Do you fancy knowing the daily routine of your favorite women entrepreneur? It must be fascinating to know how our thought leaders spend their time every day. What are their morning routines like? What time do they wake up in the morning? Do they start the day with coffee or tea? When are they most productive? How do they relax?
We all want to know these details in hopes of learning about a hidden productivity or energy secret.
Let’s accept, for many of us, the word “women entrepreneur” brings to mind nothing but aspirational images. The boss lady sipped her morning tea, with her cat-eye-shaped reading glasses on, setting her schedule for the day, and delegating work.
But in reality, being a “women entrepreneur” demands far more energy than many other career tracks. Remember the dialogue from the movie Spider-Man – “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”. It is the same in the case of being a woman entrepreneur.
As a woman entrepreneur you get to dictate and direct your professional life but being in charge of so much necessitates taking on much more responsibility. And this leads to a strict daily routine to keep the work-life balance in place with a happy and effective everyday schedule.
Some Tips for a Healthy Daily Routine
- Get A Decent Amount of Sleep
You may not pay much heed but a full 8-hour sleep (every day!) does wonder to your overall health, mood, and brain activities.
- Read More!
Stressed or not, reading helps in calming the mind. It is not necessary to always read business novels or “how to make money” books. You can read Agatha Christie or Jeffrey Archer once in a while to keep your brain at peace and relax your mind from the hustle of daily chores.
- Meet People Who Are Not in Your Transaction List
Yes! The most important thing in life is to have people around you who love you without conditions. It can be your parents, friends, kids, or a mentor. What is important is to meet people you love to spend time with and without the stress of closing the deal.
- Get into Your Yoga Pants
If not daily, try once a week at least. Yoga or any other kind of exercise will not only keep you fit but will release the stress hormones out of your body. And believe us, you would love to sweat a little for no reason related to share markets.
- Coffee Time!
When you need to kick into gear, there’s nothing that a good cup of coffee can’t help with. And if possible don’t take the support of your house help. Making a perfect cup of coffee is an art and during the process, you will get time to think about your next task at hand. It’s a win-win!
Talking about a healthy daily routine, why don’t we hear it directly from the leaders themselves. Here’s a curated list of comments made by successful women entrepreneurs about their daily routines, what they love to do on a day-to-day basis, and how they manage to be on top.
Here’s what they say:
Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook
“I walk out of this office every day at 5:30 so I’m home for dinner with my kids at 6:00, and interestingly, I’ve been doing that since I had kids. I did that when I was at Google, I did that here, and I would say it’s not until the last year, two years that I’m brave enough to talk about it publicly. Now I certainly wouldn’t lie, but I wasn’t running around giving speeches on it.”
Beyoncé, Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Director, Humanitarian, And Record Producer
“I’m starting to live and pay attention. The one thing I’m trying to learn is time management. It’s the hardest thing for me. Taking my time, and doing things at a slower pace… It’s hard because I have to plan, but I’m working it out, I’m going to get there… My daughter has been my balance.”
Oprah Winfrey, Talk Show Host, Television Producer, Actress, Author, And Philanthropist
“For me, a perfect day is not just one thing; it’s a series of small things. It’s the crisp air on your face when you open the door in the morning, the reflection of mountains and clouds in a crystal lake. It’s paying attention.”
Ellen DeGeneres, Comedian, Television Host, Actress, Writer, And Producer
“It’s hard, but you have to make time to take care of yourself. Only after you’re taking care of yourself can you take care of other business.”
Tabitha Britt, Founding Editor-in-Chief of DO YOU ENDO, Managing Editor & Director of Social Media at Mighty Scribes
“I’m a total night owl, but I’ve noticed that my sleep quality has plummeted since grad school. To help, I’ve started to set timers for myself (think Pomodoro method) for my ‘night work.’ So, 30 minutes for email, 30 minutes for freelance work, etc. This way, I can make sure I get my eight hours in without feeling guilty for ‘skipping’ something on my to-do list.”
Lori Cheek, Founder/ CEO, Cheekd
“I’ve learned that the best way to get things done efficiently is to schedule everything. Put even the smallest of tasks on your calendar and if you don’t complete it, keep rescheduling it until you can mark it as completed. It can sometimes make your schedule appear overwhelming, but once you start knocking things off the list, it feels pretty productive. Also, When I get to my desk, I organize my workspace. Having a clean workspace helps me focus and feel structured. After I organize everything, I settle in with a cup of coffee and try to relax for 15 minutes before diving into the hustle. Then, I prioritize my day’s to-do list and map out the rest of my day!”
Courtney Barbee, Co-owner/COO at The Bookkeeper
“I’ve found effective email management to be key to my productivity. Every morning, I set myself 15 minutes at the start of the day to get to an empty inbox. I delete everything non-essential, respond to any emails which can be handled in a minute or two, and then assign everything else to ‘To-Do’ folders (marketing, client needs, etc.). This helps me organize my day and block time efficiently. (For instance, instead of jumping between clients, I block out two hours to work on one client, and include everything in my email ‘To-Do’ folder for them.) I have so many meetings, calls, and staff questions throughout the day, that this little bit of time each morning does wonders to prevent my emails and action items from piling up while I’m away from my desk.”
Sabine Josephs, Resumes for Women
“I set a calendar reminder on my phone for 3 PM each day that says, ‘You are a strong woman. Keep an eye on your goals and keep pushing forward. Never, never give up.’ I’m a busy stay-at-mom, wife, and entrepreneur so things can get pretty hectic throughout the day, but whenever that alarm goes off, I stop what I’m doing and read it out loud. It keeps me motivated and on the route to my goals.”
Leah Busque, founder and CEO of TaskRabbit
“I wake up every morning and think to myself, ‘How far can I push the company forward in the next 24 hours?’”
