I’ve been enjoying a really good work/life balance since Christmas, so I thought it was about time I did another day-in-the-life snapshot. Here’s a random Thursday in January:
9am – 10am: Warm Up
A rare day when I’m not doing school drop-off so I enjoy a slower start to the day. First job of the day is always my little green book which holds my lists for the week in themes, and then I check my calendar for any meetings. I make an agreement with myself about what I’ll try and get done today and warm up to the day by spending time on LinkedIn and sorting my emails. I had a rare success at the end of last year – all my emails fit on one page. I’m determined to keep to it. Let’s see how long it lasts…
10am – 11am: Coaching
An hour-long coaching session for a client in the non-profit sector. I really enjoy this work – supporting someone to explore a challenge, goal or situation they want to understand better. Coaching is all about helping someone build a better understanding and gain new insights, as well as providing gentle accountability for actions they commit to taking next.
11am – 11.30am: Emails & Coffee
Quick slot to finish emails and make a coffee before my next meeting.
11.30am – 12.30pm: How to Go Freelance
A meeting with an ex-colleague about going freelance. It’s always exciting talking to someone who’s about to make the leap – you’re full of information/experiences you want to pass on but it can easily be overwhelming. So I keep to the fundamentals around finances, getting your protections in place, celebrating your successes and reminding them to keep focused on why they went freelance in the first place, because that motivation is key when you hit some of the feast and famine periods.
12.30pm – 1.00pm: Lunch
Quick lunch break – still clinging on to feeling virtuous in January with a healthy salad.
1pm – 1.30pm: Cashflow
Updated my cashflow to check where I’m at for the rest of the financial year. Reminded myself how grateful I am my tax return was done back in the summer and I’m not joining in the January-panic for last minute submission.
1.30pm – 2.00pm: Discovery Call
Discovery call with a potential new client about some research work into the medical gender gap – exploring whether pain is treated, ill-health respected and care given irrespective of gender or whether gaps exist.
2.00pm – 3.30pm: Gym
The beauty of freelancing – I make use of the day I don’t do the school runs to head to the gym and attempt to look like I know what I’m doing as I up my strength work.
3.30pm – 5.30pm: Event Design
Having used my gym time to consider some ideas, I start sketching out an event outline for a returning client. My role is making the strategy work interactive, engaging and purposeful so they make best use of their time together.
5.30pm: Out of Office
Final email check for anything urgent and the out of office goes on for my Friday day off with my daughter. Another week done.
Photo by Danielle Cerullo on Unsplash