Sometimes I send work emails at 5:30 in the morning or 11:00 at night.

There are many reasons why I work odd hours and it’s not because I’m working long hours. I usually get to work around 9:15am and try to leave by 4:30pm. This allows me to:

• Feed the kids their breakfast at daycare without feeling rushed.
• Have a breakfast date with my husband once every few months.
• Get changed and run home so that I can get some time-efficient exercise in.
• Pick up the kids by 5pm.

I also have a governance role at Working Heritage so I sometimes duck out of my day job at Arup to go to meetings.

Having done fewer than the standard hours in the office, I might do bits and pieces at night. For bigger tasks, I work best in the morning so that usually means getting up at 5am.

My first child will start school next year and I will be making even more use of this flexibility. I’m thankful Arup’s culture and technology enables it.

So the mystery is solved. Please don’t feel like you have to reply at 11pm or on the weekend. I hope your workplace supports you to work in the way you like.

What’s your preference? Safeguard your home life from work to get balance? Or weave them together?