The night before I had to take my brother to school, I stayed awake to finish my work.
I knew the school run would take part of my day, so I tried to recover that time in advance. I worked through the night, took him to school the next morning, then came home to sleep. I also do this when I have to be present for his PTA meetings.
I like to call taking care of my brother my internship for motherhood. That morning made me ask a difficult question: if one school run could disrupt my entire routine, how would that routine survive daily school runs, cooking, work, and evenings with my husband and children?
It would not.
In university, I had absurd sleeping schedules. I was studying computer engineering while learning software engineering on my own, so I often worked through the night and slept whenever I could. It helped me graduate with 2-3 years of software engineering experience, but it also meant sleepless nights, sacrificing my social life and dozing in class.
That routine worked because I had very few responsibilities. My life mostly moved between classes, chapel, the hostel, and my laptop.
After university, my life changed, but my routine did not. For context, I work remotely. I still worked from midnight until early morning, slept for a few hours, then continued working through the day. Sometimes, my mum returned from work, I’d be asleep because I was exhausted.
I thought this was the only way to succeed and, of course, MAKE MORE MONEY.
I started observing people who were exceptional at their work without allowing work to consume their lives.
I asked Jerry, my boss, “As a ‘tech bro’, how do you make time for your wife and family?”
He told me that he sleeps early, usually around 8pm, and wakes at 5 or 6am. He reads for at least an hour every day and completes his hardest tasks before noon. He spends the rest of his workday thinking strategically about the company, then protects his evening for time with his wife.
I knew this was something I could pattern my life after. I had read . The idea of getting your hardest work done first was advised as well.
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. — 2 Corinthians 13:1
Jerry was a second witness that I could try out this new routine. And so far it has worked.
I am learning to work within defined hours instead of treating every available hour as work time.
Here’s what this routine experiment looked like and it might work amazingly well for you or you probably already do them.
I wake up early, I begin my day with reading because it is something I enjoy. I realize I’m able to control burnout when I make time for personal things I enjoy. When I tried this; I woke up 4am/5am, have my devotion and spend time reading an article, research paper or a book, then bath.
I handle my hardest work earlier, when I have the most energy. A good cup of coffee in the morning helps. For the rest of the day, I divide my work into focused blocks, and I stop in the evening so I can rest and spend time with the people I love.
This means from about 7am to 10am, if I’m supercharged I’m able to push through 12pm and have my hardest work completed.
I have my “lunch break” from 12pm to 2pm. I have this thing where if I eat before working, I’m certainly bound to sleep. If I’m really hungry before working, a good granola works.
Another time block from 2pm to 5pm/6pm. This time block would be a mix of personal skill development and work.
I could nap in the evening for about an hour. Cook and spend time with my mum from about 7pm to 9pm. Try to get these writings done between 9pm to 10pm. If I can’t finish it , I continue the next morning [like I’m doing now].10pm to 11:30pm I speak with my man.
The routine is not perfect, and I am still working on getting enough rest. It is also not a schedule I expect anyone else to copy. The important change is that, I am no longer measuring commitment by how long I can stay awake.
I still want to succeed and make more money. I am simply learning that working longer does not always mean working better.
At the end of the week, review what helped you work well and remain present. Keep what worked. Change what did not.
My university routine served its season. My current routine may or may not survive motherhood either, and that is the point.
So what do you do even you’re not done with work for that day after giving your all?
Malesic writes: "I asked Fr Simeon, a monk who spoke with a confidence cultivated through the years he spent as a defence attorney, what you do when the 12:40 bell rings but you feel that your work is undone.
"'You get over it,' he replied."
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A good routine is not the one that lets you work the longest. It is the one that helps you do good work and still be present for your life.
PS: If you want to see a video of me dozing in class, I’ll share it in my next newsletter.
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