NAME: Rachel Godfrey
AGE: 40
INSTAGRAM HANDLE: @therachelgodfrey
JOB TITLE: Co-Director Chase Life Consulting
MOVED TO THE UAE IN: July 2017
I’m a former physio and professional trainer, and for the last 18 years I have launched and ran several health and performance consulting businesses. Most recently, I co-founded Chase Life Consulting, where I specialise in working with senior female executives and entrepreneurs, helping them to get into their best shape, boost their confidence, and build a healthy brain and body. The key is supporting them to elevate their energy, productivity, and influence, without creating more overwhelm and exhaustion or having to compromise their professional success.
4.30 AM: Rise and shine! It’s funny that the “4am” wake up is seen as hard core but honestly, I do it to be selfish! It’s “my time!”. I get up, have a coffee in peace, read, study or answer urgent emails. I go to the gym 3x a week or take a walk before the kids wake up at 6.15am. My children are 3 and 5 so school days have to run on military timing for us to leave the house at 7am. But everyone knows their role now and it works well for all of us.
8 AM: I work from home so usually breakfast is around 8. Either eggs, steak or whatever was left over from the night before – always whole foods and protein- based. Shower, dress and at my desk by 9am.
9 AM: Starting work, I always do the ONE big thing first, which I identify the day before. Usual tasks include building or optimizing funnels; recording podcasts, creating content, meetings with clients or with our team, and all the admin that goes along with being a business owner e.g. finances, tax, payroll etc.
I work in blocks of 40 minutes then take a 5 minute break and take a walk outside before the next block. It’s the most efficient way of working that I have found in 18 years as a business owner. Condense your time and more gets done! I’ll sneak in a coffee in this 3hr work block and a few walks before lunch.
12 PM: Lunch – Usually a “here’s one I made earlier”. I do a lot of batch cooking so there is always food in the fridge. Weather permitting, I go outside to walk and listen to some client messages and reply. If I have meetings I put them in this slot where possible so I can walk and talk. I only get around 4hrs of structured work time a day, I have to be utterly ruthless with my time, delegate to the team and only do the things that move the needle.
1 PM: Back at my desk. Tackle my emails and finish off the daily tasks, plan my next day’s work or any urgent “must dos” for the evening, before heading off to get the kids from school. I intentionally arrive at school early so I can have another 10 minutes of alone time, reply to IG messages etc. Small pockets of quiet time are my saviour to be honest and I have manufactured my day to get them in.
3 PM: Take the children to afterschool activities or come home to play. There are some days where I have to work from a café if I need to hit a deadline. Once the kids come home from school it’s game over for work since I have glass doors to my office and they can see me! We all eat around 5pm. Then the bath, bed, chaos ensues!
6 PM: Children are in bed by 6.30PM which leaves an hour for my husband and I to catch up, finish work and prep for bed. Over the years with a never ending to do list, I realised the work is never done. So, once I have done the ONE thing for the day and any urgent admin the laptop is closed. I no longer work into the evening. The quality of work was poor and it compromises my health and performance.
8 PM: In bed to read and lights out usually soon after. Not very rock and roll!