Beat the Clock

Every weekday, from 6:30 a.m. until midnight, Tamela Wiseman juggles her responsibilities as attorney, Naples city council member and mother of two boys, racing through a schedule that includes meetings with clients, piles of legal paperwork, lengthy weekly council meetings, public functions and late-night cramming to stay on top of public issues. And, yes, she even cooks dinner most weekday nights!

What keeps her on time and on target? Wiseman, who says she's not by nature organized, has learned "you can't do it all by yourself." At home, a nanny helps care for her sons, five and 12, and with driving the older boy to school and baseball practice. Her husband, a general contractor, also helps out, including with the 12-year-old's math homework. At work, SueAnn Zornes, her legal assistant of 10 years, is a master at keeping Wiseman on track, Wiseman says. She's also learned to keep paper to-do lists, which she edits to reflect her ever-changing priorities. "I'm constantly prioritizing," she says. "Sometimes it comes down to saying 'no.'"

And she tries to view her crowded calendar with common sense. "You can't be all things to all people and you can't be in two places at once," she says. "Ultimately, my family has to come first. Kids will only be kids one time."