Pris Lam

6.30 AM

My day starts with a quiet and early commute into the city to the gym. Since my client is based in Barangaroo, I decided to take up the morning gym classes at one the nearby gyms. Many of the gym classes in the city are express 45-minute classes, meaning I have plenty of time to shower and freshen myself up for work.

8.10 AM

I’ve arrived inside my office, set up my laptop and equipment at one of the desks by the waterside as I prefer natural lighting and the views are stunning. I will then make my way to the communal kitchen and help myself to some breakfast. 

Usually, I’ll take my breakfast to my desk and check my emails for data engineering or data analysis requests. I also check the automated Alteryx workflow logs for any new errors or issues. My days are very dynamic depending on the importance and urgency of the requests and errors. Based on this, I will set out my key priorities for the day.

8.30 AM

If there’s been an error, I’ll spend my morning debugging the issue. Usually, this involves opening an offline version of the workflows, checking the error log to see which tools or what type of data caused the error and designing a solution. My morning Spotify playlist involves acoustic classic or slow Jazz – something mellow with no lyrics.

10.00 AM

The fortnightly team meetings on Monday are a touchpoint to find out what is happening amongst the team and in the business. I will also give an update on the important tasks or projects I have been working on to the team. As my team is small, our meetings are quick and a maximum of 30 minutes.

10.30 AM

If my error troubleshooting and requests log are complete, I’m working on a project to extract workforce data from an incident and injury reporting platform and visualise the data in a Tableau dashboard for performance tracking. Using Alteryx, I’m building a workflow to connect to the external platform’s database through an API.

12.00 PM

Lunchtime! I usually bring leftovers from dinner and microwave it in the communal kitchen. I take my lunch down to the cafeteria, find a larger table and eat lunch together with other The Data School consultants. Sometimes, friends we’ve made from other parts of the business join us for lunch, too. This is also a great chance to find out if others have solved similar problems and pick their brains for different perspectives.

1.00 PM

I continue working on my project using a combination of Alteryx and Tableau products. My afternoon Spotify playlists usually involve either upbeat musicals or Latin classics.

2.00 PM

I have my fortnightly one on one meeting with my line manager. There I will present the dashboards I’m working on for user feedback, and any insights and issues I’ve come across. 

4.30 PM

I start wrapping up my work for the day, log it into my personal task tracker, and get ready to go home.

5.20 PM

Beating peak hour traffic, I’ve usually arrived home around this time. After winding down with some social media, I’m preparing dinner for my family.

7.00 PM

I think it’s super important to stay on top of the latest best-case visualisation practices and Tableau product features. Therefore, I try to stay active in the data community through working on the newest monthly Storytelling with Data challenge and reading the newest blogs from the Tableau Data Family.

10.30 PM

I’m getting ready for bed. My goal is to have at least seven hours of sleep a night so goodnight!