So here I am, co-founder, CEO and President of FlexPaths, a company that advocates and solves for workplace flexibility – we prove this out through our product offerings and company culture. It’s our mission statement. Our very core is flex – so I live and breathe it and do it well – right? Well…

Flex Work
The fact is, I thought so. I pride myself on the fact that no two work days are alike. One day, I am in back-to-back meetings in NYC, deal making with prospective Fortune clients, investors, alliance partners. Another day has less in person meetings but I’m banging the phones with my team and other business partners. Another day, I am with FlexPaths co-founder and COO, Robin Roschke in Westchester in a six hour marathon session covering key initiatives, staffing needs, and giving online presentations. Another day might find me holding deep dive discussions on a topic so that I can get up to speed and inspired as it did several weeks ago, in the midst of the sunshine in Bryant Park, munching on bagels and fruit with Halley Hopkins sharing her vision on how our public site will develop and grow over time. Flex at its best, right? What went wrong?

Home Work
Well over the last few weeks, my workdays didn’t look like that at all. In fact, the outreach I was doing was 80% by phone – and on dry, non creative topics with dry, non creative types – and for whatever the reason, the mode of connection was phone. And this was all masterfully done in my home office, behind my desk, in my sweats, and alone. Pound the phones from 8am to 5pm. See my girls until 8:30pm. Back to the desk for some more. You get the idea.

To some that might sound fine. On the plus side - I was accessible to my girls when they got home from camp, I didn’t have to put on pantyhose, didn’t have to fill up the tank and pay those nasty gas prices. On the not so plus side, my colleagues and trusted advisors were giving me feedback – “you’re flat, your energy isn’t what it usually is, are you okay?”

Then it occurred to me. This virtual, work from home thing was backfiring big time. I now had a schedule that was more rigid, and boring than ever. So between the subject matter and the lack of real human touch I was doing myself in. I got the big aha.

ReWork

The aha? This flex thing takes more work than I thought. But, no more flat flexer labels for me, thank you very much. Over the last few weeks I realize that to do flex well, I have to look holistically at the work, evaluate if I like it or not, who I am facing off with, how am I doing it – and take stock.

For example, today, I had two planned conference calls, with a barrage of follow up calls, from my home office again while in my sweats. But knowing that a few more calls could put me down a bad road, I built in an appointment. I took time with my six year old daughter. I returned invigorated and ready to hit the afternoon of calls and paperwork. At 5pm, my two daughters were ready and waiting - we headed to Grandma's for dinner, a night swim and dipped strawberries into chocolate. After putting the girls to bed, I took a few hours for some “me” time. Rejuvenated, I hit the computer to write this blog. I think I am on the road to recovery….