An author and astrologer with millions of fans around the world says the first person she calls every morning is her banker
- Susan Miller, founder of the popular horoscope website AstrologyZone, shared her morning routine with New York Magazine's the Cut.
- Before taking her vitamins or catching up on the news, Miller said she calls her bank to make sure her employees have deposited their paychecks.
- Miller also said she has an "obsession with beautiful financial records," and finds pleasure in organization.
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Most people wake up and read the newspaper, scroll through their social media accounts, or brew a cup of coffee - not Susan Miller.
Miller, an author and astrologist, revealed in an interview with New York Magazine's the Cut that she wakes up before 7 a.m. most days, even while traveling, and makes an important phone call.
"I know this sounds crazy, but I call my bank first thing when I wake up. I have a bookkeeper and a very expensive accountant on Park Avenue, but I write the checks to all of my employees myself," said Miller, who founded the popular horoscope site AstrologyZone in 1995, which now has an annual readership of six million.
"When you're in business, you want a lot of paper trails," Miller said. "I have a photographic memory, so I want to see which checks went through. Sometimes people don't cash them, or they lose it and are afraid to tell me."
Miller also writes horoscopes for eight international fashion magazines and shares her forecasts on her mobile app, Susan Miller's AstrologyZone Daily Horoscope.
After checking with her bank, Miller takes her vitamins and watches a morning news show before heading to Dunkin' Donuts to write by 11 a.m., she said. But her dutiful financial habits don't end there. Miller has an "obsession with beautiful financial records" and finds pleasure in organization.
"Most people who are self-employed have been audited a few times," Miller said. "The last time I said, 'Thank God, you called me,' and the lady said, 'You're glad?' I said, 'I did all this work for you.' I've got colored folders, labeling. My bookkeeper is a Virgo, so she's totally into it. They said, 'Give me all your cash receipts.' And she said, 'This is extraordinary, it adds up perfectly to the penny.'"
Miller isn't the only successful person with a seemingly unusual morning routine. Marla Beck, the cofounder and CEO of beauty-store chain Bluemercury, wakes up at 6 a.m. without the aid of an alarm clock, walks four miles with her husband, and then returns home to read multiple newspapers and test beauty products in her master bathroom - all before leaving for the office.
Experts say the best morning routines are designed to maximize productivity, whether that includes exercise, meditation, journaling, eating a hearty breakfast, or micromanaging your finances.