“You can go to the hairdresser during working hours”: How this entrepreneur organizes her daily work routine

A full calendar doesn't always mean a lot has been accomplished. And those who rush from appointment to appointment often miss the most important things. Vera Wienken, Head of Marketing at the legal AI startup Libra, knows this. To stay focused between meetings, ad-hoc requests, and strategic work, she relies on blockers, clear meeting rules, and set times for walking the dog.

In our Calendar Check series, we talk to founders and managers about their daily work routines. How do they plan their week? When do they have room for creativity—and when does it stop? Wienken guided us through her daily work routine.

Her workday doesn't start before 9 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m. Her calendar is blocked before and after that time – quite deliberately. This signals to the team that these times belong to her. She says she tries "as best as I can to always provide a basic structure." In exceptional cases, she is flexible, but only when necessary.

Slack notifications aren't sent after hours. Anyone who needs to reach her in an urgent matter knows she's available by phone or WhatsApp. This is important, she says, for mentally distancing themselves in the evenings—especially in a fast-paced startup environment where priorities change daily.

Once or twice a week, Wienken blocks out half days as focus time—either in her home office or in a quiet spot in the office. Where there are no meetings interrupting her and no colleagues stopping by. She needs this time "at least half a day a week" to be able to work in a focused manner.

She uses these periods for conceptual work, brand strategy, or creative campaigns. And if a meeting falls during this time, she asks if it can be rescheduled.

Despite the fast-paced nature of a startup, Wienken believes it's important to maintain a sense of commitment. One-on-ones with her team members are a given. They aren't postponed. For her, such fixed points are a sign of appreciation that must be maintained even in the hectic pace of everyday life.

The structure of meetings also follows a principle: as small as possible, as efficient as necessary. "Our meetings are team-based or with a maximum of 3-4 people – so as not to distract too many people from their work," she explains.

Wienken recently joined Libra, currently as a Team of One in Marketing. But from the very beginning, she's been thinking about the structures and rules she wants to establish within the team. How is feedback given? How do one-on-ones work? What is documented and what isn't?

In previous roles – for example, in the gaming and esports industries – she learned how important clear processes are, even in dynamic environments. There, with 30 to 40 content pieces per day, she experienced how much structure creative work requires. At the same time, she knows that not everything can be planned in advance – and that's a good thing.

In the day-to-day life of a startup, many things happen spontaneously. Appointments arise at short notice, and decisions must be made quickly. "A lot of ad hoc requests come in – I find that pleasant because they come at a certain speed," says Wienken. This pace motivates her, but she also has to constantly be careful to keep track of everything.

For her, it's important to remain open to new things while maintaining a sense of structure. Clear rules and an awareness of her boundaries help her achieve this. "You also have to discipline yourself," she says. This is especially important, especially in contrast to a corporate environment.

Wienken begins and ends every day the same way, with a dog walk. "This is my time for myself and to reflect," she says.

Such rituals help her to switch off mentally. "I'm very strict about my work-life balance—you don't perform well when you're exhausted, and you have to protect yourself and your team from that." However, Wienken also knows that her job often accompanies her thoughts—be it a poster on the street or a commercial that becomes an inspiration.

Wienken trusts that everyone on the team will take responsibility for themselves. "I absolutely think it's okay to go to the hairdresser during work hours," she says. Ultimately, the outcome simply has to be right. For her, personal responsibility, not control, counts.

She also embraces this attitude within her team. She works from the office five days a week because it works well for her. Colleagues with many client meetings work remotely more often. It's crucial for her that everyone communicates openly and coordinates well.

Wienken organizes her day around what comes easily to her and when. She works operationally in the morning – she "has the urge to get through all her emails and to-dos in the morning." The afternoon is dedicated to bigger ideas: developing strategies, planning campaigns, and working creatively. This structure helps her stay focused, even when things get stressful.

For Wienken, leadership means one thing above all: setting an example. "I think it's very important to model a culture—with responsibility and boundaries." Therefore, she communicates transparently and provides guidance, while also allowing room for personal initiative.

Attitude and values ​​are more important to her than rules. In previous roles, she incorporated playful elements like the "Team Health Tracker" or visual check-ins in Miro – to encourage exchange without forcing it.