WIT mama Friday: Work/Life balance

On duty/Off duty look

So much has been said about trying to achieve work/life balance that I want to start by saying that I know I can't bring much more to the table but my own experience. It may be because after having children this concept becomes much more relevant in a women’s life, but with the news of me leaving Red now official, I wanted to dedicate this last WIT mama Friday to my attempt to find a balance between being a satisfied working mum and a committed mother. 

At the shows in London

Going back to work in September after one years maternity leave was, to my surprise, not a big deal for me: of course I was going to miss Greta but I kind of longed being back at my desk, I missed my fabulous job at a glossy magazine, I loved getting dressed up in the morning with a purpose and most of all, I missed grownups company!

Back at my desk and one of my first pages in Red this year

Unexpectedly, as months went by and Greta got older, this slowly but steadily changed to the point where one day I realised that seeing her one hour in the morning and little more than this in the evenings was quite simply, not enough. 

On the set of a Red shoot this year

I started WIT as a side project to my day job and for a long time this worked just fine; I could be a shopping editor during the day and a blogger at nights and weekends, guilt-free. But since going back to work full time and with a small child this has become increasingly difficult (forget trying to be a decent wife, friend and family member!). My evenings, weekends and holidays often at a laptop were not acceptable any longer and I gradually started longing for a clearer on-duty/off-duty routine.

Working on WIT at the week end

What if I could find a way to have more flexible working hours, ones that would allow me to spend more time with Greta?  Was there something I could do that would allow me to pick her up from school in the future as well as having the odd afternoon off to take her to a play date? If so, would I be prepared to give up a prestigious job and the security of a salary for it? Could starting my own business and being my own boss be the way forward? A lot of thought went into answering these questions and, with a little compromise here and there, I decided to take a leap of faith and resign from Red with the plan to  fully commit to WIT and develop a personal project that has been in the back burner for almost four years.

The Fashion Monitor announcement of me leaving Red

At this point the decision was kind of made for me: in the last five years WIT and all of you that read it have become something I really care about and the job behind it is one that I want to do really well. So WIT and my new project (yes, obviously it’s fashion!) are going to be what I do 9-5 most days, and my balance comes with knowing that my working day finishes after that. 

Leaving Hearts yesterday evening..

So after six amazing years at Red, eight busy working months and a pretty emotional day, yesterday I said goodbye to my friend and colleagues at Red and next week Greta and I are flying back to Italy to be with our family and friends for a work-free month. I will be back to regular posting in August but until then, I will update once a week. It’s time for a new chapter in my life and I (and my new business partner) simply cannot wait to tell you all about it...

My new project started here..