Then I officially sign off between 6 and 6:30 to have dinner with my family. That’s important to me, especially [because] my daughter’s still in elementary school, so this is a young, formative time for her. Then I help her with her homework—I also share this duty with my husband.
I sign back on after my daughter goes to bed, usually about 8:30 or 9PM, to respond to any immediate needs that come in after six. I’ll draft presentations. That’s usually the quiet time when I’m uninterrupted, and I can build presentations or draft contracts, answer emails, etc. I will use this Outlook feature that has the ‘Time Send’ feature, which is excellent because I want to model balance; I want that for my team. If they get an email from me at 9:30 or 10 PM, they may feel inclined to answer it. But I can set that [email] to hit their inbox at 9 AM the next morning, so that I’m not interrupting their evening. I usually go to bed at about 11 unless there’s a major pitch or other deadline that needs my attention. But that’s usually my day.
I’m most effective when I’m organized. I’ll start to feel burnout. So being organized is very important. When I start slipping in that area, I realize that I’m not being as effective as I can be.
Family and career: it’s complicated
I feel overwhelmed when I start to compare. [For example] Should I be spending more time at home? Like that stay-at-home mom who makes fresh bread for her family, and they never eat out? Or that working mom who never misses a game?
If I let myself indulge in those kinds of thoughts, it can be crippling. Truth be told, the only obstacle is in my head. They say, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy,’ and it truly is. You have to prioritize what you need in your career and find a role that aligns with that; only you can determine what’s non-negotiable for your family and set those boundaries.
I could have been a mom in my 20s, but I intentionally chose to wait until both [my husband and my] careers were more established. We had more money. We were a little bit more settled. But I did contemplate that.
Women who were 10 or 15 years older, who I was witnessing in my 20s when I was entering the workplace—I saw sacrifice. And [I thought]—maybe I do need to take a break and find something else or take a break from the workforce [to start a family]. But then I saw that those same women also had a tremendously difficult time reentering the workforce.
I’ve benefited from the sacrifices of the generations before [me]. I was fortunate to work in some environments where there was an expectation that a healthy employee is a person who can contribute in a positive way in all aspects of their life. As an agency, you are your people. You’re not able to retain people because you’ve got high burnout. And dads need time off too. They want to spend time with their family. They need that flexibility as well.