My High-Performance Habits: Working Mom Routines for Real Life

You don’t need a perfect morning routine, cold plunges, or 5AM workouts to be a high performer or to feel good about your working mom routines.

As a mom who’s also the CEO of an online business (I’m a marketing consultant, coach other freelancers via my programs like my mastermind, and run a digital product shop!), I love the idea of getting up early and jumping into the day with a workout. One day I’ll get back to this kind of morning routine, and sometimes I do. I love a cold plunge (typically at night for me). But I’ve learned that high performance—especially as a mom and business owner—comes from building habits that actually fit into your real life.

The best working mom routines aren’t rigid. They’re supportive. They meet you where you’re at. If you’re balancing a business, babies, and everything in between, here’s a peek into the working habits that help me stay consistent, focused, and grounded—even on the messiest days.

We can map out your ideal life and take steps to bridge the gap from here to there. But we also need to be realistic about your situation. This is why so much of the personal development and online business advice isn’t conducive to mom life with littles at home. Definitely not if you work and live like I do, with a bit of grandparent help each week but no formal childcare and multiples to chase.

If you’re tired of productivity advice that doesn’t apply to your current season, here’s a look at the habits that help me stay focused, grounded, and consistent… without burning out.

Is it chaotic? Yes.

But it’s also the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.

Watch my Working Mom Routines

Prefer to watch / listen? Get the unfiltered chat here on YouTube…

A breakdown of my top working mom routines for high performance

I aim for 5AM, but it’s not a requirement

Yes, I try to wake up at 5AM. It gives me quiet, focused time to start my day before everyone needs something from me. But the truth is, it doesn’t always happen, and that’s okay.

I’m still in a season of not consistently sleeping through the night (although we are getting better!). My littles may need me, and on those days I turn off my alarm.

Most importantly, instead of tying my identity to whether or not I checked the “early wake-up” box, I’ve created rhythms that support me no matter what time I start. High performance isn’t about waking up early. It’s about how you use the time you have, knowing when you work best, and trying to tap into that energy or flow to make the most of each window.

On the days I do get to wake up at 5AM and start my work day, I always do a few things:

• water first
• journal, duh
• the most important work tasks on my list

And honestly? I’ve noticed that at the end of this work block, my attention wanes. It’s harder to focus after pouring everything into my work for a couple of hours. A break feels natural now, so I log off and start Mom Duty for the morning.

I build my day around rhythms, not rigid blocks

I’m through and through a time blocking girlie. When I first discovered this style of time organization, I went a little overboard. Everything was time blocked. It was so helpful to see when I could actually fit tasks into my calendar versus working off an endless to-do list that was totally unreasonable.

Now, my routine isn’t time-blocked down to the minute. That just doesn’t work right now because I can and will get interrupted. While I use time blocks to plan often, and to get a general idea of how my weeks and days can break down, I can’t rely on those reserved blocks.

Instead, I follow flexible rhythms that help me move through the day with intention, even when things don’t go as planned. That might look like morning coffee and journaling yoga on my mat… But the timing can flex depending on my sleep, kids’ needs, and energy levels.

Consistency doesn’t have to mean rigidity.

I match my tasks to the type of time I have

This was one of my major game-changers for my productivity since becoming a mom. I was already aware of when I worked best, and now I pay attention to how everyone around me is doing too. With this information, I can organize my day around different types of time:

• Deep focus time → When I don’t have to worry about anyone else, I get a solid work block. This is when I do my best thinking, strategy, writing, and creative work. The things I don’t want to be interrupted during.
  
• Light work time → When my kids are with me, but playing independently, I may sneak in some quick tasks that I can drop at any time. Things like admin tasks, content repurposing, simple outlines, project status check-ins.
  
• Background time → This is when my kids are with me, but they’re sometimes independent and sometimes now. I’ll send client voice notes, do some light project planning, listen to podcasts or webinars. My kids always watch webinars with me. Right now, they’re learning a lot about online business and how AI is changing the game.

Instead of trying to force myself into focused work during chaotic moments, or not giving my kids the attention they deserve, I make my work fit around our days. This makes me far more productive, and less frustrated because I change expectations to fit my family’s needs.

I know my priorities every week / day.

When I sit down to work, I already know what matters most that day. I don’t even need to think about it because it’s all pre-determined in ClickUp. This is thanks to my Motive Year template that me and my clients use. When we do goal setting, we also do prioritization to map what needs to happen, and when, in order to hit those goals. That includes getting specific projects and tasks in your project management tools so your tech can tell you what to do.

Fewer decisions = more focus = more impactful work.

From there, I highlight my top ~3ish priorities when I’m planning each week. Whether it’s client delivery, lead generation, or content, I highlight the most important things to do first knowing the rest can wait if it needs to. It doesn’t always need to, but this step releases the pressure to do it all always. This saves me hours of indecision and helps me make substantial progress even when my time is limited.

It’s not about doing everything. It’s about doing the right things with the time you have.

Energy management is a business strategy

This might be the most important shift I’ve made.

I used to think high performance meant squeezing more in. Doing more to achieve more. Now I know it’s about managing my energy so I can stay consistent long-term.

That looks like:

• Moving my body daily. Short workouts count, and varying types. I do Les Mills RPM and Bodypump in my garage gym. Targeted core workouts and pilates or yoga. And we hike a lot.
• Drinking water and eating real meals made from whole foods. I cook 95% of our food from scratch, including all our breads and baked goods.
• Swapping scrolling for reading or another actually restful activity. Scrolling is such a waste of time and energy.
• Forgiving myself when I’m low-energy, and adjusting accordingly. For example, turning off my 5AM alarm after a rough night, or doing a lower impact workout on long days instead of a scheduled weight session.

These aren’t glamorous habits. They’re sustainable ones. And they help me protect my capacity so I can keep going even when life is full.

The more I protect and support my energy, the more capable I feel even when things are chaotic. Because things are often chaotic with tiny humans around.

I stick to a few non-negotiables

Sometimes shit hits the fan and we need to completely change course. That’s okay because I know what my weekly priorities are, and often look at the week as a whole in terms of progress tracking, not just an off day.

These habits ground me, even on the messy days:

• Movement of any kind… even if it’s trapping my littles in the wagon to go for a walk together. Fresh air can fix almost anything!
• Water. Always water. Like maybe you don’t need to burn everything down… you just need enough water and a little rest.
• Re-centering when I lose momentum. Revisit my why, my goals, and the progress I’ve made so far. Motivation comes from inside you, and this is how you channel it.

I treat my routine as a support system. Not a test I need to pass.

Above all, I don’t aim for perfection. I aim for progress that’s sustainable. Nobody is perfect, so why would I waste my time trying to be something unattainable?

I redefined what high performance means to me

As a working mom, high performance looks different. And being a high performer doesn’t mean I’m always on. It means I’ve built systems, habits, and a mindset that let me show up sustainably. Even during hard days (weeks?).

Your high-performance working mom routine doesn’t need to match anyone else’s. It just needs to work for you, in this season, with your actual life.

Want to build a real-life high-performance working mom routine?

Of course, you can try my ideas. But what will be more impactful is if you build working mom routines that fit your lifestyle, not just copy/pasted from mine. Start with one habit that supports your energy, one clear daily priority, and a lot more grace than you’re probably giving yourself. If you try something from this post, let me know! I’d love to hear how it’s helping.

Start here:

• Choose one habit that supports your energy
• Choose one priority to focus on each day
• Add a whole lot more grace than you’re probably giving yourself

Get started with the Anti-Burnout CEO Schedule.

Get a behind the scenes look at my actual weekly schedule, plus a handful of other things like my to-do list each week and the job description I wrote for myself to stay focused. Learn more and get the free download here.