Inside the Unconventional Daily Routine of Sara Blakely
When you think of self-made billionaires, your mind might instantly jump to 4:00 AM wake-up calls, ice baths, and rigid, back-to-back calendar blocks. But Sara Blakely, the iconic founder of Spanx and co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks, breaks almost every standard executive stereotype. She doesn’t drink coffee, she shuns hyper-strict schedules, and she built a billion-dollar empire around a habit known as the “fake commute.”
Blakely’s approach to life and business is defined by authenticity, humor, and relentless creativity. Here is a deep dive into the morning habits, workout routines, productivity hacks, and evening rituals that fuel one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs.
1. Morning Habits: The Art of the “Fake Commute”
Sara Blakely’s morning routine begins relatively normal, but it quickly takes a turn into pure creative brilliance.
No Coffee, Just Green Tea and Smoothies
Unlike many high-powered CEOs who run on double shots of espresso, Blakely has never had a cup of coffee in her life. Instead, she starts her day with a mug of warm green tea mixed with honey and homemade cashew milk. She follows this up with a nutrient-dense green smoothie packed with kale, spinach, romaine, green apple, lemon, ginger, and a blend of chia and flaxseeds.
The Famous “Fake Commute”
Perhaps the most famous aspect of Blakely’s morning routine is her 45-minute drive to nowhere. Early in her career, she realized that her best creative thoughts didn’t happen at a desk; they happened while she was driving. The challenge? She lived just five minutes away from the Spanx headquarters in Atlanta.
Her solution was simple yet radical: she created a “fake commute.” Every morning, she gets in her car nearly an hour before she actually needs to be anywhere and simply drives around Atlanta aimlessly. She uses this quiet time in the car to let her mind wander, talk out loud to herself, process ideas, and solve complex business problems. It was during these solitary drives that some of Spanx’s best marketing campaigns and product innovations were born.
2. Movement and Fitness: Keeping It Fun and Fluid
For Sara Blakely, fitness isn’t about punishment or extreme physical exertion; it’s about energy, joy, and staying mentally clear. She approaches her workout regime with the same flexibility she applies to her business.
Tennis and Social Sports
Blakely is an avid tennis player. She frequently schedules tennis matches into her week, enjoying the combination of quick lateral agility, strategic play, and social interaction. Tennis gives her a high-cardio workout while serving as a complete mental break from business operations.
Yoga and Intuitive Movement
When she isn’t on the court, Blakely incorporates regular yoga sessions into her weekly routine. Yoga helps her focus on flexibility, core strength, and mindfulness. Rather than forcing herself through grueling twice-a-day workouts, she prefers listening to her body—opting for low-impact movement, stretch routines, or brisk outdoor walks when her schedule is exceptionally demanding.
3. Sara Blakely’s Unconventional Productivity Style
Sara Blakely’s success didn’t come from following a traditional corporate playbook. Her productivity style relies heavily on intuition, brain dumps, and strategic delegation.
1. Capturing Ideas in “Notebooks of Madness”
Blakely carries notebooks everywhere she goes. She has kept decades of journals filled with product concepts, comedic observations, business strategies, and doodles. Whenever inspiration strikes—day or night—she immediately writes it down. By constantly capturing micro-ideas, she ensures that zero creative potential goes to waste.
2. “Hiring Your Weakness”
One of Blakely’s foundational productivity rules is to delegate tasks you aren’t good at or don’t enjoy. Very early in Spanx’s growth, she hired a CEO to handle daily operations, logistics, and legal compliance so she could focus entirely on product design, sales, marketing, and brand vision. By delegating her weaknesses, she maximized her time in her true “zone of genius.”
3. Whiteboard Brainstorming
Blakely is a visual and spatial thinker. Instead of typing out strategy decks, her office space is filled with dry-erase boards and large pads of paper. She frequently uses visual mapping to connect ideas, sketch out prototypes, and lay out long-term marketing strategies.
4. Evening Habits and Work-Life Integration
As a mother of four and the wife of entrepreneur Jesse Itzler, family time is central to Blakely’s evening routine. She views her evenings as a hard pivot away from corporate life and into full presence at home.
Celebrating Failure at the Dinner Table
Growing up, Blakely’s father used to ask her and her brother at the dinner table: “What did you fail at this week?” If they didn’t have an answer, he would be disappointed. If they did, he would high-five them.
Blakely has carried this exact tradition into her own home with her four children. During family dinners, everyone shares a recent failure and what they learned from it. This practice reframes failure not as an outcome to be feared, but as proof of trying something new and growing.
Unplugging and Laughter
Blakely prioritizes humor as a stress-relief mechanism. Whether it’s playing games with her kids, dancing around the kitchen, or relaxing with her husband, she leaves business discussions outside the family dynamic as much as possible to give her brain time to recharge for the next day.
Key Takeaways from Sara Blakely’s Routine
- Create space for daydreaming: You don’t need a literal “fake commute,” but set aside 30–60 minutes of uninterrupted time each day where your only job is to think without screens.
- Outsource what drains you: Focus your energy on your unique strengths and delegate or automate the rest.
- Keep a dedicated notebook: Never trust your memory with a good idea; write down thoughts the moment they occur.
- Reframe failure daily: View mistakes as data points and badges of effort, not personal shortcomings.
- Stay intuitive with health: Choose workouts you actually enjoy so that staying active feels like a privilege rather than a chore.