HISMD: Product Manager in Tech

Two kids (4yo & 1yo). Divorced. Partner-free. Hybrid. Australia.

This "How I Structure My Day" series started with an Instagram post I made about my own life, which prompted a woman to ask if it would be possible to see how women working a more traditional, full-time 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: No

• Children: Yes (4 & 1)

• Hybrid

• Australia

Typical Morning

WFH day

• Up by 6 to workout and start my morning chores before the kids get up at 7.

• Then we do breakfast and get ready for work/ daycare. WFH days we can leave a bit later so we usually call my parents on FaceTime for a chat.

• At my desk by 9am.

For office days

• Alarm goes off at 5am to get in a workout, chores and ready for work. I get the kids up by 6:45 and leave at 7:30 for daycare/work.

• In the office by 9.

Both

• Every morning I do my Morning Reset which includes unloading the dishwasher, sorting or starting the laundry, and clearing the floors before we leave for daycare for the robot vacuum.

Morning "Make Life Easier" Hacks

• I have a to-do list I follow everyday with my daily and weekly chores and any task I need to complete. If it’s not on my list, I will forget to do it.

• I prep clothes, backpacks, lunches, breakfast (everything!) the night before.

• My oldest has a list of “jobs” (brush teeth, put on sunscreen, put on shoes, etc.) to do each morning too to keep us on track.

Transition into Work Mode

• Going into the office makes this much easier.

• At home, I try to set up my desk with everything I need before I leave for drop off so I can get straight into it without any distractions at home.

What my work day looks like

• Since I work with international teams, often playing catchup or waiting for another team to get online.

• I work with a lot of different teams so have a lot of meetings.

• I block out my diary for lunch and when I need focus time, as well as leaving early for daycare pickup.

• I try to do my most challenging work in the morning, by the afternoon I lose focus.

Lunch

• My employer encourages us to block out a lunch hour (default in our calendar). I snack between meetings.

Breaks

• Other than lunch, not usually. I rely on my Apple Watch to prompt me to stand up, and usually take that as an opportunity to get a drink or snack. If I find I’m losing focus, I will take a quick break.

Leaving work

• WFH I finish at 5

• In the office I try to leave by 4:15.

• I often have calls after bedtime or answer messages during business hours (but after I’ve finished).

• If I do a lot of out-of-hours meetings, I will start a bit later or log off early. My manager strongly encourages this.

Transition out of work mode

• I am not great at this because I work with international teams and often need to answer messages after work. I also flex my hours a little to accommodate daycare drop off/pick up, so need to check in.

After work hours

• After work is all about my kids, dinner, play and read together before bed.

After kid-bedtime hours

• Once the kids are in bed I have a nightly to-do list to keep things running, includes prep for the next day and just general life admin / cleaning that I do daily.

• I also do a lot of volunteer work which has weekly commitments so I catch up on that.

• Other than that, tv, reading and the unavoidable doom scroll.

Nightime Non-Negotiables

• Every night I tidy the house (small space for the win!):

  • Put away the dishes,

  • Wipe the counters,

  • Charge all the things,

  • Check if the dishwasher needs to be loaded/unloaded,

  • Sort laundry if needed.

• For myself, I shower every night and try to do a quick stretch and apply lotion.

• If it’s a weekday, I’ll layout my clothes.

Afternoon/evening “make life smoother” tips

• I meal plan each week and always choose easy meals and prep much as I can beforehand.

• I always have ready to eat fruit and veg to give myself a bit of time if dinner is running late.

• My oldest has his evening “jobs” which (usually) help things run smoothly.

• I’m trying to be on my phone less so I sleep earlier.

Do you have any general approach or tips for sharing the load at home with a home partner if you have one?

• Get divorced ;)

Outsourcing

• Every couple of months I bulk order some prepared meals from a local company. I freeze them to eat these when my kids are with their dad.

Exercise/Body Movement

• Exercise is a big priority for me. With primary custody, I don’t get a lot of time for myself, so exercise is an escape for me. I try to move my body everyday, even if it’s stretching. I am Peloton obsessed, I do the cycling classes, strength training and stretches

Anything extra the sharer wants to share

• I love scheduling my life admin and feel like it reduces my mental load.

• My employer is very pro-AI and I have started using it in my personal life too. I use it wherever I can to save time and often use it to help optimise my time. I am constantly using it to tweak my schedule.

• Every week I also prep meals for the week, like make all the sauces or spice mixes, chop veggies, slice meat, etc.

• I also chop fruit and veggies for snacks, boil eggs, meal prep breakfast. I’m in such a routine now, it doesn’t take much time each week.

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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