A Day in the Life of an ID
I have settled into a daily work routine. It’s comfortingly predictable and but also open to change depending on my energy level. The key here is that my schedule is UP TO ME.
Most days I have one or two synchronous check-ins on WebEx for different projects. Other than that, I organize myself so that I meet deadlines.
Morning
I am a morning person so I login to my computer between 7-730 AM. Early in the morning is when I tick off my to-do items that are going to take more brainpower. If I need to do some analysis and research an assignment, or ideate a design for a new course, this is when I do it. Creating visuals, producing video tutorials, or building eLearning happens when I am most productive in the mornings.
Break
I always take a short break to walk my dog around the block in the mornings. In our household this is an important ritual called The Poo Walk.
Mid-day
Project meetings or check-ins with colleagues tend to happen mid-day. I might reach out to a few contacts in the business with questions, or chat with a facilitator about how a training I developed is running. It’s a time to send notice to project leads about my progress as well. If I have professional development (webinars, online certificates) I try to schedule it around lunch time in case it bleeds over.
Break
Because it’s summer, I like to lay in my hammock with a good book to break up my time after lunch. In the winter, I might use this time to make a cup of tea or curl up under a blanket with a book for a little bit. Either way, it’s a book break.
Afternoon
Because I’m not as energized in the afternoons, this is when I will tackle my more monotonous tasks. I’ll pump some loud video game music to get me in the zone, crack a can of cold La Croix, and get to work. This normally consists of curriculum management, organizing files in our doc library, documenting tasks in WorkFront, updating notes for approaching meetings, or getting into our practice systems to work with test accounts.
My job involves creativity, so I’m glad that I can arrange my schedule in a way that speaks to my natural rhythm. I can take advantage of my morning energy bursts to be hyper-productive at that time, which takes some pressure off later in the day.
Having control over my schedule enables me to be better at my job. I hope this article shows why flexibility is so important.
