MAYCEMBER is trending.
Inside and outside of work, it’s Teacher’s Appreciation Week, my birthday, Mother’s Day, SPORTS ALL THE TIME, soccer tryouts, my son Hayes’ birthday, Memorial Day Weekend, work travel, new clients, deadlines galore, all tucked into one.
BUT, is May really all that different than any other month? I appreciate the cuteness and get why it resonates on my Instagram and group mom chat, but for me, lately, it feels like every month and every week are at max.
Are we really only in a temporary sprint?
This is the infamous Hearst elevator selfie… you’ll be seeing a lot more of this!
Which begs the bigger question for CEOs-and-Founders-like-me, especially in the startup world: are we running on busyness…or are we actually running a business?
Busyness looks like reacting. Juggling. Getting through. Measuring productivity by motion and momentum by how full the days feel.
Running a business, especially while raising a family, requires something else entirely: intentional structure that can flex without collapsing.
The solution isn’t to “do less” (because let’s be real—that advice never lands). It’s to stop expecting one rigid routine, one version of balance, or one “normal” month to hold when life clearly doesn’t operate that way.
Acknowledging that some seasons are fuller, and planning for that instead of being surprised by it
Designing weeks that account for mental load, not just meetings
Making proactive choices about what actually moves the business forward versus what just keeps us busy
Letting go of the idea that structure has to look the same month to month to be effective
Prioritizing weekend joy and breaks, where I can reset and change up the speed in which I have to operate
Right now for me, months won’t feel calm and weeks will not be balanced (just last week I was in four different offices in one day), but my 30,000 foot view for those that this resonates with is to ask whether the way you are spending your energy aligns with what you are actually building. If the answer is yes, keep going. If it’s not, there is an opportunity to shift where focus goes. The real work is deciding what deserves that space instead, because busyness will always find a way to fill it.
Documenting the day I was in 4 offices in one day! My favorite place: Zero Bond.
