In each instalment of our A Day In The Life series, one member of the Magnify team walks us through their day-to-day working from home. This week, Digital Strategist Andy gives us an insight into what goes down in his Yaletown home office.
7am: Get rudely awoken by the dustmen
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
That’s the sound of Vancouver’s army of waste collection workers charging through the city, doing the good work. And with that, it’s time to wake up.
On a good day, I’ll wake up, wash, get the coffee going, cook up some brekkie and sit down for half an hour or so before opening up the laptop and settling in to the working day. I try not to look at my phone or any screens at all until just before 9am – the last year has given me the freedom to become really conscious of my habits and how they affect my day-to-day mood. No screens before work is a gamechanger – try it and see for yourself just how much smoother your days can be!
9am: Morning monitoring & social media
Once the coffee’s flowing and I’m settled at my desk for the morning, it’s time to log on and check in on what’s happened since the night before. Most mornings, I dive into social platforms to review conversation around projects overnight, fire up Google Analytics to check how client goals are performing, and use a range of other tools to make sure I’m across everything client-wise and industry-wise.
10am: Team catch-up
It’s Monday today, so that means it’s time for the weekly agency team catch-up. Most days, we have a quick 15-minute stand-up at 9am to sound off how we’re feeling, and what’s on each of our agendas that day, but the Monday meeting allows us to connect a bit deeper, lay out some larger goals for the week, and assess our performance in the week previous.
11am: Get up, move, walk around
Without the daily commute, it’s really important to me to keep moving throughout the day. Depending on how locked-in to my laptop I’ve been in the first few hours of the day, I’ll usually make sure I get outside – even for a walk around the block – before switching gears and settling back in to…
Late morning: smash that to-do list!
As a Digital Strategist, on any given day I could be designing email campaigns, updating client websites, reporting on performance across a range of tools, crafting copy for blogs and social posts, working on strategies for project launches – every day is different, and I value the diversity in the day-to-day.
1pm: Lunchtime walk
Living just a few minutes from Sunset Beach has been a blessing over the last year. I moved into my current apartment in Yaletown the weekend before everything locked down in March 2020 and the timing couldn’t have been better – before that, I was living in an East Van basement – the change in scenery and ability to stroll along the seawall everyday come rain or shine has been invaluable to my productivity and mental health.
Afternoon: Projects
Outside of the day-to-day tasks, I’m working on a couple of big research projects that demand some focused time and attention. I try and dedicate my afternoons to this kind of deeper work – social media tends to die down after lunch for a few hours, I’ve had some fresh air to clear my head, and this allows me to really hone in on the task at hand.
Right now, I’m taking a deep dive into all the different content platforms available in Canada, assessing their audiences, and potential opportunities for Canadian content creators. I love this kind of work – when you have the time and resources to dive into a particular topic and find out something new that could directly benefit clients I’m working on, it’s fulfilling.
5pm: Down tools, tie up laces
Once 5pm hits, I down tools, gear up and head out the door for a run. If there’s one thing I’ve become acutely aware of throughout the last year, it’s just how important getting outside for some exercise every day is to keeping a clear and level head. Fresh air and movement – that’s all it takes sometimes! Most days my running routes take me along the False Creek seawall and into Stanley Park, but on occasion I’ll head out towards Kitsilano or Jericho Beach for something a bit tougher.
6pm: Final check-in and log off for the night
Upon returning to my apartment, I’ll warm down, wash and have a final check of emails, Slack, and our various monitoring tools. Once everything’s clear, I shut my laptop, and don’t open it again until the next morning. While we still work remotely, it’s important to define boundaries between work and play – it’s all too easy to spend the evening checking emails and mulling over new campaign ideas until the late hours. Take it from my experience – switching off in your downtime means you’ll be much more focused when it’s time to work!