I’ve been grinding through the M-Th travel schedule for 18 months now, and my relationships are feeling the strain. Every time I try to set ‘no work after 8pm’ boundaries, a client emergency blows them up. My partner’s starting to resent the constant rescheduling. Has anyone cracked the code on maintaining real connections when you’re only home three nights a week? Specifically looking for strategies that don’t involve quitting or getting sidelined at work.
welcome to the thunderdome. Real talk: consulting and healthy relationships mix like oil and water. Best bet? Date another consultant so they understand why you’re MIA. For family stuff, automate gifts/scheduled texts to fake being present. Not ideal but keeps the peace.
here’s the cold math: you’re billing 60hr weeks. Sleep 6hrs daily. 168hr week - 60 work - 42 sleep = 66hrs. Subtract airport time. Your relationships get scraps. Either accept that or pivot careers. The ‘balance’ myth is consulting firm PR.
honestly im new but struggling too. tried scheduling weekly calls but keep missing them bc deadlines. my gf says i prioritize work over her but idk how to fix it without looking bad. any juniors figure this out??
Having navigated this for a decade, here’s what works: 1. Ruthless calendar blocking - protect Sunday dinners and one weekday video call like sacred commitments. 2. Pre-schedule ‘surprise’ gestures (flowers, DoorDash) for when you cancel plans. 3. Bring SOs to cool project locations occasionally. It’s about quality, not quantity.
You’ve got this! My partner & I do Sunday adventure days - makes weekends extra special! Little notes in luggage keep the spark alive 
2023 Firm survey showed consultants maintaining LTRs averaged 3 protected time blocks/week. 82% used scheduled virtual dates. Key insight: partners who understand billable hour economics adapt better. Recommend co-creating a ‘travel protocol’ document early in relationships.