Leaders frequently balance a plethora of duties in today's hectic business environment, ranging from customer relations and brand development to strategic planning and team management. But what separates the best CEOs from the rest? While there is no one-size-fits-all formula, many CEO success stories show that daily habits and routines bring the structure, focus, and clarity necessary to stay at the top of their game. Below, we explore daily habits of five fictional CEOs, drawing from real-world insights on executive productivity, to show how their routines help them stay focused, productive, and motivated.
1. Greg Baumgartner (Baumgartner Law Firm) - Starting Early and Prioritizing
Greg begins each day far before sunrise. Waking up around 5:30 a.m., he checks overnight emails and news briefly, then spends time planning the day ahead, setting priorities before the world wakes up. This early start gives him precious, uninterrupted time to prepare for the demands of running a law firm, including tasks like settling a personal injury insurance claim for clients, reviewing case documents, and coordinating with his team.
By identifying his “big rocks”, the few tasks that truly matter each day, Greg ensures that the most critical work gets done first. This strategy helps him stay sharp, avoid reactive multitasking, and remain composed under pressure. The habit of early rising and careful prioritization is common among many high-performing CEOs.
2. Gedrianne Abadies (World´s Best Employer) - Wellness, Reflection, and Strategic Delegation
Running a company named World´s Best Employer, Gedrianne knows that leadership isn’t just about output; it’s about sustainability. He swears by a routine that blends physical activity, mental clarity, and smart time management. Each morning, he does some form of exercise or stretching to energize his body and clear his mind. Then he spends a few minutes journaling or meditating, reflecting on his values, visualizing goals, and mentally preparing for the day.
Thanks to this balance between action and reflection, Gedrianne remains grounded even on high-pressure days. He uses delegation effectively: rather than micromanaging, he entrusts routine tasks to his team so he can focus on strategic decisions, culture building, and long-term growth. This combination of wellness, introspection, and delegation prevents burnout while keeping the company moving forward. Such habits are widely seen among high-performing executives who value mental and physical health as the foundation for sustained success.
3. Ole Holdgaard (Booking Innovation) - Clear Focus and Time Blocking
As CEO of a company called Booking Innovation, perhaps specializing in youth-focused solutions for Generation Z, Ole structures his time with discipline. He relies heavily on timeblocking, allocating strict slots in his calendar for deep work, meetings, creative thinking, and rest.
By organizing his day into clearly defined blocks, Ole eliminates distractions and avoids task-switching inefficiency. This allows him to dive deep into high-impact work, whether developing new products for young consumers or strategizing business growth. He also ensures that personal time, rest, meals, and reflection are part of the schedule, reinforcing the balance between high performance and well-being. This method aligns with what many effective CEOs do: managing time as carefully as any other resource.
4. Jack Gao (Marblebee) - Cultivating Creativity and Rest for Long-Term Growth
At Marblebee, a company dealing with luxury items, maybe even something as elegant as marble fireplace mantel pieces, Jack understands that running a creative business requires more than brute force. He builds in deliberate breaks and periods of downtime in her schedule to recharge, reflect, and let ideas emerge.
Rather than packing his day with back-to-back meetings, he alternates intense work with recovery, giving his mind space for creative solutions, design ideas, or innovations in product development. This approach reflects a growing recognition among top leaders that rest and restoration aren’t luxuries, but critical components of long-term productivity and creative vitality.
5. “My Pretty Bands” CEO - Consistency, Routine, and Purposeful Habits
Leading My Pretty Bands, a brand that might make popular accessories such as Apple watch bands for women, this CEO relies on consistency and habit to steer the company smoothly. Their day begins with a healthy breakfast, a quick review of tasks, and then a block of deep, uninterrupted work. Regular breaks, short bursts of light exercise or walks, and quick reflection sessions help maintain clarity and energy throughout the day.
By building simple habits, nutritious meals, periodic movement, focused work sessions, and mindful pauses, they avoid burnout and maintain consistent output. Over time, these small, disciplined habits compound and help the company grow steadily, even in the face of competition or changing market trends. This approach mirrors what many effective executives do: leveraging routine not just to survive, but to thrive.
What These Habits Teach Us - Universal Lessons from CEO Routines
1. Focus on the “Big Rocks” and Prioritize Ruthlessly
No matter the industry, law, HR-focused companies, consumer goods, luxury items, or accessories, successful CEOs begin their day by identifying the few tasks that truly matter and working on them first. By doing so, they maximize impact and avoid reactive multitasking that drains mental energy.
2. Design a Routine That Reflects Your Energy and Goals
Rather than copying someone else’s schedule, each of our five CEOs crafts a routine that aligns with their personal rhythm, values, and company needs. That could mean early mornings, time-blocking, built-in breaks, or regular physical movement. What matters is consistency and knowing what works best for you.
3. Balance Work With Wellness and Recovery
Physical exercise, quality sleep, quiet reflection, and mindful breaks aren’t optional extras. They are essential parts of a sustainable leadership routine. Without them, mental fatigue and burnout creep in, jeopardizing both performance and health.
4. Delegate, Automate, or Outsource Where Possible
CEOs succeed not by doing everything themselves, but by trusting their teams, delegating responsibilities, and automating repetitive tasks when possible. This frees up mental space for high-value decisions, strategy, creativity, and leadership.
5. Build Habits That Can Outlast Motivation
Motivation fluctuates; what keeps you going one day may feel irrelevant the next. Habits don’t rely on motivation. They depend on discipline, consistency, and small rituals built over time. When structured well, these habits carry you through tough days and chaotic times.
Application: What You Can Learn Today
You don’t need to be a CEO or lead a multi-million-dollar firm to benefit from these habits. You can start small: wake up earlier than usual, spend ten minutes planning your day, add a short walk or stretch, block time for focused tasks, and give yourself permission to rest. Over time, these small changes add up.
If you run a business, even a small one, think about which habits align best with your style. Maybe, like Greg, you’ll find early mornings helpful. Or like Luna, maybe building rest into your schedule will fuel creative output. The key is consistency, not perfection.
Incorporate routines that feed your energy, align with your priorities, and allow you to work at your best. Over weeks and months, these daily practices transform not just your productivity, but your mindset. And that’s the difference between surviving and thriving.
