What A Typical Day Looks Like For Two Moms Who Refuse To Choose Between Work And Family
Originally published on May 12, 2016
By: Megan Kelley
Moms Erin Foust and Brit Hadfield work remotely from their homes in Oregon and Florida for the fast-growing startup weeSpring. weeSpring’s social shopping network allows new and expecting parents to collect advice from friends about baby essentials — bottles, strollers, diapers, and more. The company’s policy of keeping meetings to an absolute minimum means employees can enjoy a flexible schedule and make work fit around family (instead of the other way around). Erin and Brit spoke with PowerToFly about how they stay organized, the joy of outdoor adventures with kiddos, and the lifesaver of being able to nurse a baby while working.
Please introduce yourselves to the PowerToFly community.
Erin: I’m the project manager and a graphic designer at weeSpring. I received my BA in Digital Media Design in 2014. I live in Keizer, Oregon, about an hour south of Portland. I am married to my wonderful husband of almost 6 years, and high school sweetheart, Tyler, and we have a 2-year-old son, Liam.
Brit: I’m a graphic designer at weeSpring. I live in sunny South Florida, in Port St. Lucie. I have one child, Owen who keeps me on my toes daily, and he’s barely 11 months. We’re total beach bum water lovers; we spend most weekends outside enjoying everything Florida has to offer.
Describe your typical work day.
Erin: There are lots of moving parts! Emails are first thing in the morning, followed by any issues that arise there. Then it’s the tasks of the day, which can vary greatly. I run our review program, called the Parent Panel and also design and implement our giveaways, usually every six weeks. I make sure everything runs smoothly and keep tabs on brands and forms. I also do some light HTML and CSS coding, including emails.
Brit: My typical work day starts between 4:30–5:00 am, depending on when my son wakes up to nurse. I nurse him and put him back to bed; then I make coffee and begin checking emails. I usually get 2–3 hours of work done before Owen wakes up again around 8:00 a.m. When he gets up, we do breakfast and head out to the gym. By the time we get home, he naps and I get back to work — this time for two hours. When Owen wakes up, we run errands and eat lunch before he’s back down for a nap and I work for another two hours. Then he’s up again, his daddy gets home, and we do cleaning, dinner, a walk, and bedtime. When Owen’s in bed for the night, I check emails or finish up whatever needs to be done that day. Ekkk that sounds exhausting… it’s not as crazy as it sounds.
Do you have any tips and tricks for staying productive outside of an office setting?
Erin: I find it very easy to stay efficient outside of an office because I work extremely well independently. I don’t get distracted easily. I keep a running to-do list and am also organized with my day. Give me a task, and I’ll get it done. We use Google Calendar, Slack, Trello, Google Sheets and Docs, and email to keep us running smoothly.
What are the biggest challenges and rewards of remote work?
Brit: There can be a lot of miscommunication. I fight this by asking a lot of questions to make sure I’m clear on what the task is. But being able to create my own schedule is worth it! I love being able to just take a day if I need to (as long as I make my deadlines). It’s also great that I don’t need to get dressed to go to work — I could be nursing my baby and emailing someone at the same time. I try to schedule my weekly check-in meeting while Owen is sleeping, but it doesn’t always work out. Nearly half the time he is sitting in my lap for the call stealing the show.
What’s your favorite way to spend time outside of work?
Erin: I love to spend time with my husband and son! We, especially my kiddo, LOVE to be outdoors so we plan to go on lots of hikes and adventures this summer. I also enjoy getting together with my sister and mom and having some girl time, getting pedicures done or doing some shopping.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about women in tech?
Brit: Women in tech is a wider field than you think. We all don’t speak HTML or JavaScript, some of us are creatives.
What advice would you give other women interested in working remotely?
Erin: I think in order to be successful working remotely, you have to be organized, manage your time wisely, and not be bothered by being by yourself all day. Use note apps and calendars for reminders on big deadlines and keep in touch with your team often.
What do you like best about working with PowerToFly?
Erin: I found the process of getting hired and started with weeSpring extremely easy. I’m very grateful I found them when I did, and I was able to start the job and career path that I’ve always dreamed about!
Brit: I get to be home with my son every day and watch him grow and change, though I wish he’d slow down!
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