#MakingTime: A Day in the Life of a CMO Who's Earning Her MBA
Women can do anything — but not everything. As the largest online career community for women, we at Fairygodboss realize that balance is a myth, and that picking what to prioritize when everything feels important on a day-to-day basis isn't always easy. In the #MakingTime series, women share with us how, for one day, they chose to spend their most precious resource: time.
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Who: Joyce Tong
What: Chief Marketing Officer of Uplifties
Where: Irvine, California
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8 a.m.
I hear the sound of the Apple ringtone going off on my alarm; how is it already 8 a.m.? I'm a night owl, and due to meetings with overseas partners/suppliers and those on the west coast, I tend to stay up late quite often. However, 8 a.m. is generally a good time for me to wake up. After a few snoozes, I get up. As I wash my face, I listen to my favorite Spotify playlist, “Morning Motivation.” After I am all cleaned up for the day, I head down to the kitchen, where I eat a quick breakfast.
8:30 a.m.
The first thing I do after my morning routine is check my Google Calendar. Because I have to manage both my MBA and work with Uplifties, it is very important for me to stay organized. I do a quick overview of all the classes, meetings, and commitments I have for the day and make a to-do list on my phone. Then, I head off to my meetings and classes.
10:30 a.m.
During breaks or between classes are the times when I work on Uplifties. Tasks I generally perform in a two-hour break period include:
- Social media management
- Communicate with our partners and agencies on current progress regarding SEO, digital marketing, and influencers
- Read about new e-marketing knowledge and trends
Noon
I grab lunch with my colleagues and catch up — it's one of my favorite things to do. I enjoy learning about their previous careers, their future aspirations, and their personal lives, like their hobbies. We have folks pursuing consulting, technology, investment banking and so on. My specialty is marketing and I also love sharing what I am doing with them outside of my MBA student life. Sometimes, it’s amazing to hear their inputs on how I can improve.
4:30 p.m.
Classes have ended, and I immediately put on my Uplifties hat. Usually I stay on campus, as I am the most productive in that environment. I am able to strategize and do more analysis during this period. I can perform some market analysis, competitive analysis, and reflection of our current marketing campaign.
7 p.m.
I hop on a bus home from school, call my fiancé, and wind down from a day full of school and Uplifties. As we are long distance, I value every moment I have with with my partner even if it is on the phone. Since he is also my partner in business, it is important for us to keep our business and relationship separate. During the phone call I talk about my day, my stress or feelings I have lately, new people I met, future school trips, and of course how much I look forward to seeing him again!
8 p.m.
It is finally dinner time. I am not a great cook, but I appreciate doing my own cooking.
9 p.m.
I sit down and begin my meetings. This is typically when I schedule meetings and calls with the team to touch base. Generally, these calls are quite intense, as it is about aligning our operational and financial goals and problem solving.
10:30 p.m.
After several meetings, it’s time to be a student again. I start preparing for tomorrow’s classes, finish up my school work and study for a test.
12 a.m.
I light a candle and start my nightly skin care routine. I am all ready for bed. I take one last look at my calendar and start to scroll through social media and watch YouTube videos to begin winding down. Before I go to bed, I call my fiancé one more time just to say good night.
12:45 a.m.
Feeling exhausted, I switch off all the lights and finally go to sleep.
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Interested in contributing to Fairygodboss' #MakingTime series? Email [email protected] with "#MakingTime" in the subject line.
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