. They Wake Up Early — But Not at the Expense of Sleep

Waking up at 5 AM might sound glamorous. But the real game is consistency, not deprivation.

Top leaders like Narayana Murthy and Anand Mahindra prioritize quality sleep — and then structure their mornings to win:

• No phone for the first hour

• Reading, meditation, or stretching

• A quick scan of headlines (from reliable business news sources)

Productivity Tip:
Go to bed with a plan, not just a phone. Avoid screen time 30 minutes before sleep.

3. They Focus on Deep Work Blocks

Highly productive leaders protect time for deep, focused work — the kind that actually moves the needle.

How they do it:

• Block 90-120 minutes in the morning for strategic work

• Avoid meetings, phones, and distractions during that time

• Use tools like Pomodoro timers or calendar batching

Example:
Nithin Kamath, Founder of Zerodha, often shares how he avoids unnecessary meetings and maximises solo decision-making windows.

“Shallow work fills the day. Deep work builds the business.”

4. They Prioritise Their Health, No Matter What

One theme keeps repeating: Peak performance starts with personal health.

From Ratan Tata’s daily walks to Kunal Shah’s biohacking experiments, Indian business leaders treat fitness as a non-negotiable.

🧘 What they practice:

• Morning yoga or strength training

• Walking meetings

• Nutritious meals, timed eating
  
  

Pro tip: Schedule workouts like you do board meetings. Put them on your calendar.

5. They Read Constantly (But Selectively)

Top Indian leaders read to stay sharp — but they’re choosy.

They read:

• Long-form articles from The Economist, Harvard Business Review, or The CEO Magazine

• Industry newsletters

• Biographies of fellow entrepreneurs
  

“Reading gives you mental models that your competitors don’t have,” says Harsh Mariwala, Chairman of Marico.

📚 Try this: 30 minutes of daily reading — one book per week equals 52 books a year.

6. They Use the ‘One Thing’ Rule

Instead of chasing a hundred tasks, productive leaders chase ONE mission-critical thing daily.

Ask yourself:

If I only accomplish ONE thing today — what would make the day a success?

This habit forces prioritisation and prevents burnout.

Example:
Vijay Shekhar Sharma of Paytm shares that early in his journey, he would focus each day on just one objective — from funding to hiring to launching.

7. They Schedule (and Guard) Thinking Time

Here’s something I learned from interviewing multiple CXOs:
The higher you rise, the more time you must protect to think.

This isn’t idle time — it’s high-leverage creativity.

Ideas are born when:

• You take 15 minutes to reflect after a meeting

• You walk without your phone

• You ask “What if we did the opposite?”

Add this to your day: 20–30 minutes of uninterrupted thinking time.

8. They Delegate Ruthlessly and Build Strong Teams

Productivity doesn’t mean doing everything — it means doing only what you should.

Top CEOs create leverage by:

• Hiring people smarter than them

• Creating decision-making systems

• Letting go of control

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — African Proverb

Ask yourself:
What am I doing today that someone else on my team can do 80% as well as I can?

9. They Practice Gratitude and Self-Awareness

High achievers also know the power of mental fitness.

From daily gratitude journaling to quiet reflection, leaders cultivate emotional resilience.

Daily Practice Ideas:

• Write 3 things you're grateful for

• End the day with wins and lessons

• Meditate for 10 minutes

In my experience, this small shift boosts mood, clarity, and long-term performance.

10. They Maintain a Daily Dashboard or Tracker

Whether it’s a Google Sheet, Notion board, or app, top leaders track what matters daily.

Examples:

• Revenue, burn rate, or CAC for startup founders

• Customer sentiment scores for D2C leaders

• Key metrics like MRR, churn, or retention

Quote to Remember:

“What gets measured gets managed.” — Peter Drucker

Tracking drives awareness. Awareness drives improvement.

11. They End the Day with a Shutdown Ritual

The most productive Indian leaders don’t just start strong — they finish well.

Evening rituals include:

• Reviewing wins

• Planning tomorrow’s top priorities

• Disconnecting from work fully

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson of Biocon, ends her day with reflective reading and quiet personal time — away from screens.

Remember: Productivity is a cycle. It begins again tomorrow. So close today with intention.

12. They Never Stop Asking: “What’s Next?”

The best Indian leaders never settle. They’re driven by a quiet, daily hunger to improve.

They ask:

• What’s broken in my system?

• What did I learn today?

• What’s the one experiment I can try tomorrow?

Whether it's Bhavish Aggarwal of Ola rethinking EV strategy or Falguni Nayar of Nykaa reimagining omni-channel beauty — they keep reinventing.

“Complacency kills. Curiosity compounds.”

Conclusion: Productivity Is Not a Hack — It’s a Habit

Here’s the secret…
The most productive business leaders don’t rely on motivation. They rely on systems.

They don’t wait to feel ready. They just design better days — one habit at a time.

And you can too.

So I’ll ask you:

• Which of these 12 habits will you try today?

• What one small change can shift your entire trajectory?

Because the truth is… how you spend your day is how you build your empire.