5:00 AM
I love waking up early so the second my alarm goes off I’m up and ready to start my day. I’m doing some yoga and then heading to the gym with my flatmate for a spin class.
6:30 AM
Spin class was incredible this morning and I think it is a great way to clear my head. After taking a shower and packing my bag, I am on my way to work.
7:30 AM
I’ve arrived at the office and put my lunch in the fridge. Now I am sitting at my desk, reading, and responding to emails while I eat my breakfast. Today’s emails don’t require much action on my part, they are just some company updates and feedback from my manager about some work I had completed yesterday. I also like to take some time to check my calendar and plan my day around any meetings I have.
8:00 AM
I only have one meeting today so I get to spend most of my time working on my current project. I am in charge of collating all the information required for the potential disposal of land in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions and putting the data on an Excel spreadsheet. I am also required to draft some memos to present to Waka Kotahi so they get a clear overview of the property and have a formal document for their written approval.
10:00 AM
I have just received an email that requires me to check all the projects I am working on and update a different spreadsheet with any critical details. This needs to be done urgently as it is for our Monthly Disposal Meeting which is next week! This meeting allows the disposal team to go through all the projects that we are working on and ensure everything is on track based on our forecasting.
10:30 AM
It’s morning tea time! Everyone in the office today has gathered in the lunchroom and we are about to dig into a fresh fruit platter while talking about everything except work. Today I’m having a muesli bar and a cup of coffee as well. Some of my colleagues and I take this time to do the daily Wordle and get ridiculously competitive about it.
11:00 AM
That was a much-needed break but now it’s time to get back to work. I’m not working on most of the individual projects that are included in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty disposal list which means I don’t know the specific details about each one, so I am going to walk around the office and talk to the lead consultants for the respective projects and clarify any issues I come across. I will also make a few phone calls to the lead consultants in our Tauranga office for the Bay of Plenty projects that they oversee.
12:30 PM
It’s time to eat lunch! Today I’m having some leftover pasta and roast vegetables that I had made for dinner last night. I’m sitting with my colleagues, and we are discussing the location of our next hike. About once a month we invite everyone in the office on a hike and it is such a great way for me to get to know my colleagues outside of the workplace while also being active.
2:00 PM
I spent some more time working on my project and now it is time for my meeting. This is an ‘Introduction to Disposals’ workshop as part of the company’s learning and development programme. It was an insightful session that went into depth on section 40 of the Public Works Act 1981. As a new grad, this gave me a much better understanding of the various stages of the disposal process.
3:00 PM
As it is nearing the end of the month, I am sitting with my manager to go over the monthly expenses for all Waka Kotahi disposal jobs in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions and establish budgets for the following month. This is an exciting job to do as it allows me to get an overview of all the current projects and understand the financial side of the work that I do.
4:30 PM
I’m back home and the first thing I do is grab and snack and call my parents to catch up with them. After that, I spend 30 minutes deciding what I want to cook for dinner and then begin the process of preparing my meal.
6:30 PM
Dinner is served! I’m having some homemade stir-fry noodles. My flatmates and I sit together and eat dinner every day. We talk about what happened during our day and start the debate of what movie or tv show we are watching tonight.
7:30 PM
Now it is time to unwind. My flatmates and I decided to watch Love is Blind tonight.
9:00 PM
After watching a few episodes, I am exhausted and ready to call it a night. I hop into bed and read a book (right now I’m reading ‘The Confidence Effect’ by Grace Killelea) for 30 minutes and then it’s time to sleep and do it all over again tomorrow!