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Successful Australian women share how they stay consistent when life gets hectic

IMAGE VIA @marisa.mu/instagram

WORDS BY NICHOLENE CANISIUS

“Making a conscious effort to do what makes me happy keeps me consistent with ease and gratitude.”

Life’s unpredictability can manifest in various ways, from sudden career shifts to unforeseen health issues, or even global events that may throw off our plans. As someone with a type A personality who loves a good routine, maintaining my emotional equilibrium when life gets a bit messy is something I struggle with. 

As I’ve got older, I’m starting to accept that life is ever-changing, and I can take comfort in the routines, rituals and habits that I know will ground me during uncertain times. The best advice I received was that ‘done is always better than perfect’. This mindset has helped me to prioritise progress and learn to not let life’s curveballs paralyse me.


Interested to hear how others navigate the world? Head to our Life section.


We all start the year with the best intentions but when life inevitably starts to get hectic, our focused routines can fall by the wayside. Looking for sage advice, I asked some successful Australian women; brand founders, CEOs, artists, pastry chefs and stylists, how they navigate the demands of their work and stay consistent when life happens.

Cherie Clonan, CEO of The Digital Picnic

The most important habit I’ve created is centred around what I do with my Sundays – this can make or break my week. As a proudly Autistic CEO, I know that honouring my nervous system is just about the best thing I can do to stay regulated. The Autistic routines I’ve built for myself are there to honour my need for a really well nervous system.

On Sundays, I do a big brain dump of all the things I need to do for the week ahead and then I triage them accordingly. I review my calendar and block time so that my week doesn’t end up wreaking havoc. This can happen easily when you’re working in the C-suite and you don’t block your time. 

I make a plan to prioritise which projects I’ll be working on throughout the week so that I’m laser-focused on bigger things that’ll move the needle, as opposed to a series of really small things. I check the weather and plan my outfits for the week. This brings so much calm to my mornings and frees up more time. I check my bank account, then I look at my budget. 

I spend about 30 minutes getting my inbox to zero so I can roll into Monday feeling really calm. I also schedule all my email replies so I honour my team’s working hours and they don’t receive an unnecessary Sunday email from me. I clean my home, prep a meal plan, go grocery shopping,  then I go all in on self-care, part of that is an early bedtime, which I look forward to all week.

Audrey Allard, pastry chef and owner of Holy Sugar bakery

 

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A post shared by Holy Sugar (@holysugar__)

As a woman in a male-dominated industry, I challenged conventional norms by operating Holy Sugar three days a week. This schedule has kept me consistent and creative and allowed me to recharge between weekends. 

I also removed people from my life who don’t have my best interests at heart. Building intuition has helped me distinguish between friends who empower and support me, and those who hold me back. I’m grateful for a closed-off women’s meditation group, which has helped shift my perspective and sharpen my intuition, especially in the early days of Holy Sugar.

I hit one of many rock bottoms last year, and had an epiphany. I realised I could be the happiest version of myself if I let go of future expectations and lived in the moment, embracing each day as the best time of my life. This was a pivotal point in my career as I started to draw in opportunities from pure passion and joy, rather than blood sweat and tears. Making a conscious effort to do what makes me happy keeps me consistent with ease and gratitude.

Sonali Fernando, fashion stylist and commercial manager

 

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‘Spiralling’ is something I’m well versed in and still struggle with today, however, its familiarity has allowed me to create habits and techniques that I use to work through it. A big one is understanding my ‘why’ and (maybe it’s lame but it’s honest) using self-talk to work through it. I combine this with trying my best to stick to a routine that addresses things I need to function properly. For me, this looks like not skipping pilates, going for a walk near water, eating real food and sleeping enough. As someone who is hyper-independent, I’m working on identifying when I need help and how to ask for it. 

A recent example of all this in practice is when I was booked on a shoot that was a big deal and I had to balance full-time work and housework. All hell quite literally broke loose (spiralling included) and what got me through was the above, and asking my sister for help. 

As for feeling stuck and staying focused, I try to make sure I’m never stagnant and revel in the chaos. This looks like setting realistic goals at the beginning of the year, saying yes as much as possible, spending time with like-minded people, building connections, sending cold call messages and feeling no shame while doing it. 

Bobbi Lockyer, artist

 

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A post shared by Bobbi Lockyer | Aboriginal artist & creative mentor (@bobbilockyer)

As someone who’s neurodivergent, routines and consistency don’t always come naturally to me, so I’ve learned to rely on clear structures to stay on track. Simple tools like setting email and calendar reminders, alarms, journaling, and writing to-do lists help me create a sense of order amid chaos.  

When life feels messy, I focus on breaking tasks into manageable steps, instead of tackling everything at once. This works most of the time, however, sometimes I just have to get it all done at once, which helps clear my mind. 

Allowing myself the freedom to create within these structures is key, I thrive when I have space to explore and connect to my creativity and culture. Painting or walking by the ocean helps me to stay grounded and find my flow again. Creative journaling is my favourite tool to help me map out what’s on my mind and create a clear vision for moving forward. Consistency, for me, is not about perfection but more about showing up in a way that honours my journey, my creativity, and my values, even when life is unpredictable.  

Laura Henshaw, co-founder and CEO of KIC

 

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I try to focus on how I want to feel each day, instead of how I will feel in six months once I have ticked off a goal. This makes it so much easier to be consistent in looking after my body and mind. I know when I prioritise movement, meditation and nutrition, I feel energised and happier and I’m much more productive. 

I take time to reflect on the week every Friday before I finish work. I’ll go through my to-do list, reprioritise tasks based on urgent and higher-impact work for the week ahead and time block accordingly. I then schedule time for things that fill my cup, like movement, mindfulness, social activities and rest, so I can start the next week feeling centred –no Sunday scaries.

Marissa Mu, artist, co-founder and director of Tits and Co

As a full-time artist going into my seventh year, I’ve learnt and conditioned myself to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. This means that despite unexpected hurdles or unwelcome news, heavy deadlines or needing to pay big overheads for shows,  I understand innately that this is all part of the process and a testament to what I’m cultivating within my career and my lived experience.

 

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A post shared by M A R I S A M U (@marisa.mu)

I spend a lot of time in isolation as painting is a solitary practice, however, positive self-talk is a constant and surrounding yourself with friends in the creative industry so you can talk candidly about what’s going on without fear of judgment is paramount. I avoid the deep spirals by being brave enough to talk it through with close friends and have them as a sounding board.

I do a lot of self-talk and perspective check-ins and the majority of it is rooted in checking my privilege, my direct reality and expressing my gratitude. What this means is when I’m on the edge of going into a dark spiral, I talk aloud to myself or sit down and journal about what’s going on and purge it all out as a release. I end these purges by listing and explaining to myself five things I’m grateful for and that always helps me realign and come back to myself. This has saved me countless times. 

Chelsea Morley, creative director of Tiny Disco

 

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I try to do yoga daily, if possible. Finding a yoga studio is similar to finding a therapist you like – you really need to like the vibe. It took me a while but I’ve found my place and it’s kept me centred when life becomes messy. I’m also a mad reader. I didn’t read much in my 20s because I thought it was ‘uncool’ (stupid!) but it’s now a vital part of keeping my mind and creativity flowing.

Going to sleep early and prioritising rest also keeps me consistent when life happens. Last year I set up a daily alarm on my phone for 6:30pm labelled ‘family hug time’. When that alarm goes off, my kids come running shouting “it’s family hug time!” We stand wherever we are and embrace as a family. It’s the most beautiful part of my day and a routine that keeps me grounded. 

If I’m feeling flat, I’ll give compliments to strangers I pass on the street. It’s an instant mood booster to tell someone how gorgeous their outfit is. I also try to get off social media, TikTok especially. We all need a reprieve from the bonkers state of social media. Listening to music loudly is another thing I do when feeling stuck. Rule: it needs to induce goosebumps. When I’m craving focus or feeling overwhelmed, I write a single word on a Post-it note and stick it somewhere in my office as just one thing to work on. This year, it’s DELEGATE.  

For more on the habits of successful Australian women, try this.

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