Workspace Wednesday – Winter 2020 Work From Home Edition

I saw a Workspace Wednesday post at In Residence, and loved seeing what someone else’s working day looked like. And to share mine. This is a typical work from home day, which is different from when I’m working from the corporate offices, or when I’m working at a remote location.

TANYA PATRICE

What is your job title

Manager, Corporate Quality. I work for a major food manufacturing company with multiple locations and a global presence. In a nutshell, I’m on a team that audits suppliers to our factories in North America; I also manage a small team, track compliance and manage the workflow of the external audit companies that we also use.

When does your workday start

Today started at 8:30AM with me taking a mug of tea upstairs to my desk. A while back, I bought the Tea Forte Single Steeps Lotus Sampler, and this morning I had a Lemon Lavender sachet and it was fantastic! It’s light and luscious … no creamer, milk or sugar required. It sits on a mug warmer so that I can sip it slowly as I check through my emails which is the first thing I do in the morning – like most people.

What’s on my desk and laptop right now

+ The screen wallpaper on my laptop (and desktop) is one of the February wallpapers from Smashing Magazine. Although it’s a work laptop, it’s important to me to personalize it. I don’t like to keep a lot of files and folders on my laptop screen – I treat it as a temporary space for things I might be working on and there’s never more than 2 columns of files.

+ On my desk is a few files and library books (on the left) – this is where I keep them so they don’t get lost. Clearly this month, I got more than I could possible read, since I’m only average 4-6 books per month including audiobooks. Also on my desk is my work laptop and an external monitor (Dell widescreen), with a wireless keyboard and mouse, and my TUL Disc-bound planner plus pen and highlighter, glasses case and box with business cards. There’s also my mug of tea – which is how I start every work-from-home day.

What are you working on today

Each day, I pick 1 or 2 priorities for that day and that’s all I work on, as well as try to keep up / go through my inbox as emails tend to buildup after travel days. This week I was on the West Coast for work – Monday and Tuesday – then I took a red-eye flight home Tuesday night / Wednesday morning. It’s now Thursday. There’s only 2 hour-long meetings today – at 9AM and 12PM – but since Friday is full of meetings, I decide on what I’ll work on for the next 2 days –  a list of suppliers that need to be sent out to the external audit team, and to review and edit the audit I did earlier in the week.

What did you actually get done

9 – 10AM | Watched meeting webcast while going through emails. I respond or address an email and then move it from my Inbox to a folder. My goal is Inbox zero – but that has never happened. Then it’s a 15 minute break to get breakfast and start on my priority for the day. Breakfast is Green Valley Organic Greek Yogurt (3/4c) and some strawberries + water, which I eat at my desk.

10:15 – 1:00PM | Working on priority #1 for the day – this list I need to send out. Done!

1 – 2:00PM | Make lunch, take pictures for this blog post, and start writing it – while eating. Lunch is a home-made tuna salad.

2 – 4:00PM | Worked on a few issues that popped up during the day and start on task #2 – audit review. I read over what I’ve written, spell-check and make sure everything makes sense. At 4, I take another 15 minute break, just to stretch and see if my hubs will cook dinner or if I have to. My husband is retired and he was home most of today – he usually pops in my office to chat throughout the day`. He’s cooking today – spaghetti and meatballs.

4:15 – 5PM | Spend the rest of the day prepping for tomorrow’s meetings, since I’m the one who requested most of them. At 5PM – I shut down the computer.

Was this a typical work day

This was a typical work-from-home day, but it’s not how it always is. I might choose to work from a coffee-sop, or have errands to run during the day. There are times when I’ll work in the evenings, and there are times when I’ll start earlier in the morning. I absolutely love what I do, I love the company I work for and am fortunate to work with some of the smartest people in the food industry – and in general.

What time do you start working? What industry do you work in?