Flexible working: the hacks that get me through a Tuesday
Small, slightly chaotic, very real tactics for surviving a midweek when you're juggling a job and a small human.
Tuesdays are the worst day of the week and I will die on this hill. Monday has novelty. Friday has hope. Tuesday has nothing except a 9am meeting and a child who has decided shoes are now optional.
My midweek toolkit
- Calendar Tetris on Sunday night. Ten minutes, glass of wine, future-me thanks me every time.
- A "no meetings before 9:30" rule. Nursery drop-off and a sensible meeting cannot coexist.
- The 20-minute focus block. Not 90. Not 45. Twenty. It's the only thing that fits in real life.
- A snack drawer. For me. Not the toddler. Hands off the snack drawer.
What I've stopped doing
Pretending I can "just quickly check emails" after bedtime. I cannot. No one can. It's a lie we tell ourselves.
Flexibility isn't a perk — it's the whole reason a lot of us can stay in our careers. Protect it like it's precious, because it is.