Please describe your day in one phrase? Inconsistent. Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays are working days. Tuesdays and Thursdays are for meetings. Some days, I get 100 emails, so having designated “work” days are key — especially because I like to keep an empty inbox.
How do you start your day? 7:30 – 8:00 AM I wake up, typically without an alarm, and definitely without hitting the snooze button. Prolonging the wakeup process is torture, so I’d rather just get down to business and hit the showers. If I don’t have to wash my hair, I’m ready and out the door in 30 minutes. Somewhere in there, I skim my Facebook newsfeed and check my email for any emergencies.
I have really weird eating habits and go through phases with different foods. I cut out caffeine, so right now, I’m on a hot water and lemon kick. I’m not so diligent about eating breakfast, but I’ve been known to get “hangry”. I fight that by always having a bar or some almonds on-hand.
What are your daily habits that make you more productive each day? My life is electronic. Everything is digitized. Ironically, the one item that keeps me the most on track is my good old-fashioned note pad. That’s right: a pen and a piece of paper.
What is the average start and end times for your day? At 7:30 AM, I’m up, checking emails. By 11:30 PM, I’m asleep.
What Mobile Apps do you use on your phone? I’m app-obsessed. Here’s just a snapshot of my favourites:
- WhatsApp: For those who haven’t quite joined us in the twenty-first century
- Skype: My brother lives in Israel, but I manage to see him almost every day
- Square: I can take Visa!
- Google Docs: All access to my files, anytime, anywhere
- All-in Yoga: 45 yoga programs packed into this one app for on-the-go
- Spotify: No matter what my mood is, Spotify has a playlist
- Handy: Allows me to book a handyman, electrician or cleaner on a whim
- Keeper: I have a thousand logins and passwords, so I log them in one spot for easy access
- Airbnb: There’s something about having a key to your own place in a foreign city that beats a hotel any day
- Uber: I’m an Uber addict. Private driver whenever you need one? Yes please!
- OpenTable: Book restaurant reservations on the fly without waiting on hold.
- Groupon: I love a good deal – especially when I’m travelling in a new place.
What gadgets do you use that you can’t live without? My convertible hand-truck. It’s a trolley that folds right up and fits in my car. In addition to my laptop and a giant handbag, I’m always schlepping things around. My friends say that I have no shame. I tell them to get back to me when they have chronic neck and back pain.
Do you listen to music while working and if so, what? There are few things I procrastinate more than working out and music is the only thing that makes it bearable.
What are you currently reading? The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman
What websites steal your attention? Facebook. My company typically runs the company pages of about six clients at a time. This includes everything from posting, scheduling and sharing to branding, engaging and advertising. I would say that I’m on Facebook for about a quarter of my day.
What is your sleep routine like? I take a bath in the dark with a candle every night. I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. There was a time I would get home at the end of the day and work until two in the morning. I had no balance and my sleep suffered as a result. Lately, I’ve been diligent about consistency: waking up early and going to sleep early. And no computer in bed.
