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DO IT TODAY is a podcast hosted by Kara Cutruzzula, who asks friends and notable figures across creative industries about what they're doing that day—and how they're going to do it. It's an up close look at process and practice, a reminder for you to do your most meaningful work, and a mini dose of encouragement in 20 minutes or less.
Kara Cutruzzula: hi everyone.
Welcome to Do It Today.
I'm Kara Cula, and today
I'm talking with Dr.
Aegean Chan, who is a board
certified dermatologist in
Santa Barbara, California.
She recently opened her own practice,
has done extensive lab research, has
published in medical journals, and
also happens to run one of my favorite
Instagram accounts with skincare advice.
And she balances about a
million things during her day,
I'm guessing, and does it all.
Really well, and I know has a lot of
advice, for how to get through the day.
So Aegean, it's so nice
to catch up with you.
It's been a while.
And what are you doing today of all days?
Aegean Chan Burnett: Hi Kara.
Um, so today is my admin day, which I
purposely built into my weekly schedule.
So right now I am sitting in my
car talking to you and waiting
to go into my daughter's school.
They have, a little window
where the parents can come
observe them in their work.
And then I have a staff meeting later.
So today is kind of like my smorgasbord,
kind of do all the random things that I'm
not able to do when I'm seeing patients.
Kara Cutruzzula: And is that every Monday
or do you, does it change week to week?
Aegean Chan Burnett: It's
either Monday or Wednesday,
depending on my clinic schedule.
I make sure I have.
This stay every week, because otherwise,
I think trying to fit meetings, in my
45 minute lunch while pumping between
seeing patients, it's just, it's too much.
So, I'm happy that I can have the
flexibility to have sort of an admin
day to, to do all of these things
and, and be there for my kids and
have that flexibility of time.
Kara Cutruzzula: you
also Have a new baby too.
So, how has that sort of changed
your schedule to have an infant
and a toddler at the same time?
Has that really shifted the way
your work week is structured and,
and the hours that you spend at
home versus in the, in clinic?
Aegean Chan Burnett: Oh boy.
So, um, she turned six months this past
weekend, so, the time has flown and
it definitely has been an adjustment.
So going from one to
two kids, you realize.
You actually had a lot of free time
when you had one kid unbeknownst to me.
so with two, it's definitely been more
of a juggle and I've had to be a lot more
intentional with trying to find time to
do things that aren't childcare related.
I've actually just started coming back
to work, on my full-time schedule.
At four months I started seeing
patients two half days and I was still
home with the baby the other times
and just squeezing in meetings and I.
Making content, during naps essentially.
So that felt a little bit hectic.
Um, and also doing housework and
all of the things that need to
happen for a household to run and
for people to stay fed and clean.
um, and so now, at six months,
I'm kind of ramping up into my,
long-term kind of full-time schedule.
So I see patients part-time.
about two and a half days a week.
And then I'm also reading pathology.
so I do that, uh, two half days a week.
And then, the, I have an admin day
and then I actually am, uh, with
my daughter at home one day a week.
Um, because I've just found with the chaos
of two kids, a toddler just sucks my time.
So I really wanted to still preserve
a little dedicated pocket of time for
the new baby because, a lot of the time
and a lot of two kid parents probably
understand this, your, your second
kid kind of hangs out by themselves
in the corner in a safe spot while
there's chaos kind of going around them.
So that's kind of, what I.
Wanted to do to keep myself sane,
to just essentially create these
little pockets of time and create
dedicated time to do these things.
Because I think before
things could be free flowing.
You could find pockets of time, but I
think once you have a second kid, your
free time shrinks up significantly
and you really have to be intentional.
Kara Cutruzzula: Yeah.
What I'm hearing too is.
You clearly have so much that you're doing
and so many priorities in your life, but
you sound very calm or like you actually
know what each week is going to hold.
is that true or is that just what I'm
reading into, Like you, you know, the
expectations of the weeks and you feel
like you're putting your time towards
the things that are important to you.
Aegean Chan Burnett: Yeah, so I.
Definitely have my ups and downs.
I think today is a kind of
an easy start to the week.
Having my admin day on a we on a Monday.
so I'm able to regroup after the weekend
but I do think that having that slow ramp
up period, I was able to think about and
see, okay, this is what my life is like.
Let me focus in and, and decide
what I wanna spend my time doing.
And how do I make that happen?
How do I carve out time for that?
So going into my more full-time schedule,
I do feel really good because I have
those set boundaries around my time.
you know, like I said, I'm home
with my daughter on Fridays.
I realize how important it is
to actually create time to be
present with your kids because.
It can feel really stressful.
There's a lot of stuff to
do, lots of cleanup, lots of
sort of toddler maintenance.
What have you during the time
that you spend with them.
And I was, when we went on vacation
in Hawaii, we had a nanny with us
and I was able to have dedicated
time with my toddler, and I
realized, oh, this is really nice.
I wasn't thinking about housework, I
wasn't thinking about what came next.
I just was able to be present
with her and I was like, oh, I
actually like hanging out with you.
And so I realized, that needs to be
part of my life on a regular basis.
So that started the wheels of motion of
like, well, how is my week gonna work?
How can I structure things so that
I can really move things off my
plate so that when I'm with my kids,
I can actually be with my kids and
be present and also have separate
time away from my kids so that I can
actually enjoy the work that I'm doing.
Kara Cutruzzula: you know, we've
known each other a long time
and you really love your work.
it's just a really
important part of your life.
And I can't help but think, 10 years
ago, five years ago, how different.
Your day was structured.
and what sort of lessons that you
maybe learned, you know, either going
through med school or residency in how
to manage your time, how to structure a
day, did any of that help, during this
also extremely busy part of your life?
Aegean Chan Burnett: I do think so.
I mean, I think before, you know,
five, 10 years ago, I had the
energy to really multitask a lot.
So if I was making content, you know,
I would be able to carve out 30 minutes
in a day to do that, or you know, kind
of answer emails between patients.
But I've lately started realizing
that that takes away from, I.
My experience and my attention
in a way that I don't like.
So for example, even just a couple years
ago, I would just make content in between
seeing patients during my clinic day or
kind of late at night before going to bed.
And I realized that that
was really burning me out.
That made me not enjoy creating content.
I was just doing it for
the sake of doing it.
And it also took away from.
Being present for my patients,
being present in the clinic with my
staff and being able to manage all
the things that are going on there.
once I was visualizing this schedule
for once I'm back from maternity leave,
I was like, I need to have dedicated
time for social media things so that I.
When I'm in clinic, I'm in clinic, I'm
with my patients and I can be fully
present there, and I've found myself
enjoying the time that I spend doing
the irrespective things that I do.
I enjoy that time so much more because
I'm able to focus, and I think when
you have kids, you're sleep deprived.
It's just harder to do, you
know, five things at once and
still feel good about them.
Kara Cutruzzula: And you
know, you do have, you know,
36,000 followers on Instagram.
You have, you give such great advice.
You have fun videos, you
have fun infographics.
And I look at this and I'm like,
how does she make all of this?
And so I guess I'm wondering how.
Has it added to your life and your work
and career in a way that has made you
see that it's worth it to take that time?
Aegean Chan Burnett: So it kind of
came out of this enjoyment that I
got from educating people about a
lot of the misinformation out there,
the popular, news, media coverage
of skincare and what you should
be doing and should not be doing.
It was really satisfying for me to be
like, actually that's not the case.
Be able to provide evidence
and, and help people in a very
practical way, their skincare.
And I really enjoyed interfacing
with the community of people that
started following my content.
It's been really wonderful.
I've met a lot of wonderful people, as
well as, you know, colleagues, other
dermatologists, cosmetic chemists.
So that part is really, really
fulfilling to me and that's why I keep
doing it because I do feel like the
information I'm putting out there has
been really useful to a lot of people.
and it's interesting because.
What I talk about on social media is
not what I do during my clinic day.
When I'm seeing patients in person,
I'm dealing with a lot of more medical
issues, more personalized skin issues
for people, and I don't necessarily
have the time to delve into questions
about why parabens are actually not bad.
You know, why clean beauty is, you know,
just full of informa misinformation and.
More of a marketing trend and, and
all of those things I think are really
important and are things that people
are exposed to a lot in popular culture.
So it's kind of a way to, to use both
parts of my dermatology brain, And
it's, and especially sharing my
motherhood journey and interweaving
the experience I've had, you know,
and all the misinformation I've
encountered in that aspect also
has gotten a lot of great response.
'cause I think a lot of women are
feeling that there's a void in
terms of that information out there.
So it's been nice to be somebody
that can provide accurate information
for people with that regard.
Kara Cutruzzula: so when you post
something, you could be up until
midnight, you know, answering people
and even creating more content As
much time as you wanna put into it
is as much time as it will take up.
So do you have boundaries set around like,
okay, I am going to respond to people
during this set period of time, because I
have these other important things to do.
Aegean Chan Burnett: Oh my goodness, yes.
I, I actually, I don't spend
that much time on the platform.
I essentially spend a couple hours a week.
Doing content, some weeks.
I can only get out one post,
but my goal is to do two posts
a week, which I think in.
The world of people that are really
trying to optimize their feeds.
I think that's really counterintuitive.
What I've heard is that you really
should be posting multiple times
a day, which seems wild to me.
Um, but I only go for two posts but I
try to make them relatively high quality.
know, I wanna make sure that, that it has
at least one piece of useful information,
for people, but also not too complex.
That it'll get lost.
it's kind of a balance of this is
useful, but it's also bite-sized
enough that, you know, somebody swiping
and has 10 seconds of attention can
gain something useful out of it.
And then in terms of, you know, not
letting it take over my, my life,
I think last year I decided to not
even open the app after 8:00 PM.
Kara Cutruzzula: Ooh,
I love this boundary,
Aegean Chan Burnett: I mean, I'm too
tired and so my, my evenings, you know,
sometimes I, I'll do some admin, you
know, I'll be like, I'm gonna reply to
these four emails and I'm gonna, make the
schedule for my staff and do that kind
of computer work where I have set tasks.
But I won't just open my computer
or open up Instagram after I put
the girls to bed and cruise around.
I have to have a reason to do it.
um, that's really helped me
because I think the pull of the
vortex at night is very strong.
It's hard to get out of it.
Kara Cutruzzula: Yes.
It's suddenly just like I'm exhausted
and yet I can't stop scrolling.
Aegean Chan Burnett: for me at least
late at night, I'm less kind of in
tune with regulating my emotions.
So that was why I, I picked the 8:00 PM is
that I found myself at night, I would be
much more prone to those feelings of fomo.
And sort of spiral a little bit.
And I've heard this from
a lot of people too.
And I think it's just easier for
me during the day to regulate
that stuff and keep it moving.
Whereas at night, you know, you can
kind of get into a thought spiral
that might not be the healthiest place
Kara Cutruzzula: well, it sounds
like a really clear boundary,
that you have around social media.
And looking at the rest of, you know,
the rest of your admin day today, do you
have any other tools that will help you
move through, the emails, the meetings,
You know, bouncing between commitments,
like are there any digital tools, physical
tools or emotional ones that you'll
sort of lean on, throughout the day?
Aegean Chan Burnett:
honestly, the to-do list.
is my best friend.
And the calendar, if something's not
on the calendar, it doesn't exist.
So especially since I've had my second
kid, I've really had to be diligent
about putting things on the calendar.
And I actually have to confess, I
rescheduled a dentist appointment
for my daughter because last
week was my first week back.
I was like, oh, it's gonna be too crazy.
I have to reschedule it.
I forgot that I rescheduled it
and I never took off the old
appointment on the calendar, so I,
I showed up with both kids in toe
at the dentist's office, and so it just
showed me, I was like, oh my goodness.
Like I literally have no more brain
capacity to remember things on my own,
I live and die by the calendar.
Kara Cutruzzula: did they get
you in or did you have to come
back for the other appointment?
Aegean Chan Burnett: No, I
mean, she was busy, so I just
kind of backed out of the door.
I was like, my bad.
I walked around the block with Sophia.
I was like, sorry, dude, while
we're coming back in a couple weeks.
you know, but it just made me realize
how much I rely on the calendar.
And then the other tool that I've
really found useful is the Apple Watch.
I didn't have one before I had kits
because I was never a watch person and
I never, I was one of those people that
would leave my phone at the house for
hours, you know, if I went on a walk
to go get a coffee, my like luxury
would be to leave my phone at the
house and just be completely unplugged.
with kids, you can't do that.
And you know, if Mark, my, my
husband wants to reach me, needs to
reach me for something, you know,
so having the watch actually freed
me from being tied to my phone.
So before I got the watch,
I would have this anxiety of
like, oh, where's my phone?
And with the watch, now
I can run after my kids.
I know that if somebody needs to reach
me, I'll get it on my, on my wrist.
And so I have it limited, so I'm
not getting a ton of notifications.
So it's really just for text
messaging and getting phone calls,
and setting timers because toddlers
need timers to move through the day.
So I, I think that's really the tool
that I utilize the most, during the day.
And it actually, yeah, gives me
a lot of freedom and makes me
feel like I can be more present.
Kara Cutruzzula: I love that.
I feel like that's the best advertisement
I've heard for the Apple Watch.
Um,
Aegean Chan Burnett: paying me anything.
Kara Cutruzzula: maybe soon.
so this is your admin day, and I was
just wondering like, what will feel
like a successful day, like when
you're sort of winding down is it
crossing everything off the to-do list?
Is it sort of moving through things
without, Overly being stressed out.
Like what does, what does like a really
positive, full day feel like in your life.
Aegean Chan Burnett: I think.
When, when those happen, when I can get
most of the things done off of my to-do
list, while not being hurried, while
not being stressed, and being able to be
present for each task, that definitely
does make for a day that feels like
I've accomplished something and um,
you know, I'm able to rest at night.
I think that's, for
me, the reward is when.
I feel like I've done enough that,
you know, from eight to 10:00 PM
I can sit and watch a show or read
a book and not do anything at all.
but I think an important thing to keep
in mind is when you're making your
to-do list, to do it in a realistic way.
so when people make to-do
lists, you know, I do this too.
I put on too many things.
I found that I was putting on too many
things, so I never had that feeling
because I never felt like I did enough.
And then once I started making more
realistic to-do lists that really only
had three things on them for the day.
Then that's when I was able to have
that feeling at night that felt
like I had accomplished something.
and then also the concept, this kind
of ties into the concept, especially
once your responsibilities grow and
you're taking care of tiny humans.
and I cannot remember why I heard
this quote, but you know, all of your
responsibilities are either glass
balls or plastic balls that are up
in the air and you just have to be
okay with the plastic balls falling.
Kara Cutruzzula: Mm.
Aegean Chan Burnett: So once I took
that mentality, I'm like, okay, my job
is to keep the glass balls up in the
air and if the other non-essential,
non-critical things fall to the
wayside and somebody has to send
me a reminder email, that's okay.
It doesn't mean I'm a failure as a
person, doesn't mean I did a bad job.
It just is.
Um, and that really has helped a lot of
that negative self-talk that I think.
can consume you when you're a really
busy person because it's just impossible
to do everything in a timely fashion.
Kara Cutruzzula: What an amazing,
clear metaphor I think for everyone.
Just that acceptance it's
okay if some will fall.
I think that that will be really helpful.
and like you said, finding yourself
at the end of the day, like
you've accomplished the things
that you've wanted to accomplish.
You didn't overextend but you didn't
feel like you were disappointing
yourself or anyone else.
how do you unwind and
prepare for the next day?
Aegean Chan Burnett: it's hard because
depending on how long it takes me
to get my kids down, and I'm also
currently breastfeeding and pumping,
so that's also basically a second.
Part to full-time job.
it really, I think I maybe have about an
hour to myself at night, and honestly,
right now is the golden age of television.
We have succession, we
have yellow jackets.
Love is blind.
I mean, we got the full gamut.
the more mindless reality tv, it is.
That's my true kind of guilty pleasure
where I can just turn off my brain.
just watch and enjoy the
dynamics that are going on on
the TV is no consequence to me.
That's probably my
biggest guilty pleasure.
And it's funny 'cause my husband, he's
always like, you're such a smart person.
Why, why are you watching all this?
But I've heard from a lot
of people that really enjoy,
particularly trashy reality tv.
They're very high functioning people.
and that seems to be an
escape for a lot of people.
So
I'm gonna go on record.
Kara Cutruzzula: go on
record as Love is Blind.
Uh, fan girl.
Uh, yeah.
Well, you know, you don't have
to follow complex storylines.
You don't have to think too deeply.
You know, there's a time
and place well, I feel like.
I'm going to get angry emails if I
don't ask you, what your skincare
routine looks like during the day.
because you are the only person who's
ever convinced me to wear sunscreen,
so I, I have to thank you for that
a hundred times over two finger
lengths full of sunscreen, right?
Every day.
Um, I, I listen, I listen to you,
and so, what does your skincare
routine look like during the day?
Aegean Chan Burnett: Oh boy.
Well, it is not complex
at all and you know me.
Less is more.
the more simple.
It can be the better.
And again, when there's,
I have no privacy either.
My two and a half year old is
usually in the bathroom with me.
Maybe there's also a baby sitting
in a bouncer at the floor.
So my morning skin
routine is pretty quick.
I basically just wash, um, I have
been testing out some vitamin C serum,
so I'll slap that on and then I'll
put moisturizer and sunscreen on.
So that probably takes me about, I.
In total, And then at night it's pretty
much the same, but instead of a vitamin
C serum, I'll either use a retinoid
or I've been using lactic acid lately,
so I'll alternate between those two.
I'll use sometimes a
hyaluronic acid serum.
I've been feeling really dry lately.
so I'll do that and then I'll
use a thicker moisturizer on top.
So usually either Cetaphil cream.
Or I've been really liking
the Laroche Poe Saplat balm.
it really seals and everything, so
when I wake up, my face feels really
hydrated, and ready to go for the day.
So it actually took me longer
to describe it to you that it
actually takes me to do it.
So it's pretty, pretty straightforward.
Kara Cutruzzula: No,
I, I, I just love you.
You talk about this a lot, on
Instagram and your website and,
and wonderful newsletter that,
it doesn't have to be complex.
Like often we make things more
complicated, than they need to be.
And for something that is,
easily replicated day to day and
that feels like something you
can maintain, Simple is better.
So, uh, I just really love that piece
of advice, both for your skin and
also how we move through the days.
Right.
it sounds like you have a really smart
system that works for you Involving
lots of boundaries and things that I'm
totally gonna steal for my own life.
Uh, so thank you for bringing
us into, your day and I hope we
can actually hang out, uh, soon
Aegean Chan Burnett: I would love that.
Kara Cutruzzula: thank you
so much for, taking the time.
Aegean Chan Burnett: Thank you.