8:00am – Morning routine 

I like to kick off the day with a big cup of tea and a slice of toast with a runny egg. I spend some time catching up on a book and really try to be present in these first few moments of quiet in the morning. I feel it sets the tone for my workday and gets me into the right headspace. Before I jump into work, I create a to-do list that summarises my non-negotiable outputs for the day, and I make sure to schedule in some time for a break.  

9:00am – Emails and Co-founder sync

Then onto my inbox. I block out time first thing in the morning to check these in case there are any urgent requests or actions to address. Once that’s done, I start prepping for my check-in with the co-founder. I really look forward to these sessions as they only come around once a week and he always has a multitude of enthralling updates to share; a new customer we acquired, an exciting new feature we designed or a big bug we caught just in time. I also take this hour to get the co-founder’s feedback and advice on some of my work. We realign on priorities and talk about required outputs for the week ahead. 

10:30am – Deep work 

After my check-in, I’m ready to enter into deep work mode. I chuck on my favourite drum and bass playlist and get stuck in. As I am still fairly new to my role, I’m still becoming familiar with our users and the full functionality of our product. I spend some time reviewing the product backlog to give me an idea of what’s in the pipeline and start playing around with the demo version of the product to get familiar with what our users experience. I also work on some upgrades to our website including the FAQs section as well as our educational platform. 

1pm – Lunch time 

I take at least 30 minutes for lunch so that I can reset for the afternoon. I try to avoid screens and make sure I go for a quick walk outside. 

2pm – New product development 

The afternoon continues with a special focus on a new product in the pipeline called PartnerMate. I’ve been tasked with reviewing version 1 of the product and identifying where and how the user interface needs to change based on the needs of our users. This is my favourite thing to do because I get to be creative and step into the shoes of my users to ensure we design something that is truly customer centric. 

5pm – Winding down 

I clock off at around 5 pm and drag myself to the gym (if I feel up for it). Once I’m back, I’ll cook dinner with my partner or head out for something special with friends. I conclude the day with some reading or a board game, and of course some skincare. 

Working at a start-up requires you to wear many hats in a day. At Locumate, every day is certainly a mix of chaos and excitement. I love this role and always look forward to the challenge of a brand-new day.