Here I’ll share exactly how CEO moms structure their mornings for success to maximize productivity.

If you are looking for a feel-good blog that tells you it is okay to be imperfect, there are already ten thousand blogs that lower the bar for all of us, so go read one of them. This is not one of those blogs.

I am here to tell you that you must maximize your time in the morning if you want to be productive all day long.  

There are a million reasons not to. As a CEO mom with four kids, including a baby who was up teething half the night last night, I know this. And yet, it does not matter. The reasons and excuses have to stop. Or your whole day will be a list of reasons and excuses why you didn’t get done what needed to get done.

Instead of making excuses, make things happen.

How do you do this?

How CEO Moms Structure Their Mornings for Success

1.  Wake up before the kids.

If you have kids who need you in the morning, you must wake up before the kids. I set my alarm for 3:55 AM every day. My first child, who is 8, gets up around 6 AM. These two hours of time by myself are nonnegotiable. If you wake up at the same time as your kids, you’ve already lost control of your day. (You can see my 5-9—well actually 4-9 routine—here.)

2. Include three things in your morning routine.

• Time for spiritual growth (journaling, writing, reading). I do this while I drink my coffee. Being mentally and spiritually strong is a top priority every day.
• Physical exercise. You absolutely must exercise in the morning or there is a strong chance you will not do it. And, if you have not amped up your workout routine recently, I strongly suggest you take steps to double it in the next few months (and you will see your productivity double as well!).
• Time to go the extra mile. This could be doing something like going above and beyond by making something your child loves for lunch, taking out the trash when it is not your chore, doing a random act of kindness, or taking extra time to get ready and feel confident. Usually this takes five minutes but it makes a huge difference in your morale.

3. “Goal block” your morning.

Put everything you will do in the morning on your calendar as a reccurring task. You should see my iPhone calendar. Every day starts at 4 AM and 4 AM – 8 AM are completely booked.

However, when you do this, do not just block the time to complete these tasks but also say exactly what you will do during this time. For example, from 5 – 6 AM, it should not say “go running”. Instead, it should say “run 7 miles”.

For more guidance on goal blocking, check out this post.

4. Get into a Day One mindset.

This is especially important if you find yourself dragging (which tends to happen later in the week). Get into a Day One mindset. Tell yourself it is Day One, and you are ready to conquer your goals. If you are wondering how CEO moms structure their mornings for success, mindset is critical. It sets the tone for the whole day.

Let others sleep in, skip the gym, and make excuses.

Not you.

You are going out there and making things happen.