HISMD: Medical Oncologist (MD)
Partner. Three kids (9yo, 8yo & 6yo). Hybrid (4d office, 1d WFH). Western NY.
This "How I Structure My Day" Series started from an Instagram post I did about my own life, under which a woman asked if it would be possible to see how women working a more full-time, traditional job did it. I asked women to share, and, man, have people responded. The goal is to show how women from different industries, with and without kids, with and without partners, with family living with/near them and not, wfh to 1+ hour commutes, etc. structure their day. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I do!
The Snapshot
Partner: Yes
Children: Yes – 9yo, 8yo & 6yo
Hybrid: Office M-Th, most Fridays are WFH/off
Location: Western NY
Typical Morning
5am wake up to work out (some days go to the Y, sometimes workout at home).
Shower and get ready at 6:30 and try to be done by 7:15 to be available to help 3 kids wake up, eat, get ready for school.
Bus comes at 8:05, then I’m off to work.
Morning "Make Life Easier" Hacks
My husband leaves before me in the AM (around 6:30), but the night before he preps the coffee, and in the AM, he gets their lunches ready. In the winter, he gets winter gear prepped for school before he leaves.
We let the kids make their own breakfast (have a few easy options available all the time).
Transition from personal life-mode into work mode
Sip on coffee and listen to a podcast on the 15-40 minute commute (2 days commute is 15 minutes, 2 days it’s 40 minutes).
A work day tends to look like
See patients in clinic all day.
Sometimes a meeting at lunch or after clinic.
Often do afternoon Zoom meetings in the car on the way to kid activities.
I try to see more patients in the morning and fewer in the afternoon so I have time for wrap-up at the end of the day which is incredibly helpful.
Lunch/Snacks
I’m constantly snacking
Lunch at noon-ish
Breaks
What are those?
Leaving Work
Done in clinic at 3:30, try to leave between 3:45 and 4:00. Rarely have to stay later.
Transitioning from Work to Personal Mode
I’m pretty good at compartmentalizing and can shut work mode down pretty quick! I’m usually so happy to be done, ha
Typical Afternoon/Evening
Every weekday is different but is mostly driven by kid activities.
Sometimes have kid activities before dinner, sometimes after, sometimes both.
We try to eat dinner all together 3-4 nights, and then sometimes “special” solo dinners with 1-2 kids the other weeknights.
Sometimes I read (or begrudgingly do work) during kid activities. Other times, I like to chat with the other parents.
Kids get 30-60 mins of screens after dinner and before bed, and I usually unwind at this time, too.
I get ready for bed at the same time as my kids, and usually get in bed shortly after them. I read, scroll, sometimes fall asleep watching a show on the iPad
Afternoon/Evening “Make Life Easier” Tips
Having set expectations is really helpful. Kids shower every other night and get a set amount of screen time. Less struggle about showers and less struggle about screens when the “rules” are clear. We bend the rules sometimes, of course, but have pretty consistent expectations.
Nightime non-negotiables
Clean up kitchen
Start dishwasher every night (and unload it every morning).
Outsourcing
Yes! Housekeeper comes every 2 weeks.
Our kids were doing after care at their school but we just hired an after-school babysitter to get them off the bus, give them a snack, start homework, supervise until we get home 1-2 hours later. Might start having the babysitter drive the oldest to some activities, too.
Exercise/Body Movement
Probably 5-6 days a week. Walk/run on treadmill twice, weights 3 times, and a lot of skiing this winter.
Anything extra the share-er wants to share
Calendaring everything, and sending invites to my partner so he is in the loop, is the only way our 3 kids could each do multiple activities and not have my stress level off the chart! Cannot stress enough how helpful this is.
That’s a wrap for this one!
Thank you so much to this woman for generously sharing.
A reminder of the ground rules to ensure women continue wanting to share about their days and feel safe doing so.
Encouraging comments always welcome!
If you have questions or even hang-ups about what someone shared, you are welcome to ask a question for the sharer in the same kind, genuinely curious way you would if you were looking at that woman in her eyes. She might respond through me.
If comments are judge-y or mean-spirited, I reserve the right to delete comments. I can handle being criticized about my own work here (and even still, to a degree – I’m also a person), but I go into full mama bear mode when people come after my people – including women who are being vulnerable and sharing in the first place.
Thanks to the vast majority of people who are so kind!
New here? Welcome!
I’m Kelly Nolan, an attorney-turned-time management strategist and mom of two. I teach the Bright Method, a realistic time management system designed for professional working women. In addition to this fun new series, I share bite-sized time management strategies on Instagram. Thanks for being here!
After experiencing overwhelm as a young patent litigator in Boston, I figured out a time management system to help me show up in the ways that I wanted to at work and at home – without requiring my brain to somehow magically remember it all. I now teach other professional working women how to manage their personal, family, and career roles with less stress and more calm clarity using realistic time management strategies. My system, the Bright Method, has been featured in Bloomberg Businessweek, and my work has been published in Forbes, Fast Company, Business Insider, and more. Learn more on my website, come learn bite-sized strategies with me on Instagram, or jump into my free 5-day program.
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