Ben

8.13 AM

I wake up at exactly 8.13 am each morning. I have perfectly timed how long it takes me to get out the door to ensure maximum sleep. There is no time for nonsense on my way out the door. If you couldn’t tell, I am not a morning person.

8.30 AM

My housemate and I are out the door and catch the ferry to Circular Quay.

I always find it a great way to start my morning, especially in the summer. I’ll generally try to get into the office four to five days a week as I live close by and find interactions with others in the office refreshing.

9.00 AM

I get into work and settle in on the dark side of the office. It is the objectively better side of the office, and I can’t be convinced otherwise. I have a quick chat before dropping my lunch off in the kitchen, perusing the snacks and filling up my water bottle. I’ll then sit down, read any emails that I received overnight and check my calendar for the day.

9.30 AM

I have a training session booked in from 9.30 am on giving and receiving feedback. This has come at the perfect time as the review period is coming up. The training covered the benefits of radical candour — giving directly challenging feedback in a personally caring way. We got into breakout groups and discussed how we had received feedback in the past. The group then came back together to have an in-depth discussion on how exactly we wanted to be giving feedback to ensure the best opportunity for development.

11.00 AM

It is the last day of my project, so we are wrapping up our analysis to send a final version of the materials to the client. More specifically, I adjust the slides so they are logically structured and ordered, simple and sensible to check their outputs. The slides should tell a story in the most simple fashion possible. I should have done this during the team’s problem-solving meeting to allow for a meaningful discussion. The analysis I do changes very frequently between days. Generally, I research or create excel models to then distil this work into key insights for the team to discuss.

12.00 PM

I head to the kitchen excited to eat my chicken and bacon pesto pasta. I have this pasta for lunch most days however somehow still enjoy it. I sit around our kitchen table and chat with colleagues from graduates to partners. It’s always a nice break in the day.
 

12.30 PM

I jump into a meeting with my project team members for a problem-solving session. The opportunity to solve problems with amazing professionals is quite special. Everyone is encouraged to speak up during problem-solving sessions and so I spend time deciding with the team on our next steps. In this case, we went through the proposed deck to send to the client and discussed where any improvements could be made.

2.00 PM

After agreeing on the path forward with the team I go back to my desk to include the proposed improvements in the deck. Once the deck is complete, I send it off to the partner for a final check-through and edit. After this, the team has a quick chat and reflection on the project.

3.30 PM

It’s now time to use the feedback training I got in the morning. I have one-on-one meetings with each team member to talk about how we found the project and provide feedback. I find these feedback sessions helpful for my development, so I schedule them frequently throughout projects.

4.30 PM

I meet with my counsellor and accept a new project to work on. Like all projects, it is a small team with high partner engagement. So far, I’ve worked for resources, energy, and government clients. This client is consumer-facing which is new and piques my interest. I read up on the industry and client before heading off for the day.

7:00 PM

After work, I usually go for a run, go to the gym or go to soccer practice during the season. I go to the gym today as I’ve been avoiding leg day for too long. I’ve run out of excuses.

8.30 PM

I get home from the gym around 8.30 pm for a late dinner while relaxing. I’ll sit down in front of the TV and watch something or boot up the PlayStation.

11.00 PM

I go to sleep so that I’m ready to start it all again at 8.13 am tomorrow.

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