This Cisco executive works 7 days, 18 hours a day, but has 2 non-negotiable rules
For many executives, rising to the top of the corporate ladder comes with clear perks — cool offices, high salaries, and the ability to direct strategy in real time. It also means that work is never far from mind.
For Cisco chief product officer Jeetu Patel, that reality translates into working seven days a week, usually starting around 6 a.m. and sometimes extending until after midnight. Still, even with marathon days, Patel insists his version of balance only works because he sets strict limits.
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His first rule: no meetings before 9 a.m. unless the invitation comes from CEO Chuck Robbins or the Cisco board. Those early hours, before the sun even rises, give him time to plan his goals and focus on high-impact work.
“Choosing the highest quality problems that you want to spend your time solving is 90% of the battle,” Patel told Fortune. “Because the quality of the problem you choose to solve is directly proportional to the result you will have.”
Even with a practically 24-hour schedule, Patel recognized that the balance is not static. There are periods in life when personal matters require more attention — and that’s okay. For example, before his mother passed away in 2023, he spent eight weeks by her side in the hospital, barely working.
“You need to find a way to make sure this works for you, and you need to make sure the people around you think this is acceptable, and you need to create that system for yourself. I don’t think someone else can create it for you.”
Work usually comes first — but with two exceptions
Even on weeks when Patel works 18-hour days, there is one person who can keep him away from work: his 14-year-old daughter.
“I still work seven days a week, but my daughter is allowed to walk into any meeting and ask for anything — she can just walk in,” he said. “She doesn’t need to knock on the door. She can just come in at any time.”
Patel adopts the same non-negotiable approach to maintaining her health, even admitting that her routine is not perfect.
“I really feel like my own health is important and more important than anything else,” Patel told Fortune.
“If you do this right, then you have the ability to take care of your family, you have the ability to work. But if you put your health last, I think at some point it gets derailed really quickly.”
Patel’s exercise routine is modest — he tries to dedicate at least 20 to 30 minutes a day — but consistency is his ultimate goal because no two days in business are the same.
“There are times when my weight fluctuates and I feel bad about myself,” he said. “So I try to give it my all. Right now, I’m somewhere in between. I’m not in great shape, but I’m not in terrible shape either. You just have to make sure you keep adjusting.”
Tech leaders work around the clock — but workers want balance
For Patel and other technology executives, long hours are often a necessity. Strong competition, rapid product cycles and the pace of innovation leave little room for rest. The idea of work-life balance is often seen as aspirational rather than achievable.
Cisco Director of People, Policy and Purpose Francine Katsoudas wrote in 2021, “There is no separation between work and life. The ‘balance’ disappeared years ago,” advocating instead for empathetic teams and leaders, especially when it comes to mental health.
Still, younger workers may think differently. Randstad’s Workmonitor 2025 report found that work-life balance is the top factor considered by talent in their current or future jobs.
Some 83% of respondents named it as a key consideration — just behind job security — with salary coming third at 82%. In the 22-year history of the study, this is the first time that life balance has surpassed salary as an attraction.
For his part, Patel is skeptical about balancing it all if his rigorous work schedule hadn’t already made that clear.
“For me, work-life balance is never a fair split,” he said.
