24 hours with… Anusha Shetty

6:00am: Hate the alarm but wake up after snoozing a couple of times. Glance at my messages and email in two-three minutes.

 

6:00-7:00am: Focus on kids and my innumerable cups of sugarless chai. Glance at my phone every now and then.

 

7:00am: The school bus arrives. Lots of hugs and kisses. A quick chat with the other parents and the caretaker in the bus.

 

7:00-8:30am: Walk in Cubbon Park with the beautiful birds and trees. Almost stepped on a snake once and then ran for my life. I never listen to music while I walk. My belief is to hear the sounds of silence. My morning walk fills me with positive energy and my mind is already inventing and prioritising professional and personal life for the day. It’s like a job list in my mind that is ready at the end of the walk.

 

9:00am: Breakfast or intermittent fasting, the big decision every day. One of them win. If its breakfast, it’s always egg whites with lots of chillies. And sugarless chai again.

 

9.30am: On my way to work, I do my daily important calls. Parents, inlaws, cousins and friends. With these calls done, the rest of the morn is all about work.

 

10:00am to 1:00 pm: Audio calls, video calls, brainstorming sessions, HR calls, finance calls and more. I am a believer in active decision making. Decisions have to be taken….over discussing a subject goes nowhere. ‘Mom calls’ keep coming inbetween as mom remembers to share new update. She will call again and again, until I pick the call.

 

1:00pm: Come what may, lunch is never to be compromised. It has to happen at 1.00 pm. I go down and join the team at the cafeteria for lunch. Have made it clear to my team lunch-time is not 'working lunch'. Lunch is about eating from everyone’s dabba and getting to know each other better. Tease a little, laugh a little and spread a smile. Very often a few of us manage to catch a short walk after lunch before we head back to work.

 

2:00pm: Calls and more calls. Brain storming and more brain storming. Bringing ideas to life is the joy at work. The long hours at work or the stress at work disappears when we see our work come to life. The biggest joy is working with Gen Y and Gen Z at work. They inspire me with their thinking and passion. My daughter is back from school by now and ‘mom calls’ get replaced by ‘daughter calls’. My daughter, like my mom demands my attention when she needs it and of course she gets it. This could be about a project or a birthday party she needs to attend. This could be about cycling or about a story from school. Professional life and personal life does work in a borderless format for me. There is no clear ‘work -life balance divide’. We need to do it all.

 

5:30pm: The cook calls…dinner choices are made. I am sure there is a pattern in the food that appears on the table. A pattern that is connected to my mood and discussions at work.

 

7:00pm: My dinner arrives at work. I am an early eater and I need to eat on time. I do tend to be cranky if I don’t eat on time. And yes, I do make better decisions if I eat on time.

 

8:00pm: The day can get over at work anytime from 8.00 pm to late in the night. At some point, I do head back home…so the calls can continue at home.

 

9:00pm: A game of ludo with my family, some loud music, playing with Xena (our retriever) and taking office calls. All go hand in hand until we decide to turn off the lights and get our daughter into bed. A bit of ‘me’ time, a bit of 'we’ time (I have a husband too), while the calls from work continue. I do average at around 12 mid night.

 

Midnight: A glance at my messages and my emails.