Tips On Work/Life Balance From Our Director Of Operations

• March 21, 2015
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Our Director of Operations, Ayaz, shares his experiences, travels and the business lessons he’s learned along the way.

Murphy’s Law is best applied to software development.

Q: As a developer who typically keeps late hours, how do you balance work with life?

A: There is no running away from development on weekdays. If you’re online, you have no life. In order to enjoy life, going OFFLINE is the only option for me. On weekends I stay away from the computer, even mobile, and try to have quality family time at home or out. No TV, of course. I often take the time to prepare the family one meal on the weekend; the conversation goes a little like, “Are you in mood to eat something delicious? Let Ayaz cook.”

Q: Where have you worked in the past/what has your professional experience been like?

A: Over the past 16 years I’ve been with three companies, 11 years of which have been with vteams. In the beginning we spent three years of real, hardcore development with vteams. During this time, life revolved around development, milestones and late sittings; social life was more an afterthought. Then I traveled to Saudi Arabia, where I had the opportunity to work with great individuals from all different corners of world. It was an awesome experience. Absolute fun. But I moved back to Pakistan after five years, and since then, have enjoyed a wonderful, healthy, professional environment with vteams.

Q: Do you have any interesting stories to share?

A: I’m getting old; I don’t remember as much as I should. However, we do always refer to Murphy’s Law; best applied in the world of software development.

Q: How do you balance parenthood with your professional life?

A: I make it a point to spend a good amount of time twice a day with my kids; that time is really helpful. I drop them to school in the morning, and pick them back up when school is over. I listen to their stories, we play word games, tell riddles. Saturday or Sunday breakfast is typically based on the kids’ wishlist. Most often something from their school nutrition book or a childhood recipe. They love spaghetti, which has turned me into a spaghetti specialist. The weekend is absolutely family time.

Q: How do you stay motivated and inspired?

A: I don’t think you have to do something special to keep yourself motivated. Simply have to love the job in-hand and stay focused. Motivation and Inspiration will be naturally found.