6.30 AM
The usual. I spend longer than I would like on my phone as I lay in bed and wake up. I’ll choose my outfit for the day – usually a T-shirt and some jeans (work is very flexible). I’ll have a shower and breakfast before walking to the bus.
7.30 AM
I’m very lucky because my bus stop is on a busy road close to my house, so I don’t have to look at the timetable and never have to wait more than five minutes. I listen to podcasts on the bus and take recommendations from my friends, although I am quite ruthless and if I’m not enjoying it, I’ll revert back to one of my old and reliable podcasts.
8.00 AM
I take the lift to our office on level 16. If there is someone else in the lift with me, they are usually subjected to some of my small talk. I scan in to meet COVID protocols, fill up my water bottle in the kitchen and put my meal-prepped lunch in the fridge (on Sundays I make one big meal and prepare four containers worth for Monday through Thursday; I treat myself and buy lunch on Fridays). At work we hot desk, although I get into the office pretty early and always sit at the same desk, so I don’t usually have to deviate.
8.30 AM
I am usually on multiple projects at one time and each project has a weekly team meeting. This is a chance for the project team to discuss progress, tasks and content. I actively contribute, update the team on my work and if there is anything I am struggling with. These meetings are usually 30 minutes or one hour long and involve three to six people.
9.30 AM
Perhaps surprisingly, I don’t drink coffee but enjoy a chai latte or walk with colleagues. I often schedule in 30 minutes with a colleague I haven’t spoken to or seen in a while for us to catch up. This is a chance for me to connect with people outside my project teams and hear about what they are working on. Sometimes I have a virtual coffee with colleagues in other offices.
11.30 AM
Each person has a Buddy, and a Performance Coach (PC). PCs are responsible for your professional development, answering tough questions and organising your project pipeline. Meetings with your PC happen once per month and are usually 30 minutes.
12.00 PM
I grab my meal-prepped-lunch from the fridge and sit in the kitchen with others who also like an early lunch. We usually do the quiz in the newspaper (to which I provide little value) and chat.
12.30 PM
Throughout the day I spend my time at my desk working on a range of things. Projects often centre on a deliverable, which might be a review, evaluation, report with recommendations or a proposal – and there are many more types of deliverables. Developing the deliverable requires structured thinking; careful quantitative and qualitative analysis; and frequently stakeholder engagements, which can include interviews and workshops.
As a consultant I contribute to all stages of the project, and at various times I either facilitate or take notes during stakeholder consultations. I spend time thinking about how to structure our reports, make them easy to read, compelling for the client and then of course write them.
3.00 PM
Today I had a virtual client workshop that went for 90 minutes. I facilitated part of the workshop and took notes for the remaining parts. We made good progress and the discussions we had have set us up well to move to the next stage of the project.
5.00 PM
On a good day I’ll go to the gym in the basement of the office building and work out. It has recently been refurbished and all the equipment is new. I have recently been spending a lot of time on the bike.
6.00 PM
After the gym I travel home on the bus while continuing the podcast I was listening to that morning. I’ll have a shower and then dinner before retiring to the couch or my bed to watch a movie. I try to catch up with my friends a couple of times each week if I’m not training for hockey.