a lot of shouting and nagging in the
morning.
9am:
Typically, I go from school to
the office and I’m at my desk by 9am.
Because I’m not in every day, I have
a quick meeting with each member of
staff, and then I start work – although
I do find being in the office, which is
open plan, quite distracting.
10am:
I fight hard to prioritise and
to control how long it takes me to do
each task. I hate getting lost in emails
that just eat up your time. I find it a
bit sad too that, in this age, we seem
to hide behind emails, so I’m trying
to be brave and phone people. I find
it so much more effective. If I’m really
busy one day and I know I won’t get
through my list, I think, Right, get on
the phone!
12:30pm:
I always bring my own
lunch because I find it faster. I’m quite
anti-social with my time and I almost
never have lunch meetings because I
think having coffee is so much quicker.
I’m a vegetarian, so my helper makes
me salads with cheese or tuna.
2pm:
I don’t take afternoon meetings
because I find this is the part of the
day that is prone to change. This is the
time when the kids might get sick and
have to go to the doctor, or you want
to watch them in a match. Both my
husband and I are quite strict on this.
I do try to set a rhythm where hard
work is followed by easier work, so I’ll
do 45 minutes of hard work, when I’m
thinking a lot, followed by 20 minutes
of faffing – that’s when I’ll answer
emails.
4:30:
I’m usually home by 4:30-ish
and then I’m on it with the kids until
they go to bed.
7:30pm:
I only very unhappily miss
my children’s bedtimes. For me, that
time is so important, so if I have to go
out, I schedule it later than bedtime.
I lay down with them, we read stories
and have a chat. The days are so busy,
but in these quieter moments, I pick up
clues to how they are actually feeling
about things.
9pm:
I eat dinner, and then most
nights pick up some work. This is often
just long phone calls with our staff in
Europe, which works with the time
difference. I definitely do a full day’s
work, but at some unusual hours! I do
like exercise, and I probably try to fit it
in twice a week. I absolutely never go
to the gym – the thought of that makes
me shudder. I run or go cycling. I think
it’s important to be in nature, because
it serves me physically and mentally.
I’m trying to work in meditation,
too. All these super stars say meditation
is important, and I believe them. I
don’t think it’s a faffy or fluffy thing
[ just] for people with a lot of time. I
did some online courses and they were
absolutely brilliant, like a spring clean
for the mind. The real challenge is
including it in your day…
10:30pm:
I really enjoy sleeping! I’m
usually in bed by 10:30 or 11pm – any
later than that and I feel tired the next
day. Sometimes, I don’t even take my
make-up off.
The constant:
I speak to my mum
every other day. She’s my gateway
to the UK, and she knows all about
what’s happening here, too. I’m close
to her, and it’s great to be in regular
contact.
February 2015
49
