How are you able to do so much?

I had intensely busy albeit an ultra rewarding last few weeks at work. I was trying to land three pursuits - all in different stages. With all my team members already stretched out thin, I had very few hands on deck. It also didn't help that Halloween and Diwali fell squarely within the week, causing a short staff situation. Despite all this, we did really well all across the board. To say the least, it was a glorious few weeks.

Many of my team members, seniors and peers reached out with the question - "how are you able to do so much? and how did you do it so well, so effortlessly?" I paused and thought deeply about this question over the weekend and figured its a great idea to share my thinking broadly with everyone.

Picture this

We have three kids under the age of 8; youngest is just about 8 months old. I just returned to work from my maternity leave. I actually might have taken a few late evening and early morning calls while feeding him in my lap. We also have a 12 year old dog who needs 3-4 walks a day.

We seldom eat outside food; we enjoy cooking and eating homemade meals. That's a lot of work!

My husband too has a demanding work life - arguably more demanding than mine. We both have to travel for business pretty often.

On top of all this - we are also building a house. If you have built one, you would know it's a very involved process. All in all, I have a wholesome life with a lot of action and a ton of drama.

Besides playing our roles at work, we have to manage the household and take care of my very young family. This includes ensuring everyone got their flu shots and their teeth are brushed every night. It can get overwhelming at times. But for the most part, we get by without losing our sanity.

My colleagues, my friends and neighbors invariably pop this question - "how are you two doing so much?" I believe we are able to achieve more in our day because we have learned to scale ourselves at work and at home. We didn’t achieve this overnight; it's one of the many dividends from investments we made in life.

Today, I am sharing what has worked well for us. I hope it's useful to anyone who is struggling to make time. Relevant for a busy mom just as much as for a new dad too.

Practical ways to scale yourself

I. Create sustainable systems

There is less day-to-day variability in our days allowing us to simplify our routines. And to outsource and automate parts of it. Most of our days look exactly the same for entire family which puts us in an auto-pilot mode and reduces the cognitive load.

For instance, I have a meal plan and grocery list generated by ChatGPT and we rotate through it every month. I also found us a fantastic nanny who helps to keep our house from falling apart and being filled with mounds of unfolded laundry. And yes, we have a cleaning robot that runs every night so we wake up to the joy of walking barefoot in the house (shoeless home is a thing in eastern cultures).

A few years ago we did major editing of the stuff we own and reduced our footprint by considerable amount. With less material things to clean, organize, manage, repair and upkeep - we feel freer than before.

The list goes on and on... but you get the common theme here - I have created systems to scale myself. Just simplifying every thing I do, reducing the amount of stuff I own and focusing only on the most important stuff has allowed me to do more.

II. Know your sh*t:

When people know their subject matter and have put in the work in honing their craft, they naturally deliver high quality work at high throughput. They know what they are dealing with, they know the patterns and are able to figure their way out. They appear at ease, not frazzled. They make it look effortless. We tell them "you are a natural."

It doesn't matter how good one is at communication (presenting, storytelling, creative writing), or relationship building or executive management, they still need to know their subject very well.

When you know your sh*t, you can achieve more. So, put in the work now to develop expertise, never stop honing your craft. The better you get at the content, at the subject matter, the more productive you will be.

III. Fill your cup

Do more of what you like, what drives you and gives you fulfillment.

When you do what you enjoy and are passionate about, you somehow conjure up the means and the energy to do it.

There are parts of my job that suck, and then there are parts I absolutely love. I like the thrill of pursuing a deal and the reward of closing it. I mean, who doesn't like winning, right? If I am working on a pursuit, I am able to tap into a secret reservoir of energy that gives me the much needed thrust.

It's all about managing your energy - that’s the key to staying productive and fulfilled. Find out the energy suckers, try minimizing those. Do the opposite with your energy boosters.

IV. Build Relationship Equity

My dad used to say, always give more than you take. He lived by this motto:

There aren't enough favors you can give

I didn't think much of it at the time. I see it now. It's a golden piece of advice; when implemented, its a gift that keeps giving.

When you invest time, trust, and genuine effort into your team and network, you’re creating a foundation of goodwill and mutual respect. This "equity" means people see you as someone they want to help and support, both because they value you and because you've shown up for them.

When your relationship equity is high, your network will show up for you. With many motivated individuals who are committed to your cause, you can be the true force multiplier - a maximizer of the results.

Like any other form of equity, this builds over time. You just have to keep investing, keep doing the right thing, show up for your people, and keep giving favors - generously. If you can't do it altruistically, do it for selfish reasons!

V. Win with squad

During a recent coaching session with one of the leaders at the firm, Alison Hoover shared an insightful perspective, “Build your squad, Kanchan” she said.

Your squad is the group of people you go to market with. You will win with them, have fun with them, and, when times get tough, you might even find them in the foxholes alongside you. They are your partners in every sense of the word—your allies, collaborators, and support system, in both success and adversity.

As you grow your scope of responsibilities, your team is not just the people who report up to you. Your team is the set of peers who you go to market with. Alison's advice made me look at my peer group differently. The shift in my mindset changed the relationship dynamics between me and my peers.

I am now more intentional in building my squad and sharing successes with my squad mates. This has created more avenues for unfettered collaboration minus any feelings of competition and credit-mongering.

For the sprint I ran last week, my squad mates came in droves. They all put in their 100%+ because now we all operate with the mindset - we play like champions, we win together, we lose together.

Time in a day is a finite resource, and it’s equally available to all of us. In a sense, it’s a zero-sum game—but one that’s fair for everyone.

To turn this zero-sum game into a winning one, we need to create time. The more time you create, the more of an edge you gain.

Personally, I’m all about creating these “unfair advantages”—as many as possible! 😄

I am curious to learn how you have scaled yourself? What worked and what did not? Leave me a comment or note.

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