CEO and successful entrepreneur Audrey Gelman is frequently asked about how she spends her day and manages the stressors of a high-powered job. While she doesn’t prescribe to waking up at three or four in the morning like some CEOs, she does enjoy an early morning routine. She and her husband are usually out the door at 6:45. They frequently eat at a local diner for breakfast, during which time they avoid their phones and focus on conversation. After breakfast it’s time to work. She often takes a rideshare to the office, which gives her a chance to read relevant news, respond to emails, and listen to business podcast favorites.
Once she arrives at work, then she does not take a break until after a quick family dinner. She suggests people fully commit to their work to reap the most rewards and is fully invested in every workday. And she recommends positivity and passion. She divides her days into internal or external segments, where she might be focused on staff and strategy internally or will have a day of outside meetings. To conquer her inbox, she relies on the help of her assistant. They work from a color-coding system that puts emails into more than 50 different categories, including top-priority messages. She’s found it’s an ideal strategy for preventing bottlenecks and reduces her time spent answering messages, so she can concentrate on staff discussions and her company’s direction.
She also spends time getting to know customers on a personal basis, whether it’s over coffee or through Zoom, and relies on these interactions for inspiration. And she takes the time to perform and understand the various non-CEO roles at her company, so she develops a deeper appreciation for everyone’s unique role.
To relieve stress, Audrey Gelman participates in supports circles. These groups discuss pressure, the problems with perfectionism, and the struggles of working moms. She recommends workers find some type of support group that enables them to open their feelings and develop some fellowship with others. This helps her to stay at peak performance and make clearer decisions. At the end of her busy day, she resists the urge to accept nighttime invites for drinks or dinner. Instead, she enjoys decompressing with her family, taking a relaxing bath, and enjoying some of the latest British TV shows.
