Yamini Rangan, one of the world’s highest-paid Indian-origin CEOs, recently opened up about her unconventional yet effective approach to maintaining work-life balance. In a candid conversation on The Grit podcast, Rangan, the CEO of HubSpot, explained why she prefers to work on Sundays — and how it helps her start the week with clarity and energy.
Rangan, who leads the $34 billion marketing software company, shared that she dedicates Sundays to deep work such as reading, writing, and reflective thinking — free from weekday distractions. “I’m not scared of Sundays. I enjoy it because it’s my time,” she said. “I get to decide what I’m learning, doing, thinking, and writing. It is completely my schedule.”
She emphasized that while she chooses to work on Sundays, she doesn’t expect the same from her employees. Emails she drafts over the weekend are scheduled to go out Monday morning, ensuring her team’s downtime remains uninterrupted.
Rangan’s structured weekend routine includes disconnecting from work on Friday nights and spending Saturdays meditating, reading, and spending quality time with her husband. “Saturdays are precious to me. When I didn’t take breaks, I got burned out pretty quickly,” she noted, adding, “Peak performance requires peak rest.”
Her disciplined schedule is key to managing long workdays — which typically run from 6:30 am to 11 pm — and avoiding burnout.
At 48, Rangan brings over 24 years of experience in the tech industry. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from Bharathiar University in Coimbatore, followed by a Master’s in Computer Engineering and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. In the fiscal year 2024, she received a disclosed compensation of $25.88 million, according to Business Journal.