8:00 AM
Alarm goes off. I hit snooze until 8:29 when I roll out of bed to start the day (still in my pyjamas).
8:30 AM
I attend a virtual daily 30-minute team catch up with the three others in my team. We have an unspoken rule that cameras are off at this time of day. We use this as a time to fill each other in on our tasks for the day, any important news or information, and any urgent tasks. We also use this as a time to check in on how everyone is doing in general.
9:00 AM
After the catch up I’ll go make myself a cup of tea and a bowl of oats. I check my emails, read the news and check my Twitter feed. I might have an email from my manager with a task for the day, or some invitations to attend work meetings for the week ahead.
10:00 AM
I attend a virtual meeting about Biodiversity bushfire recovery. Various project leads provide an update to the broader team. I take notes so I know where different projects are at for reporting or communications.
11:00 AM
I work on a summary document from a meeting held last week – this includes typing up notes into a two-page summary document to send out and progress.
12:30 PM
I Change out of my pyjamas and make myself some lunch – hopefully, there are some leftovers in the fridge, otherwise, I’ll cook something quick (one of the benefits of working from home) or if I’m feeling particularly lazy/ have a busy day, I might treat myself to takeaway.
1:00 PM
I go for a walk while I catch up on the phone with my grad mentor. We speak once or twice a month to chat about what I’ve been doing, and if I have any challenges at work. It’s nice to have a different person to chat to and get to know from a different team in the Department. They’re also great at offering advice!
2:00 PM
Meeting with researchers from a University to update us on a project they’re carrying out on the impact of bushfires on native wildlife.
3:00 PM
Focus time. I’m my most productive in the afternoon, so I try to block out at least a couple of quiet hours to work on some tasks. This might be brief to the Minister, a funding proposal, or reporting on a project I’m helping coordinate.
5:00 PM
Sign off for the day.
6:00 PM
Once or twice a week I’ll go to a yoga class or head to my local pool for a swim. On non-exercise days this will likely be replaced by a nap.
7:00 PM
Dinner with my share house. We share the cooking throughout the week and definitely sharpened our cooking skills during the lockdown. We don’t have a dishwasher so whoever didn’t cook gets to wash up.
8:30 PM
Read a book, facetime a friend from interstate, hang out with my housemates or watch something on Netflix.
11:00 PM
Bedtime!