Consider Maria, a private-equity-firm partner and married mom of three. (Note: All names in this article are pseudonyms.) By 9 AM on an average day, she’s already answered emails, reviewed reports, and seen her kids off to school. By noon she’ll have led several meetings, made some key decisions, tried to squeeze in a mentoring call, and coordinated a carpool via text. In the evening she will close her laptop and set her phone aside to have a family dinner and put the children to bed, but then she’ll log back on to work for a few more hours. Colleagues marvel at how she balances everything. And yet, while her calendar seems to incorporate every type of productive activity and obligation, it leaves no time for spontaneity or pleasure.