#MakingTime: A Day in the Life of a Founder Who's Powering Female Entrepreneurs Globally

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: Melissa Clark

What: Founder, The She Shift

Where:  Schenectady, New York

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5 a.m.

I’m an early bird and a busy bee, so I can wake up anywhere between 4:30am and 6am. I recently changed my alarm to chimes so I can wake up with ease, but woke up naturally today, which also happens often lately as my internal clock kicks in.

5:20 a.m. 

I started with my first cup of coffee as this helps to jumpstart my morning. I have a favorite coffee mug from my best friend, so it adds a little extra joy to my morning. I enjoyed some quiet “me” time. I’m presenting at a women’s retreat in the coming week, so I took some time this morning to work on that project. I call this my “quiet” work time, before I “start” my day. I have a full-time job in addition to my business, so I need to keep my energy and immune system up.

6 a.m.

Today, I was up early and getting ready to meet a friend for coffee to catch up at a local coffee shop. My routine for getting ready for work has simplified over the years, which is great, because it gives me more time in the morning for other things. I also generally pack a healthy lunch, however being on the road today, it was only my coffee and shake and I decided to treat myself to lunch. I also took a few minutes to mentally prepare for the day, as I knew it was going to be a long one. 

7 a.m.

I met with a friend to catch up after a few months. I did enjoy a latte at this great local place. We talked all things business and blogs, as well as upcoming events. She actually taught me a few new life lessons as well. I love learning from others. 

7:45 a.m. 

I have my morning call with my # 1 inspiration-my mom. My mom is an extremely positive person and two-time breast cancer survivor, so needless to say, I value our daily calls to chat about our upcoming day.

8 a.m. 

On the road to my first event. Today was mostly about a women’s initiative that I’m working on. I was with my colleague to present our program and talk to some new candidates.

12 p.m. 

Grabbed a quick lunch in between events and started preparing for my second event of the day. 

12:30 p.m.

Arrived at my event location, which was a job fair event, so I prepared my materials and spent a few hours discussing our program.

3 p.m. 

Off I went to get ready for my evening event. This is a networking/annual event that I attend. 

 5:30 p.m. 

Arrived at the event and spent time with my colleagues and other members of the organization. This was a great opportunity to continue the conversation about the women’s initiative that I’m working on. 

8:30 p.m. 

The work day was over and when I returned home, I ate some leftovers from lunch and caught up on some of my own business items regarding my website updates and social media inquiries about my business services. I also took a few minutes to engage and respond to social media comments. No workout today, as it’s been a long day, but I will catch up on that tomorrow and either attend the gym or run on my favorite bike path as I find serenity in that. 

9:00 p.m. 

I spent some time to unwind from the day. I treated myself to a warm bath with a great fragrance. This helped me to physically and mentally relax for the evening.

 9:30 p.m. 

Off to bed I went. I go to bed fairly early, as I love and need my rest so I can literally be at my best the next day!

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