HISMD: Senior Director, Business Development (Pharma M&A)

In office (5 days per week with option to WFH up to 2 days per week). 1 child (3 yo). Partner-free. NJ.

Each Thursday, the “How I Structure My Day” series features 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. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do!

Before we get to the good stuff…

Know that if you’re ready to learn a time management system designed for professional working women, the 10-week Bright Method program is open and ready to get you results! Learn all about it here – and send any questions my way! Happy to talk out whether I think it would work for you, your main concerns, timing, etc. Send me a message, and I hope to see you in there!

The Snapshot

• Partner-free

• Children: Yes – 3 yo

• NJ

• In office (5 days per week with option to WFH up to 2 days per week)

Typical Morning:

• M, W, F - 6am at home workout 20min- with alarm (T, Th stretch and nytimes wordle)

• 625 shower

• 635 start breakfast, get tea for myself check school calendar

• 645 daughter wakes

• 645 to 7am get daughter potty, dressed, playing dolls while I finish breakfast

• 7am breakfast

• 730 pack bags for me and daughter

• 735 water cup

• 735 to 750 am play with daughter

• 750 daughter potty

• 755 am shoes on and pack car

• 8am drop off daughter at day care

• 820-825 am at desk at work

Morning "Make Life Easier" Hacks

• I use alarms for getting myself up and reminders for my daughter.

• I set out clothes the night before for my daughter and I. She usually changes her mind.

• I shower night before to save time in am

• Aim to have a clean sink and run dishwasher night before

• Put clean dishes away while start breakfast in am

• I often do makeup in car parking lot at work if don’t have time (depends on daughter’s wake up time)

• I added time to calendars for personal and work prep time after taking Kelly’s course to show I do all the invisible things

Transition into Work Mode

• Podcasts in car to/from work

• Block off work calendar for when I leave at the end of the day

• Don’t take work meetings 5 to 8pm

• Send email to myself of where I left off for work and what’s next steps before leaving

What my work day looks like

• I check work calendar sunday evening to check how busy my week is

• I schedule any transition time or meeting prep in the morning or in between calls to give myself time to prep for next meeting

• Schedule at least 15 min if possible for lunch/break even on busy days

• Night before, after my daughter in bed, I pack my work bag, prep lunch and check calendar for what tomorrow’s schedule looks like

• Typically my 830 to 9am is checking emails prepping for meetings

• Meetings start typically 9am and run thru 5pm

• My days vary and may include in person, zoom/teams meetings and slide preparation work time

• Usually 1 to 2x a month I have an evening call with country outside US so it could be an 8 or 9pm call, I have to prep ahead and make sure my daughter is in bed or has games or tablet or something to occupy her for the 1 hour call

• Above is a best case scenario, sickness or unscheduled day off can throw everything off

Lunch/Snacks

• At my desk whenever I have a break

Breaks

• I aim to schedule calls to end by 45 of the hour and give myself 10 to 15 min to the next call

• I aim to schedule at least one 15 min break for lunch or working session, I can eat while I make slides

Leaving work

• If no calls wrap up by 430pm take notes for next day and leave by 445 or 5pm

Transition out of work mode

• Listen to podcast in car

After work/evening hours

• Typically pick up my daughter between 5 and 520pm

• Have a snack for her ready in car when I pickup

• We head home and start playing with her/connect and then when she’s settled start cooking

• Lately she’s wanted to help Mom so we have a stool she helps chop veggies and get things started

• Eat by 6pm if possible - I utilize meal delivery and grocery delivery or shop on weekends so things are quick to cook protein and just add fresh veggies

• Eat dinner and play

• Start bath by 630 to 645

• Finish bath by 720 to 730 and then wind down and play until 8pm

• While my daughter plays I go back and forth to kitchen to living room

• Aim for bed 830 to 9pm for daughter

• Clean kitchen, living room, pack bags for next day, shower, aim to be in bed by 10pm

Evening Non-Negotiables

• Clean up kitchen

• Run dishwasher

• Check work bag is packed

• Lay out clothes

• Shower etc.

Afternoon/evening “make life smoother” tips

• I plug my phone in across the room so I can’t scroll while I should sleep

• Check alarms are set for next morning

• Started doing meditation app to help me fall asleep that has helped

Sharing the load with a partner

• I don’t have a partner but utilize grandparents for gaps in childcare/daycare closure, illness, work travel

Exercise/Body Movement

• Don’t always get a full undisturbed 20min, so have weights in my room and do workout in corner of bedroom or living room while my daughter plays

Outsourcing

• Do some meal prep and considering adding cleaning

Anything Else the Sharer Wants to Share

• I see others’ schedules and wish I had time on weekends to try a new gym class or more self-care but I just remind myself this is a season and I’m not the mvp right now

That’s a wrap for this one!

Thank you so much to this woman for generously sharing. These publish every Thursday!

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 3-day program.

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