How Femke Cornelissen approaches motherhood with Microsoft tools

As a working mother of two and co-founder of Dutch Women in Tech, Femke Cornelissen balances a lot.

She found her love for tech early in her career and started exploring as a hobbyist. “[My] passion is […] sharing knowledge, [finding] new things and testing [them] and blogging about it. [I] want to tell everyone how they can use [what I test].” What started as a hobby bloomed into a career. “I have a new job[,] technical evangelist[,] a new role at a big company […] where [I got to] attend conferences and speak […] about […] Microsoft products.”

She isn’t just a technical evangelist at work—Femke brings her love of knowledge sharing and trying new tools to her life at home, too.

Femke and her coparent both have flexible work arrangements, and they keep track of who’s doing what and where and when using Microsoft To Do. “[My] favorite app is Microsoft To Do because […] it gives me [a view] of what I need to do and where.” She shares a To Do list with her spouse so they can plan their schedules in tandem. “We [figure] out what [our] weeks are and [what we should be] helping each other with, [which of us will be] at home or […] in the [office].”

Femke splits her 36-hour workweek between her onsite office and her home office. “I work two days at home and two days at the office,” she explains, noting that she prioritizes different kinds of work depending on her location. “[I]t’s great to have more focus when I’m at my [home office], and [I] have more [in-person] meetings […] the other days.”

Another big benefit of the home office? “I really like [seeing] my children more when I’m working at home.” But in-person collaboration and teambuilding are important, too: “[B]ut [I] also like to see my colleagues.”

Out of sight is never out of mind for Femke, and when she’s at her onsite office she keeps a watchful eye on what her little ones are up to on their digital gadgets using Microsoft Family Safety. “It gives me […] a good look of how […] my children are using [their devices].” From her phone and other devices, she can see when her kids’ tech gadgets are used, the time they’re used, how long they’re used, and even where they’re used.

While Femke’s husband is an active coparent, sometimes balancing motherhood and meetings requires more than a little creative problem solving.

Enter the flexibility of Microsoft OneNote.

“When my kids are at home and I’m working, […] I put them beside me and [I have my older kid draw] pictures on […] the Surface. […] And I can see [what he’s drawing on] my device also.” This unique approach to collaboration keeps her kids close but occupied and engaged. “It’s nice to give him something that he likes [that gives him the feeling that] he’s working with me, and […] really enjoying [it].”

On days when she’s away from the home office and working onsite, Femke finds herself enjoying the pictures her son drew in OneNote once her login syncs.

“I started Dutch Women in Tech […] with a few other people. We have […] women that are role models [and a] really great community in Microsoft Teams where people can find each other and share their knowledge. It’s really amazing to have that and—[…]it’s really growing fast.”

While not exclusive to women—there are male community members—the group does spend plenty of time discussing the importance of finding creative ways to capture work-life balance for working mothers. “There are [other] people in the same situation and you can [coach] each other and helping each other. So that’s been really nice. [You] don’t have to do it alone.”