So Pons and I tackled inbox strategies (did you know the average person spends about 80 hours a year rereading emails they have opened but haven’t dealt with?), scheduling meetings (as you’re most productive two hours after waking up, try not to schedule meetings until lunch, so you can get work that requires focus done first) and putting personal time in the routine (I’m saying “namaste” every Wednesday). I don’t want the kids to see me tapping out emails at all hours, nor do I want to be planning playdates at work.

The more strategies I could figure out to stay on top of email and increase my efficiency in the office, the less my work life would spill into my family life and vice versa.

It never occurred to me that productivity was something I had to carry through the entire day-both at home and at work. To achieve even a smidgen of organizational success, the system has to work for the nucleus of the operation, so we spent a lot of time on creating a routine for me, the Chief Household Officer.

How to organize your life with kids