The "work" part: I've been getting to work a little before 9 and leaving around 6. If I'm having a slow day, I leave at 5. No point in sticking around if nobody's calling and I'm going to come in the next morning with nothing to do. One or two days a week I work late, until about 10 p.m., to make up some hours.
My original plan was to leave at a reasonable hour and continue working from home after K's bedtime, but I'm exhausted by then. The occasional late nights at work have been a good alternative for me. I'd rather be totally relaxed at home and totally focused at work than mix them together and have to keep switching gears.
I am still conscious of wanting to put in my hours, so I make sure to check my work email often, including nights and weekends, and respond quickly. Work has been fairly light, so this hasn't been a big deal so far.
The "life" part: I get a few hours with K in the morning and usually a few at night. I look forward to weekend family time in a way I didn't during law school, when I would be with K for about half of his waking hours on weekdays. But I'm happy with the time we get together during the week.
JW has stepped up his child-care duties. He picks up K in the afternoon and cooks dinner. This makes me happy because even though I loved cooking pre-baby, cooking dinner for K stresses me out. Figuring out something healthy to eat, cooking while a two-year old is demanding your attention, dealing with demands for snacks, getting food on the table as quickly as possible, and then holding off a hungry kid while dinner cools -- not fun. But JW doesn't seem to mind, and he's a better cook than me anyway. (He's the cook, I'm the baker.)
So, time at work: good. Time with K: good. Of course, there's more to life.
The nights I'm home, I have about two hours at night between K's bedtime and mine (assuming I'm being good and getting enough sleep). For these two hours I choose between:
Spending time with JW
Working out and showering
Reading / watching TV / laptop time / other relaxing activity
Running errands / doing chores
Phone calls to catch up with friends and family
The first two have probably suffered most since I started working. JW and I don't get tons of "alone together" time. Some weeks we make an effort, other weeks we could try harder. As for working out, I'm often tempted to throw in the towel and just buy bigger pants. It's a big change from my leisurely law school schedule.
All of this works because:
We have reliable daycare
We're healthy
JW is very supportive and is willing and able to share household duties
We haven't both been busy at the same time.
I'll cross my fingers that all of these remain true. If not... we'll figure out how to strike a new balance.
0 comments:
Post a Comment