Designing A Work-life Balance in The Bay Area
A few years ago my Bay Area commute was really getting to me.
One and a half to two hours behind the wheel. Home around seven thirty in the evenings. Never in time for dinner with my family. My little ones already in bed, having also missed them in the morning as I headed off to work early. It was depressing.
Not what I wanted for my life.
Eventually, I worked it out that I’d stay late at the office two nights a week (bringing leftovers for dinner). Then I’d leave early two days a week, so I could be home by five thirty. It made a huge difference.
More time at home with my family, fewer hours in traffic.
And since then, I went on to make it so I could WFH one to two days a week, for the same reasons. Now, when I’m not traveling to my company’s headquarters in Philadelphia, I’m seeing my family a lot more and actually getting to spend quality time with them.
I noticed these changes in my schedule not only improved my time out of the office, but they improved my time on the job as well. Getting to spend more time with my family has made me more present when I’m on the job — better enabling me to listen and mentor, which is a large part of my role. And getting myself more time out of the “trees” more often — away from the drawing board — also…
