This post has been sponsored by ZonePerfect® . All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Being your own boss is great but a lot of times, it’s entirely unglamorous. Since leaving my full-time job to start Lemonade, it’s been challenging to get into a consistent routine because life with three kids, a new company and this side hustle is complicated… and messy.

I’ve been asked before what a typical day looks like for me and I wish I could answer consistently. Most of the time it’s just running from here to there and back again. But in order to instill some sense of normalcy, last fall I started implementing my own personal policy: No Meeting Mondays. There are some VERY minor exceptions to this rule – mostly when I am traveling and will be out the rest of the week – but otherwise I am committed to it. And it’s made a huge difference in my productivity, my plan for the rest of the week and best of all, it’s all but eliminated the Sunday Scaries.

It’s also become one of the only days of the week where I can guarantee I will fit in a workout, another little thing that makes a big impact on the remainder of my week. Keeping satisfying, nutritious snacks (like a ZonePerfect® High Protein bar) on hand is key, too. If nothing else, I can look back and say, “well at least I worked out on Monday.”

• The Morning Hustle aka Getting Out the Door: Always an unavoidable mess. But since I don’t schedule meetings on Mondays, I’m not as concerned with my outfit which ultimately leads to less stress and way less time staring mindlessly at my closet. Most times I throw on jeans, a tee shirt and sneakersI’m usually out the door quicker on Mondays since I’m in comfy shoes and haven’t had to manage expectations while trying to look presentable to meet with other humans.
• First Things First: If I have a big project I’m working on or have gotten behind on my to-do’s, I’ll head straight to the office to knock them out. I feel way better about the rest of the week if I can get the most pressing items marked off the list early. Rather than spend a lot of time grabbing coffee or swinging by somewhere for breakfast, I’ll pack a Zone Perfect High Protein Bar so that I don’t get hangry around 10:30 or 11 am. Each bar contains 20 g of protein, keeping me feeling full longer. It gives me energy with out all the sugar! Each protein bar is sweetened with plant-based sources, monk fruit and stevia, and contains only 5 g of total sugars (no sugar alchohols!). And being able to order them on Amazon has become a major lifesaver!

• Light Lunch: Since the rest of the week can get busy fast with last minute meetings, I try to work through lunch at my desk. The day can get away from me quickly, so spending one full day working through helps me get ahead of things. I always feel like I’m running behind – whether it’s being physically late or just a little behind on projects – so using this time to get ahead of things is clutch.And if I’m going to try to squeeze in an afternoon workout, I gotta stay behind my computer for as long as possible.
• Conquer the Inbox: I try to answer all my emails on Friday before heading out but sometimes that doesn’t happen and even when it does, new ones pile up quickly. There’s also the emails that require a little more work that you just don’t want to tackle on a Friday afternoon.Right after lunch, I try to get my inbox down to zero or at least to under five emails. I sit down, throw on a good playlist and tackle them one by one. No skipping allowed. I just go through each and do my best to settle my portion of the work. No excuses. I can’t be the only one who gets inbox anxiety and by holding myself to this routine, I keep those feelings at bay… at least for a day or so.

• Late Afternoon Workout or Errand Running: I try to skip out of the office at 4 on Mondays, no matter what. I’ll either hit up an Orangetheory class (if I didn’t go to Cyclebar earlier) or I will use the extra hour to knock out some errands. This usually just means going to the grocery store since no matter how often I go, there are never enough snacks in the pantry.Either way, I’ll make sure to grab a quick pick me up from one of the Zone Perfect High Protein bars I keep stashed at my desk. They come in tasty flavors like Banana Nut Crunch, Blueberry Crumble, and Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip.  If I go to the grocery store hungry, I end up shopping like a wild grizzly bear and if I hit up an OTF class without a snack, my workout suffers and I spend most of it looking at the clock.

After that it’s basically a mad rush to pick up kids, whip something together for dinner and get them in bed without going off the rails. I feel like my days can be a sprint from start to finish so having these slower, more focused Mondays gives me a chance to take a deep breath and get caught up. The idea of work/life balance is a total myth – I think you’re always leaning more one way or the other but on Mondays, I can at least pretend it’s there.

Photos by Tabitha Booth