Mornings are hard. Mornings are early. But mornings are, it seems, where some of the most successful women make things happen. You might not consider yourself a morning person, but after reading some of these quotes from incredible, powerhouse women about how THEY utilize the AM, you might change your mind.
We asked six hustling women — coaches and entrepreneurs, all — to share their morning routines: how they stay focused, manage time, maintain mental and physical health, and generally dominate the workforce. Ready to take your business to the next level? Take a page from six powerhouse entrepreneurs and start your day right. Time to rise and shine!
Embrace Your Season
Cassandra Shuck, Business Strategy Coach & Entrepreneur, tells us how she manages her early work schedule with a new baby — an exciting new season, yes, but a challenge nonetheless for many new working moms. “Right now, I am in a season of life where my routine is dictated by my 10 month-old,” she says, “but there are a few things I consider to be nonnegotiable. When I wake up, I choose not to open my phone for the first hour and spend time in quiet meditating, listening to inspirational podcasts, or journaling. From this space of quiet inner reflection, I create a list of no more than six ‘tasks’ I want to accomplish for the day.
“They can be personal tasks, like going to the gym, or running to Target, or they can be business-related tasks, like paying employees or coaching calls — but they all go on one list. Once I have fully soaked up these quiet moments, I open the windows to let the light in, pour myself a big coffee, and get started on my list until my daughter wakes up!”
Feed Your Mind
Shana Recker, Business Mindset Coach, explains how her mornings are defined by strategizing her goals with gratitude. “My morning routine varies throughout the week, but always starts with either a trip to the gym with my hubby or writing my gratitude list. I then take a few minutes to visualize my main goal, spending some time seeing it as already done. Then I get up, brush my teeth, grab a sweater, and head down for coffee.
“Once the coffee is ready and in hand, I head to my computer and do my studying. I’m currently a student of Bob Proctor’s Thinking Into Results, and I use this early time do my work which requires watching a video and journaling about my goals and vision for my future. I try and also get out my Instagram post for the day here too, but that doesn’t always make the list depending on how smoothly everything is going. Kids get up and the day begins!”
Know What Works for You
Maghon Taylor, Calligrapher & Entrepreneur, relates to our own ‘mornings are early‘ problem, and she points out that sometimes — you have to do what works for you, not what works for someone else.
“I am actually not a morning person! I don’t set an alarm. My husband works third shift so I wake up when he gets home around 7 AM followed shortly by my 19-month-old son. I head to the gym three days per week for a boot camp workout! And then I am upstairs working until the early afternoon. I am much more of a night owl than an early bird! That’s when I usually have my best ideas, time to read, journal, unwind and reflect.”
Carve Out Time for You
Kate Crocco, Confidence Coach, is not above some parental strategies to make sure she builds time for herself amidst her morning momming. “My morning routine is always bending with the seasons of life. My mornings used to consist of solely me-time, and recently I’ve learned to tune out all noise to achieve this inner peace. And the way I do this? Elmo — aka, 60 minutes of uninterrupted time for me to read my morning devotional and sip my coffee while my toddler enjoys herself.”
Prioritize Sleep
Stacy Tuschl, Business Coach & Podcaster, reminds us that while structure and routine are helpful, sometimes flexibility makes for a healthier (and more successful) schedule.
“I wake up between 5 and 6 AM,” she explains. “It is more important to me that I get eight hours of sleep than it is what time I wake up. This morning I got up around 5:20 AM without an alarm and I laid in bed for a few minutes and thought of everything I was grateful for.
“After that, I head to my office and do a 15-minute meditation. I then do some sort of personal development like reading or listening to an online training, then I journal things that come up for me. Next is creative time. I use this to write, create podcasts, trainings, blogs, etc. until the kids wake up around 7 AM and then get everyone ready for school.”
Put Your Health First
Jenny Giblin, Therapist & Life Coach, spends her mornings focusing completely on physical and emotional health. Feeling strong and healthy means you’ll be much more efficient when you dive into work, after all. “As soon as I wake up, I remember my daily affirmation, ‘Today is going to be an amazing day,’” she says. “Once I am out of bed, I make hot water with lemon and honey, hot coffee, and drink my beauty water from Sakara. This helps me feel like I am cleansing, re-energizing, and getting an extra splash of hydration all at the same time.
“I always make a smoothie for breakfast but treat myself to something like a gluten-free bagel with almond cream cheese if I am traveling. And while I have coffee and breakfast, I start the day writing a gratitude list that fills up an entire page of my journal every day before beginning my to-do list.”
