Sophia Lee La Selle

7:00 AM

My alarm goes off just before 7:00 am, and after snoozing it a few times I wake up and get ready for work. I skull down a glass of water and put my motorbike gear on, which helps a lot with the Auckland traffic!

8:15 AM

At around 8:15 am, I arrive at work and usually head down to one of our local café’s for a snack (seeing as I don’t typically eat breakfast at home). Once I’m at my desk I go through my calendar to double check my scheduled meetings and also go through my unread and flagged emails. Today I have a risk workshop for a new hospital expansion project at 10:30 am, and I am also going on site with the General Manager of the hospital at 1:30 pm. The risk workshop typically includes different specialist consultants such as civil engineers, architects, town planners and structural engineers. We set aside an hour to discuss different risks that could arise during one of the design phases of the project, which is due to commence soon. We also discuss how we can evaluate and prioritise the risks, and what mitigation and management options there are.

10:30 AM

I leave the office fifteen minutes prior to the meeting with my colleague. The client’s office is conveniently located close to us in the CBD, so it doesn’t take long to walk there. During the meeting, I assist my colleague in facilitating the workshop, and record the key risks and actions that have been raised. Once I return back to the office I make a start on formalising the points raised and circulating this to the attendees.

12:30 PM

My favourite part of the day - time for lunch! I have a few favourite places I always go to, but today I decided to go to Commercial Bay (can never get enough of ramen) with one of my colleagues.

1:00 PM

Time to leave for my site visit with the General Manager of the hospital. I bring a copy of the latest design plans with me and jump in an Uber. With the design in hand, we walk around the site, which helps gain a visual understanding of the proposed expansion. To top it off, I also get to do a general tour of the existing hospital! Upon my return to the office, I chuck on my headphones and issue out design instructions to members of the consultant team. I recommend listening to some kind of LoFi music for ultimate concentration mode.  

3:30 PM

It’s Friday today, and a great summer day – a quick walk to stretch my legs around Britomart square whilst drinking a bubble tea. Some of us need a bit of sugar in the afternoon. Once I get back to the office I look through my project task sheets and programmes to see where we are at, and how close are to hitting the next milestone. Reviewing this documentation is key for providing the progress update for our clients. I usually email and follow up with a phone call. I ensure that in the progress updated I document and highlight any issues or decisions that need to be endorsed by the client.

5:00 PM

Home time! I spend a few minutes tidying my desk so that is fresh for next week. Once I get home, I quickly make my way to the gym. I always prefer Friday as it is not that busy, and it is also a great way to wrap up the eventful week!