Business Mindset Coach Kate Rocco on Cultivating Intentional Routines

Welcome back to the Productivity Giants Series, where we tell the stories of some successful people in the SaneBox community.

Kate Crocco is our next guest! She’s a mother, business mindset Coach, trained psychotherapist, author, and podcast host. Her mission? To help female business owners shatter the lies that hold them back from success.

Kate has lots of experience helping others work through creative blocks and step into the best versions of themselves, so we were curious to hear how she show ups every day for herself. Read on for the full interview!

On morning routines

I absolutely love mornings! Not because I enjoy waking up before the sun rises, but because of how accomplished I feel after. I wake up each morning between 5:00 – 5:20am. I grab a cup of coffee and read my morning devotional and then spend a good hour working writing. My mind is sharpest first thing and words flow so easily! I also have limited distractions because everyone else is still sound asleep in the house. I’ll then spend another 20 minutes or so, if the kiddos are still asleep, sorting emails and knocking little tasks out of the way.

Once kiddos are up, the circus begins! A mindset that has really served me is asking myself “What is my biggest priority right now?” And whatever that might be, goes FIRST. So number one for me has always been a faith foundation and why I begin with a devotional. Then my next priority is writing my next book, so as badly as I sometimes want to catch up on other things or even just sleep in, I remind myself how good I will feel if I put my #1 priority first. I can assure you that if you do the same, you will get to where you want to go so much faster. I also suggest having something to look forward to to pull you out of bed if waking up isn’t easy for you! For me, it’s setting up my pot of coffee the evening before, so as soon as the alarm goes off, I hit the button and coffee is brewed in three minutes or less!

On saving time

With each task you attempt, ask yourself, “Is this necessary and is this getting me closer to my goal?” If we aren’t mindful of the tasks we are doing, we can easily spend a good deal of our time on phone calls or saying yes to things that really don’t need our attention or can easily be delegated.

On her best email tips

Learn to get good at saying, “Let me get back to you.” You never owe anyone an answer right away. I would rather have some time to send a thoughtful response, than to send something back prematurely or while distracted.

On rediscovering productivity

I allow myself to take a break and not force the work if it isn’t flowing. I will catch up on other little tasks and save the big task for when my focus comes back. And just know, if you don’t force it, it will ALWAYS come back.

On her best investment

Outsourcing the tasks that I am really bad at, take way too much of my time, and leave me feeling frustrated. By doing this, it allows me to only work within my zone of genius and in turn, make a greater impact in my business and future.

On defining productivity

Being intentional in all that you do. Only doing the tasks that are absolutely necessary and that will move the needle ahead for you. We so often do things because we feel we need to, have to, or should, when often these tasks don’t really need our attention.

On life hacks

Make as many decisions ahead of time as possible, so you can limit them day to day. For instance, I always wake up at 5am to write, I use the Cladwell app to choose my daily outfit for me, every day I make a shake for lunch, etc.

On the power of saying no

Things that aren’t propelling me forward. I ask myself, “Do I really want to do this? Or is it out of scarcity or fear of missing out?” That makes my answer super clear.