It’s a new month, therefore I am bringing you another exclusive interview.
We continue our journey to uncover the secrets of global leaders on how they achieve professional success while also maintaining personal fulfillment.
I truly hope that this will help you improve your well-being and personal fulfillment, all while achieving greater success in your performance and career.
The world won’t collapse if you take care of yourself for a day or two.
Today, I’m excited to release the second interview.
It features Svitlana Kogut, woman, mom and Account Management Director at Mastercard and someone who I am proud to call my friend as well.
In her own words:
“I am currently a Director of Account Management at Mastercard, where I’ve worked for the past 10 years. I am Ukrainian, passionate about many aspects of life, and committed to pursuing my talents to make the world a better place. I have a strong passion for traveling, with a goal to see as many countries as possible. So far, I have visited 53 countries, with many more to come. My second passion is my job. I love everything about payments and how they are integrated into our daily lives. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the ecosystem and help people grow their financial legacies.”
Let’s jump straight into the interview and draw inspiration from Svitlana’s insights and experiences.
How do you personally define work-life balance, and why do you think it’s important?
I think it’s very important, and recently, many companies, individuals, and organizations have raised the bar and emphasized the importance of this topic. We can see this from stories like Simone Biles, who publicly addressed her approach, and from various documentaries and stories, such as those about David Beckham.
It’s great to have celebrities speak out about the pressures that impact their careers and personal lives. In my company, there are also various programs to maintain work-life balance and mental well-being.
For me, work-life balance means maintaining harmony between professional responsibilities and personal life. We need to be able to combine the two—perform well in our careers and achieve our goals while also being at peace and present for our families. At the end of the day, it’s our families and friends who contribute the most to our lives.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in maintaining work-life balance, and how did you manage to overcome it?
Currently, it’s challenging with having a child, as unpredictable situations often arise. For example, if your child gets sick, you can’t bring them to daycare, and you need to prioritize their well-being and take care of them first.
I think the biggest challenge is when you’ve set something up, you need to go to work, and suddenly something happens that forces you to stay home and change your plans.
It’s important to accept this, prioritize self-care, and remember that you can delegate tasks. Having a strong support network both at work and personally—people you can rely on—makes a big difference. The world won’t collapse if you take care of yourself for a day or two.
What misconceptions about work-life balance have you encountered in your journey?
People often perceive work-life balance as equal time for both, but in reality, it’s about flexibility and ensuring that balance is maintained. It’s not about a 50:50 split; it’s about prioritizing one thing over another depending on the situation.
How do you prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively? And could you share some personal strategies or tools that help you stay organized and focused?
I’ve read a couple of books and strategies on this topic, and perhaps the most useful one was Atomic Habits. One of the best pieces of advice from that book is to eliminate unnecessary things from your life. For example, put your phone aside in the evening to avoid procrastination and focus on something else. Keep a book right there on your coffee table so that you’re more inclined to read instead of using your phone.
Help yourself by making your goals easier to achieve by removing distractions. Additionally, I prioritize my tasks based on urgency and importance. We live in a very fast-paced environment, so it’s essential to set aside time to focus on tasks that require more attention. While other things also need focus, urgent and important tasks still come first.
How do you encourage and support work-life balance among your peers?
Our company is very respectful of work-life balance. While I do have urgent situations to manage due to my customer-oriented role, we are fortunate to have various resources that support work-life balance.
For example, we’ve implemented a Meeting-Free Day, where people internally avoid scheduling meetings. This gives us time to focus on our own tasks. Additionally, we have flexible Friday afternoons, allowing us to prioritize personal tasks without being distracted by urgent messages from colleagues.
Overall, we have a flexible approach. If you have something urgent to handle or a doctor’s appointment, it’s possible to adjust your schedule accordingly. We don’t track whether you work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. In the end, what matters is achieving the results.
How do you set boundaries between work and personal time, especially in a remote or hybrid work environment?
These are some learnings I’ve gained from the past. For example, a few years ago, we had a team visiting from another office, and we had planned a Chocolate Workshop. I remember being offered to join, but I declined because I felt I had too much to finish that day.
Reflecting on it, there will always be something important to deal with, but it’s crucial to find the right priorities. I regretted not going, as it’s a very fun activity to do in Belgium.
It’s really about prioritizing, structuring your work better, completing the urgent and important tasks, and setting a cutoff time for yourself. This allows you to switch off, knowing everything will be fine.
I may not be perfect every day, but I am still the best mom for my child.
How do you ensure you make time for family, friends, and personal interests despite your professional responsibilities?
In my job, I don’t have any specific tasks that need to be done during the weekend, which is great because I use this time to spend with family and friends. Occasionally, I have events that require weekend travel. I personally use Google Calendar to block out several trips, and I share this calendar with my partner.
For me, it’s important to ensure that we have someone to take care of our son during business trips, so we need to find a solution. If there’s a scheduling conflict, we discuss it and see if one of us can adjust.
Scheduling in advance and keeping it in the calendar helps me the most.
As you are an amazing mom and a successful leader, what’s your secret to succeeding in both areas of your life?
I believe this success comes from accepting that it’s not possible to be perfect. Despite everything, you are still the best mom for your child. This phrase brings a sense of ease. I may not be perfect every day, but I am still the best mom for my child.
Observing friends who have kids and still manage to travel, go on business trips, have successful careers, and pursue hobbies shows me that it’s possible.
It’s important to prioritize quality over quantity in both areas, accept that it’s okay not to be perfect, and, of course, have support systems and manage your time well.
For example, in my case, my family doesn’t live in the same country, so we have to find additional support for childcare, such as babysitters or relying on our network.
How important is physical health (e.g., exercise, diet, sleep, rest) to your work-life balance, and how do you incorporate it into your routine?
I think it’s super important. I feel it in my mood and behavior, and I often notice it in yoga as well. Yoga is a practice that helps you discover your feelings from different angles. If I do the same routine, I realize that some days I do it better, and on other days it’s more difficult.
It often depends on nutrition, so I try to eat more vegetables, drink more water, and avoid carbs and fast food. When I have a good breakfast and a good night’s sleep, I generally feel better and find that I can do the same routine more easily and with less effort.
Regarding exercise, it’s important to do something that you enjoy. I know it can be challenging because I’ve tried different activities. I tried running for a while, but it’s not my go-to practice anymore, so I switched to yoga.
I suggest finding something where you feel accomplished—not necessarily something that exhausts you, but something that is challenging enough to help you disconnect to reconnect.
How do you manage and prioritize “me time” in your schedule, and what activities do you enjoy during this personal time?
I prioritize “me time” by blocking it off in my calendar. If I need to take a day off during the weekend or just some evenings, I plan ahead, and my partner is aware as well since we share responsibility for our child. It’s important to ensure that someone is there with him.
I enjoy activities like yoga, which I try to practice 2-3 times per week. I also enjoy spending time outdoors, traveling, and recharging by soaking up energy from the outside.
As your career progresses and life circumstances change, how do you adapt your work-life balance strategies?
I think it’s important to start by identifying priorities and setting boundaries to establish non-negotiable time for yourself and your loved ones.
The challenge I face now is achieving everything I want within the dedicated time, and I think it’s crucial to prioritize, focus on what’s important, and have the right people to support you.
You can choose to work 24/7, but I decided a long time ago that weekends are a great time for me to disconnect from work.
I might occasionally need to attend important calls during holidays, but these are expectations I’ve mentally prepared for. I find this more acceptable as it’s also a personal choice.
Can you share a personal success story where improving your work-life balance led to better performance or greater satisfaction in your work?
I can’t think of a specific example, but what was really striking for me during some meetings was hearing stories from other colleagues who also struggle with different aspects and feel pressure, as you cannot always accomplish everything.
I think it’s very important to find your safe space and talk openly about these issues. Often, we believe that we are the only ones going through these challenges and end up adding even more pressure on ourselves.
It’s important to set a clear focus and understand what’s enough for the day, even if it’s not everything. Keep your focus on the important things. This will help you disconnect more easily from work once you close your laptop and allow you to enjoy time with your loved ones.
We still have many years until we retire, and I truly believe that you need to enjoy what you are doing. Stress has one of the most drastic impacts, so you really must consider what you want more: a good, fulfilling lengthy life or being stressed, which can affect your internal system, organs, nutrition, and overall appearance.
It’s damaging to you, and perhaps letting go, accepting, and being present could be more helpful.
What advice would you give to someone struggling to find balance between their work and personal life? What is the first step to start?
Reflect on what you want. Imagine the ideal scenario that would make you feel at peace. This will help you define specific action steps. Identify what work-life balance means to you, as it can mean different things to different people, and be as specific as you can.
If you establish your goal, it will be easier to identify the steps you need to take. Create routines that help you stay on track.
What is one thought you’d like to share with other leaders to inspire them to improve the work-life balance within their teams?
Happy employees do a better job, in my opinion. If people feel happier at work, they are more excited and motivated to perform.
Everyone has different drivers, but if you keep your employees at peace and understand that they are not there to be completely exhausted, it can lead to better results for the company.
I hope Svitlana’s insights were as inspiring and valuable to you as they were to me.
Be sure to stay tuned for more engaging interviews and content aimed at helping you excel both personally and professionally.
I am already excited about the interview coming up in Spetember!