How 5 Successful Women Start Their Workday

As we all know, a female CEO’s morning looks a little something like this: She glides through an expansive lobby balancing her phone in one hand and a gargantuan espresso-based beverage in the other, Ferragamos clacking against the polished marble. She power-poses her way up in the elevator. Her pristine blowout moves as though it’s a single entity. She tosses her trench on an assistant’s desk because she has places to be and skirt suits to wear and conference calls with Shenzhen that aren’t gonna make themselves.

Okay, so maybe we’ve been watching a little too much primetime ABC, ’cause the real lady bosses we know and Coveteur look nothing like a walking Fortune cover, and their morning routines look nothing like Olivia Pope’s. We chatted with five women-in-charge on how they actually spend the first 30 minutes of their workdays (read: guzzling coffee and getting shit done).

Katherine Power, Cofounder And CEO, Clique Media Group

What does the first half-hour of your workday usually look like? I’m up every day by 5am to work out, but I try not to look at my phone until I finish my workout, otherwise I will run late. Once I look, I’m working, but as a CEO and founder, you’re never not working.

What’s one thing you always like to check off your to-do list first thing in the morning? Why? A scroll through the various social networks. If I don’t do it early, I won’t get a chance for the rest of the day.

If there’s a day that requires you to be particularly creative, how do you go about getting that jolt of inspiration right off the bat? For me, a workout and some green tea are all I need to perform at 100%, mentally. I work out more for my mind than my body at this point.

Any a.m. advice for fellow lady bosses? I love doing very early calls, especially with people in NY since I am based on the West Coast. I start my first call at 7am and love that I am able to get so much done before I even get to the office. Maximizing your time is key, so any time I’m in the car I try to use that time for a necessary call.

Get advice from four other lady bosses at Coveteur.