☀️ Morning Routines of a Business Parent: Chaos and Coffee

Let me paint you a picture.

The alarm goes off at 6:00 AM. Before I can even rub the sleep out of my eyes, a tiny human is standing next to my bed asking for breakfast. In the distance, I hear the unmistakable crash of a toy box being dumped. Somewhere between emails and cereal bowls, I’m supposed to become a functional adult and a focused entrepreneur.

Welcome to my morning routine — a carefully managed mess powered by love, hustle, and lots of coffee.

In this post, I’ll take you through the real-life chaos of my mornings, how I’ve structured it (sort of), and the habits that keep me grounded as a business parent trying to do it all.

🌅 6:00 AM – The “Me Time” Myth (and How I Make It Work)

Every productivity book tells you to wake up before your kids. It sounds glorious, right?

But let’s be honest: kids have built-in sensors for when you try to be alone.

Still, I do try to carve out 15–30 minutes of semi-quiet time before the household stirs. What I do depends on how the night went:

If I slept well, I journal or tackle one quick work task

If the baby was up, I stare at the wall with coffee in hand, and that’s okay too

🧠 Key Habit: I don’t check emails first thing. The day begins on my terms, even if it’s just sipping coffee in silence.

🍳 6:30–8:00 AM – Breakfast, Backpacks & Battles

By now, the kids are up. The next 90 minutes are like running a relay race while juggling eggs.

Here’s what this time typically looks like:

Making breakfast (two different requests, of course)

Negotiating outfit choices like a hostage crisis

Packing lunchboxes, signing permission slips

Sneaking in replies to urgent messages from my phone

Putting on Paw Patrol so I can brush my teeth

🎯 Morning Win Strategy: I use a whiteboard checklist for my kids' morning routine. They love ticking things off, and I don’t have to repeat myself 17 times (as much).

📱 8:00–8:30 AM – Carpool + Calls

The school run is often my first real window of focus.

Once the car doors close, I:

Listen to a business podcast

Take a short client call

Record a quick voice memo of content ideas

💬 This is my transition moment—from parent mode to CEO brain. Even 20 minutes in the car can help reset and reframe the day.

🧘‍♀️ 8:30–9:00 AM – The Sacred Reset (Even Just 10 Minutes)

Back home, I pause. Just for a few minutes. No noise. No demands. Just me.

This mini reset looks like:

A 5-minute stretch

Another round of coffee ☕

Setting my top 3 priorities for the day

Why it works:

Creates a mental “clean slate”

Shifts me from reactive to intentional

Centres me before the real work begins

🧠 Pro Tip: I’ve learned that the 10-minute reset is more powerful than forcing an hour-long ritual. It’s sustainable, and that’s what matters.

💻 9:00 AM – Work Mode Activated

Finally, it’s time to dive into the business side of my life. I usually start with:

Reviewing my calendar

Checking Slack or emails

Tackling the highest-priority task while my brain is fresh

But here’s the twist: I plan my work blocks around my energy, not just the clock.

🧠 Personal Rule: No creative work (like writing or recording) until I’ve had 2 full cups of coffee and no toddler interruptions for 15 minutes.

☕ What Keeps My Morning (Mostly) Together

Coffee is a ritual, not just a drink.
I use it as a timer and a treat. I get my first coffee after I’ve helped the kids. My second cup marks the start of work.

I plan the night before.
Clothes laid out. Lunch stuff is ready. A short to-do list in my planner. Future Me is always grateful.

I’ve stopped chasing perfection.
Some mornings are calm. Others are cereal-on-the-floor chaos. I’ve learned to roll with it.

We do “together time” early.
Spending 15–20 minutes really present with my kids (reading or snuggling) fills their cup and makes it easier when I need to step away later.

🙋‍♂️ FAQ: But What If Your Kids Are Still Babies?

Great question.

When I had a newborn, the routine looked nothing like this. There were no blocks of time—just pockets of opportunity.

Here’s what worked then:

Nap-based work blocks (even if only 30 minutes)

Wearing the baby while replying to emails

Forgiving myself daily for unfinished tasks

Asking for help when I needed it (and even when I didn’t)

Now that my kids are older, I’ve built more structure, but the principle remains the same: adapt to the season you're in.

✨ Final Thoughts: Embrace the Chaos

The truth? My mornings aren’t perfect. They’re loud, messy, and constantly shifting. But they’re mine—and they work for our family.

Being a parent entrepreneur doesn’t mean doing more. It means doing what matters, with the time you’ve got, and showing up with heart.

So if your morning feels more like chaos than calm, that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It just means you’re doing it right.

And sometimes, that second cup of coffee is the greatest productivity hack of them all.

✅ Morning Routine Recap