I work from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a remote European company. I have time to relax and to grow my 6-figure side business.

Ashley Couto, middle, with her coworkers in Berlin.Courtesy of Ashley CoutoAshley Couto shifted to a 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. schedule for better collaboration at her European company.The schedule change facilitated her promotion and improved her work-life balance.She's also enjoying the benefits of a positive work culture and travel opportunities.After years of working remotely for companies in North America, I landed a remote role as the head of growth at a European creator tech company in January. I wanted to move back into sales and join a tech company, and this role checked both of those boxes.My original team operates almost entirely out of North America, but the rest of the company operates on Central European Time. I was allowed to work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, but all the other team leads live in Europe.After about two weeks, I realized that working a normal 9-5 schedule left me little time to work with them, build key stakeholder relationships, and ensure I was bringing my best to the role, so I switched my schedule from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern.I've been an early riser since I turned 30Shifting my schedule from a 6 a.m. to a 4:30 a.m. wakeup wasn't a big deal. The first month and a half was exhausting, but I adjusted. I'm in bed by 9 p.m. most nights.In August, I was promoted to head of plus (professional services), and I now direct the work of four teams, three of which are based mostly in Europe. I'm glad I switched schedules when I first joined, as I believe it made my professional advancement easier.Switching schedules is the best thing I've ever done for my careerThe difference in my mornings is in how I spend my time. Before I started work at 5, I'd often spend my morning scrolling or have an extra leisurely start, and I'd get nothing productive done. Now, I'm often in a meeting at the beginning of my day or coworking with another team lead.About an hour before my teams in North America log on, I review everyone's calendars so I know what they have going on in their day and can shift work around so nobody is overburdened. I also review our active deals so I can help things close and ensure we hit or exceed our weekly target.By the time we have our morning team huddle at 9:30 a.m., I've solved problems, set a clear road map for the day, and done most of my own stuff so I can be available to them for whatever they need.I keep Slack open until my team finishes for emergency questionsI stop working on work things somewhere between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. most days. I do my best to leave at 2 p.m., but management is never a 40-hour-a-week job.I keep my Slack open in case my team has emergency questions. I get maybe two or three messages a day after 2 p.m., and it takes me less than five minutes to get to whatever the team's asking me for, so I really don't mind having to hop back in briefly.Working for a European company opened me up to a different way of lifeI wasn't sure how working for a predominantly European company would go, as most of what I knew about work culture in Europe came from TV, but it's been overwhelmingly positive. My colleagues have dedicated lunch breaks, so I started taking one for the first time. It's made my back-half-of-the-day decision-making so much sharper.The company has menstrual leave and a flexible sick days policy, so I also never feel the pressure to show up if I'm not well. At North American companies I've worked for, I was expected to do calls the day after a hip replacement while still in the hospital and work through having COVID-19.Many of my colleagues take their vacation days without logging into work at all. I always had to leave a method of communication at North American companies, and people reached out to me frequently. I'm still not as chill about disconnecting, but I did spend two weeks in Paris and only checked Slack and email twice, which I consider a win.On occasion, I also travel for work. I went to the Berlin headquarters in September to work with a few colleagues, so I had the joy of seeing a bit of a new city, collecting a stamp on my passport, and racking up significant airline miles. I love to travel, so this is a huge perk of the job.Leaving early lets me run my own business and still have plenty of time to relaxMy full-time job is just one of my income streams. I have a six-figure revenue stream in career coaching and fractional C-level AI consulting services. In the current market, I'm busy reviewing and rewriting résumés and LinkedIn profiles, helping out-of-work job seekers prep for interviews, and helping current employees set themselves up for a promotion in the next fiscal year.I write for publications about careers, leadership, AI, and travel, and I'm a coach in a program that helps people grow their LinkedIn following with strategic content. I also occasionally do B2B LinkedIn brand deals to promote products to my 100,000-person audience.When I worked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., I used to work 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on my other income streams, which meant my weekends were my only free time.Now, I work from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on those revenue streams. My evenings are mine again, and I can give my clients and my audience my best every day.Read the original article on Business Insider

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