Xero Australia
Celine Teh
7.45 AM
My alarm rings - I reach my hand out to snooze or turn it off. I gradually wake up, check today's weather and for any important Slack messages, such as a rescheduled or cancelled the meeting. It was time to get ready for the day.
On days that I work at the office, I would grab my work bag, put on my jacket and take a short walk to the office building. I also have the option to work from the comforts of my home, and that can be pretty convenient as I am remotely based within my team, and we have a 2-hour time difference. After making breakfast, I log onto my work laptop. I start by taking a look at my calendar for scheduled meetings, monitor certain Slack channels for any relevant announcements, a quick scan of my email inbox, review my ongoing tasks as I plan my work for today.
My first meeting of the day with the team is a daily update from each other on our tasks' progress, and we identify any blockers that we can help each other with. I settle in at my desk, and dive into my work. My work could range from partaking in consultation meetings with external contractors to testing API behaviours. Sometimes, our meetings are online, and other times we book in meeting rooms for group discussion.
A short break from the screen is welcome! Whether I'm in the office or at home, I make my way to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea - green tea is my go-to if I have trouble choosing - or sometimes I decide on milk. I grab a fruit from the fruit bowl on the counter on my way back to my work space.
11.30 AM
Team catch up bonding time - we do daily quizzes and play a variety of casual games such as Gartic phone, Codewords, Geoguessr, and more.
12.00 PM
Lunch time! Usually I would have prepped lunches that I made beforehand for the next few days, or head outside nearby with friends from the office.
1.00 PM
Personal (and professional) development time - I schedule in some online course training to keep track of my progress and learning.
2.30 PM
Touch base with my buddy - we discuss and shared our feedback on how well things are going and what we can improve on.
On Friday socials, we gather together as a huge family in the breakout space and take the time to catch up with the rest of our colleagues, and send appreciations that truly reflects our company culture and values. We can play ping pong (table tennis), cool custom made arcade games such as pinball and space invaders.
5.00 PM
Wrap up the day's work, noting down what is on my to-do list for tomorrow.
6.00 PM
Arrive home. My dad and I started having a virtual exercise session together as my family are based overseas. After our session, I would have dinner and unwind the rest of the evening, such as doing some light reading or chatting with my friends.
10.30 PM
Bedtime. Before lights out, I usually double check what time my first meeting is the next day, and how the weather would be like so that I could stay warm enough in the mostly cold weather here in Canberra.