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Jaclyn Mullen is head of marketing for TheLoops, an AI platform.
She's also a new mom who starts her day at 5:45 a.m, and is in bed by 9 p.m.
Throughout the day, Mullen will take a break to read empowering words and walk outside.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jaclyn Mullen, a 41-year-old head of marketing from Phoenix, Arizona about her daily routine. It's been edited for length and clarity.
As a new mom to a one-year-old and head of marketing for AI platform TheLoops, I work remotely. My days are packed and start early at 5:45 a.m.
Each day, I track and evaluate data to help the company hit its monthly revenue goals. Even though my days are busy, I make sure to read something empowering and take a walk with my son and fur baby during my breaks to help improve my mood.
I usually end the day meeting with my counterpart in India, preparing a meal for my family, and watching a quick TV show with my husband.
My days are packed and start with waking up with my baby at 5:45 a.m.
An early morning wakeup for Mullen's baby.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
While he enjoys his bottle, I drink my first cup of morning coffee and enjoy our one-on-one time.
Typically, by 6:45 a.m. I've checked my overnight Slack messages, since my colleague works in India — which is 12 hours ahead of me.
Mullen getting ready for work.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
By then, my husband has also walked the dog. Then I get myself and the baby dressed.
By 7:30 a.m., I've already spent 15-20 minutes reading and commenting on LinkedIn.
Mullen and family at the breakfast table.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
My family enjoys our breakfast time. Most mornings, my husband whips up scrambled eggs with turkey bacon and cauliflower hash browns, or I'll eat cereal with fruit or yogurt.
After breakfast, my husband commutes to work and I drop our son to daycare.
Mullen loads her son into the car.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
My husband has Sundays and Mondays off, so he watches our son one day per week. The other times, he's in daycare.
Once a month, I meet up with my friend Yanira for my second cup of coffee around 8 a.m. She lives five minutes away, works at Microsoft, and is a mom, too.
Mullen and friend on a monthly meetup.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
8:30 a.m. is when I officially get online.
A Zoom call between Mullen and a colleague in India.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
I have a Zoom call with my counterpart, Jhanvi, in India. We collaborate on marketing initiatives and data analysis, and determine next steps that she'll work on. I love that she's a mom, too.
My marketing impact review is at 9 a.m. Evaluating data every day is crucial to hit our monthly revenue goals.
Mullen's dashboard for her marketing impact review.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
I check our CRM, website analytics, and social media pages to uncover opportunities, review dashboards, and assess who's engaging with our content.
I'm going to be "go, go, go" from here on out. So at 9:25 a.m., I take a five-minute break to read something empowering.
Mullen uses "Power Thought Cards" for inspiration during a morning break.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
Sometimes I pull a quick "Power Thought Card" from a deck a friend gifted me. Taking a breather is crucial in tech.
Around 9:30 a.m., I have a 30-minute 1:1 with TheLoops' CEO Somya Kapoor.
Mullen Zooms with her company's CEO each morning.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
We cover my priorities, big-picture items, and next steps, and we conclude our call with a laugh. We'll have one or two more calls together with other members of the leadership team.
At 10:30 a.m. I work on email copywriting, website SEO, social media marketing, and online events.
To help her concentrate on marketing initiatives, Mullen lights a scented candle.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
I do my best work when it's quiet. I like to light a vanilla or lavender candle to help me get in a flow state.
I take a 20-minute walk break with the fur baby at 11:15 a.m. and set Slack to tell my team I'm away.
While on walk breaks, Mullen uses Slack to let her team know that she's away from her computer.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
Phoenix has over 300 days of sunshine per year, so I'm very intentional about spending time outside to help improve my mood, posture, stress levels, and happiness.
At 11:35 a.m, I'm back to working on my marketing strategy.
While on walk breaks, Mullen uses Slack to let her team know that she's away from her computer.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
By now my friends and I have also messaged about our day, sharing quick advice or inspiring memes. I've also popped into Slack groups, networking with peers in marketing and customer experience.
12:30 p.m. is lunchtime. On Mondays my husband is off, so I get to eat with
the family.
Mullen grabs pre-made meals from Sprouts for lunch while working from home.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
I may have leftovers from Tuesday to Friday or pick something up from Panera. I also enjoy ready-made meals at Sprouts, so I might drive there to get out of the house.
From 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. I do deep work.
Mullen does deep work in the afternoon.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Muller
I block time for campaign design or planning, taking calls with strategic alliances, connecting with colleagues across different departments, or participating in our weekly leadership meeting.
I start to wind down my workday at 4:30 p.m.
At the end of her workday, Mullen prepares the next day's to-do list in her panda planner.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Muller
I might prepare an update for my counterpart in India and share it over Slack, get tomorrow's to-do list drafted in my Panda Planner, and catch up on any last-minute email replies.
When it's 5:30 p.m. my goal is to power down.
Before dinner, Mullen takes an evening walk around her neighborhood.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Muller
I need to get dinner going, and enjoy a walk around the neighborhood with the fur baby and human baby. I call my family back East to catch up, then hit the kitchen.
I start cooking dinner at 6 p.m. I love to cook and anything is fair game, from salmon and pasta to grilled chicken or steak.
A dinner Mullen cooked for her family.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Muller
As a new mom, the air fryer has become my best friend. One or two nights a week, we do takeout.
Baby's bath is at 7 p.m., followed by the remaining nighttime routine of books, white noise, and bottle.
Bath time at the Mullen household.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Muller
At 7:30 p.m. it's bedtime for the baby.
Once her one-year-old is sleeping, Mullen and her husband sometimes watch "Seinfeld."
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
Once he's asleep, I read a book, catch up on the news, check-in on family and friends, or squeeze in a quick TV show with my husband. We love to watch "Seinfeld," "Succession," and "Yellowstone" for a mix of humor and drama.
I wish I could stay up past 9 p.m., but that's rare.
Before her 9 p.m. bedtime, Mullen does a final email check.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
I start getting ready for bed around 8:45 p.m. I read or check my email one last time on my phone before bed. Then it's off to sleep.
By the time the weekend rolls around, I'm ready to decompress and get back outside with a local hike in the desert or around one of Phoenix's many lakes with the family in tow.
Mullen on a weekend hike in Phoenix with her family.
Courtesy of Jaclyn Mullen
