I have no electronic devices in my bedroom, which means I wake up naturally around 7. I then meditate, have a shower, and finish with five minutes of stretches and yoga. There may be urgent messages, but nothing that can’t wait for half an hour.
I live in a So-Ho loft, but I’ve made it cosy. It’s filled with work by my daughter, Isabella, who’s 22 and an artist. I live with a movable feast of family. Isabella and my older daughter, Christina — who’s 25 and working in TV now — come and go, as does my sister Agapi. In my bedroom I have a photo by Gordon Parks of an African-American boy lying in the grass, which evokes serenity. It helps me in a profound way. I’m an evangelist! I have a fundamental sense that everything that happens carries a hidden blessing.
I wear jeans or casual pants and ballet flats every day, and I keep a pair of sneakers in the Huffington Post office in Greenwich Village. I’ll get a soya cappuccino and have a one-on-one meeting with a member of my staff while we walk to work.
I founded Huff Post in 2005 as an alternative news website [she sold the company six years later for £190m, but stayed on, with full editorial control]. My day is filled with editorial and business meetings, and once a week I also have a leadership meeting where the company’s top priorities are discussed. A good leader is a good listener, someone who has clear priorities. They see the icebergs before they hit the Titanic. In the media, things move fast and you have to keep changing, but you must also learn to still the world outside long enough in order to renew and recharge yourself.
"All the things I’ve faced in my life, including my daughter Christina’s drug addiction, made me confront a part of myself I didn’t know I had"
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Before I collapsed [in 2007] I was unaware of just how exhausted I was... my life had shrunk down to my to-do list. I was the way we all are: constantly multitasking. It’s a habit my mother loathed. The last time she got angry with me, I was on my BlackBerry while talking to my children. I’m 1000% a better leader now. All the things I’ve faced in my life, including my daughter Christina’s drug addiction, made me confront a part of myself I didn’t know I had. Every day I write a list of things I’m grateful for, even if it’s just having a cup of tea with someone in a beautiful spot.
The way we treat email is absurd. Psychologically, it’s as if the mailman is delivering every minute and you have to get up and open the door. My people are not expected to be on email once they’ve done their job; that’s incredibly freeing. But not everything I’ve tried has worked. I wanted everyone in the office out at lunchtime, but, no, they still eat at their desks because they like to stay connected. I avoid lunches too, because I like to have a continuous day, so I’ll bring a chicken salad from home.
I’m fascinated by the science around minimum effort to gain maximum impact: our biggest achievements are accomplished by 20% of our efforts. The rest of the time, we’re dealing with distractions. With me, it was anxiety; I was full of worry about how something would turn out. I don’t do that any more. OK, I’m not chilling under a mango tree, but I feel dramatically different. I’m much happier with incompletion; I do the important things and leave the rest undone rather than staying up late to answer emails. It’s like trying to get water out of a leaky boat — a thankless exercise.
I’m actually an introvert and I just adore being by myself — I suppose I’ve experienced every human emotion except loneliness. I’d never rule out another relationship, but I don’t crave it. As soon as I get home I change into sweatpants and carry on working, lounging on the couch with music on, mostly classical. I may send lots of emails to my staff but I don’t expect them to answer until the next day.
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My daughters tease me because I never learnt to cook. I can boil eggs and brown rice. That’s it. I have a wonderful housekeeper who leaves steamed vegetables or salad for dinner.
I like to be in bed before midnight, but I always have a hot bath, which feels like soaking the day away. When I put on my pink silk pyjamas, it sends a message to my body that I’m switching off. I might read poetry or a book on meditation, but if I can’t let go, I listen to my iPod. I’d say I’m a work-in-progress.
Arianna Huffington’s new book, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Happier Life (WH Allen, £16.99), is out now