Balancing work, family, and the mental load.
1020 threads
Got passed over for Director. Feedback was that I'm "not as committed" because I don't do happy hours, I leave at 5pm, and I haven't taken on extra projects. Meanwhile my colleague
Used up my official "paternity leave" (2 weeks, corporate job, major city). Half that time I was still answering emails because "things came up." Could my boss legally require that
This might sound dumb but I'm genuinely asking. I leave work at 6, pick up kids from daycare by 6:15. We're home by 6:45. I'm absolutely wrecked - mentally drained, hungry, feeling
Had kind of a wake-up moment last night. I was stressed about missing my son's soccer game because of a work deadline. Venting to my wife about it. She said, 'He doesn't care if yo
Everyone talks about side hustles as if you have free time. I tried freelance writing for a few months thinking I'd make extra money. Reality: I'd work 8-6 at my main job, come hom
Started freelance writing gigs on Upwork about 4 months ago, squeezing in work during naptime and after bedtime. Hit $200 this week! It's not going to replace my job or anything, b
I'm not great enough at work because of family stuff. I'm not present enough at home because I'm thinking about work. There's always something I should be doing. Always something
My tech company started offering 4-day compressed weeks (10 hour days) and I jumped on it. Having Fridays home with my 5yo and 7yo has been incredible. We do projects, go to parks,
Started doing freelance work for an old client about 18 months ago, just 5-10 hours a week on weekends. Hit $15k revenue last month. It's not replacing my main job but it's giving
Got the email reminder at 3pm today. It was at 5:30pm, 20 minutes away. I was downtown in meetings. I just... left. Told my boss something came up, got in the car, drove like a man
Okay so this is semi-rant, semi-question. I have a work trip next month (pre-planned). My manager just asked if I could "take one of the team members' kids to school" while they're
Got a Fitbit last year specifically to track stress levels (heart rate variability). Sounds stupid but data helps me see when I'm running on empty. Also set up automated Google Ho
We're paying $2,400/month for one kid at a supposedly mid-range place in Ballard. TWENTY FOUR HUNDRED. That's almost 30% of our household income. I've heard horror stories about t
Everyone says "be present with your kids" but I'm genuinely wrecked by 6pm. My brain is fried from problem-solving all day. I'm sitting on the couch while my kids play and I'm half
Following up on my earlier post where I was stressing about this. I finally did it. Proposed going 4 days/week starting next quarter. My boss didn't say no, which I guess is good?
Third-grade parent-teacher conference. 2pm on a Thursday. DURING A WORKDAY. How is this still a thing? Why can't schools do evening conferences or weekends? My company gives us 'fl
So my role got restructured and suddenly I'm down from 2 weeks/month on the road to just 1. It sounds amazing in theory but now I'm home more and... I don't know what to do with my
I explicitly told my boss that I need to be home by 6pm to help with bedtime routine. He knows I have three kids. So WHY does he keep scheduling calls at 4:30pm that "definitely" r
Mornings: me = dropoff guy. My commute starts later so I do 7:30am school run with my 2nd grader. Afternoons: wife does pickup because her job is flexible. It's working surprising
Pulled the trigger last month and honestly? Best decision I've made since my kids were born. Working Mon-Thu, and Fridays are just for me and the girls (ages 5 and 7). I pick them