An author and a media executive who go to the gym at noon

We are working on a fun project with Poshmark about buying clothes on the app. Do you have any questions on how to best use it, or general tips for buying secondhand clothing and accessories? You can reply to this newsletter or send us an email at questions@thepurse.co.

You may be familiar with Jo Piazza, best-selling author, podcast creator, and award-winning journalist, from her buzzy novels Everyone Is Lying to You and The Sicilian Inheritance, among others.

In addition to writing many books, Jo and her husband, Nick Aster, have built a media business together, Influential Media. There, they help others produce newsletters, podcasts, live events, and more.

Lately, they’ve been in full-on promo mode for Jo’s new book, The Parisian Heist, which comes out next week. And Lindsey and I have been working with Jo on the Family Money podcast with Babylist. Somehow between it all, they are managing to raise three kids in Philadelphia.

Living, working, and raising a family together doesn’t work for every couple, but Jo and Nick make it look easy. We’ve featured a few other DoL couples who work together, including Jenni and Sean Gritters and Amrita Vijay and Andrew Stephens. Don’t miss their stories!

We are looking for more Division of Labor contributors. Want to tell us how you and your spouse/partner divide up your household tasks? You can do so here!

Below, Jo and her husband Nick share what a typical day in their home might look like.

Name: Jo Piazza
Age: 45
Spouse’s Name: Nick Aster
Spouse’s Age: 52
Relationship Status: Married
Location: Philadelphia

Number of children and their ages: We have three kids, ages 8, 6, and 3. The oldest is a boy and the younger two are girls.

Your job and how many hours you work per week: Last year we created our own media company, Influential Media, to encompass all of Jo’s books, podcasts, and television development, as well as to take on various other consulting projects. Jo is the CEO, and Nick is the COO. We both do a lot of the marketing and publicity for Jo’s books. Her new one, Parisian Heist, launches on Bastille Day in July and is available to order right now. The marketing truly never stops.

Realistically, we both work about 50 hours a week, but the hours are very all over the place. It’s kind of a 24/7-on thing, and there are lots of events on nights and weekends.

Type of child care you use: The older kids are in school 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the little one is in daycare for the same hours. For the most part we wing it after 3 p.m., though we do have a handful of babysitters for evening activities, and Jo’s mother is in the neighborhood, which is a lifesaver on busy afternoons.

How do you split up household responsibilities: Some happen naturally. Nick tends to do the laundry, and Jo puts it away. Nick does the breakfast and wake-up routine and usually walks the big kids to school while Jo takes the little one. Jo tends to do more of the bedtime routine. Nick is the handler of dishes, but Jo does some of the cooking.

We have a house cleaner every two weeks, but we mutually do our best to keep the house in order. The kids are (very) slowly learning to help.

What labor do you outsource? We have the housekeeper every two weeks, daily daycare for the little one, and a few babysitters from time to time.

How did you decide who does what: Most of it naturally fell into place, but occasional things have been semi-formalized. Nick tends to get up earlier naturally, so he’ll wake up the kids. Meanwhile, Jo is better at outings with the kids, so as time permits she may handle them after school.

Can you share one “parenting hack” that’s worked for your family: We have two: Don’t be a perfectionist and live near family if you can.

How do you spend quality time together as a couple? We are pretty good about having date nights about once every two weeks. We are getting better at getting lunch together during the week. We both work at home and from a workspace about seven blocks from the house, which is also our gym, so we tend to work out together a couple of days a week.

Do you feel like it’s a fair division of labor: We are at a pretty great place now, but it has taken a lot of trial and error. Our goal was to truly be at a 50/50 split of household and parenting duties, and we are now pretty close. Nick has taken over making doctor’s appointments in the past year and also organizing summer camp activities. Jo still organizes most play dates, and we schedule child care together.

Jo and Nick shared a week day from during the school year.

7:00 a.m.

Nick: Wake up!

Jo: Wake up a little later.

7:30 a.m.

Nick: Kids are out of bed and complaining (usually). Breakfast is served—it is usually efficient and one of the only meals that we seem to have relative control over. We will have bagels and/or eggs.

Jo: I attempt to get the kids dressed.

8:00 a.m.

Nick: Kids are out the door and on the way to school.

Jo: I start the work day and always start with writing. I need a fresh morning brain for creative things, like novel writing and when I’m in active writing mode, I do about 1,500 words a day. Otherwise, I edit first thing.

8:30 a.m.

Nick: I am home from school drop-off. It’s coffee time!

Jo: Still working.

9:00 a.m.

Nick: Operations for Influential Media is relatively 9-to-5, and I am working mainly on finances, marketing, and operations for book promotion. I will also help edit podcasts, proof copy, and build ad campaigns.

Jo: Still working.

12:00 p.m.

Nick and Jo: We take a gym break together. We live near a great gym with noon classes, so we go for an hour in the middle of the day. Nick jogs and bikes as well.

3:00 p.m.

Nick: I have school pickup for the big kids. During the school year, there are after-school activities, including art classes and rock climbing, most of which are once a week. During the summer, the older two are in gymnastics, basketball, robotics, and a cool maritime camp at the Seaport museum.

Jo: I pick up our youngest from daycare. (She also does daycare during the summer, too.)

5:30 p.m.

Nick: Dinner with the kids is usually early, and unlike breakfast, it is usually a resignation to picky eaters while us grown-ups will do our own thing.

6:00 p.m.

Jo: I have some late meetings and a book club appearance. After dinner, Nick is the dishmaster and floor sweeper; I tidy the table, put things away, and organize the living space.

7:00 p.m.

Nick: I help the three-year-old get ready for bed.

8:00 p.m.

Nick and Jo: The older ones have rolling bed times, and we help them as well.

9:00 to 9:30 p.m.

Nick and Jo: Reading is a constant activity for Jo, usually at bedtime. TV and movies are rare; we’re too tired! We are conked out and usually in bed.

Thank you so much, Jo and Nick! Please comment with kindness!