With Jo Murtagh, Office Manager
My alarm wakes me up at 5am – unless Norah the cat hasn’t poked me in the face a few times before that! Of course, that means it’s time to feed her.
I then practise yoga and stretch for 20 minutes before showering and heading downstairs for breakfast. My go-to is a glass of kefir and a bowl of porridge topped with flax and chia seeds, fruit and honey, washed down with water and some multivitamins. All of which help me with focus and clarity for the day ahead.
I pop my pre-prepped lunch into my Mr Men & Little Miss lunch bag then head upstairs to dress for the office. I’m out of the door by 6.50am – first stop, Starbucks! I grab my usual skinny latte with extra espresso shot (extra hot!) and listen to Scott Mills on Radio 2 with his ‘Pause for Thought’ slot on my way to the studio.
I check my diary for meetings, review incoming emails and plan my day around the team and Directors, making sure everything in the studio runs smoothly. I power through my to-do list in the morning – as Office Manager this can be anything from HR tasks to prioritising the Directors’ emails, writing up meeting notes and organising CPD sessions. I check the team’s whereabouts and book trains for their many site visits.
Lunchtime comes round quickly and by 12.30pm I’m ready for a break. I enjoy a walk round our local park which gives me time in nature and keeps my daily step count up. It also supports my mental wellbeing – as an anxiety sufferer feeling overwhelmed by work or just daily life can become quite intense, so I utilise my breaks to work on my health and wellbeing where I can. I munch through my lunch and head back to my desk for the afternoon.
My afternoon tasks vary greatly from day to day – I can be booking a social event for the team, completing HR or Health & Safety training, attending charity or sustainability workstream meetings or preparing for external visitors. No two days are the same in my role!
After work, I enjoy silence on my commute home to reflect on the day and clear my mind. Once home, I’m greeted by Norah who usually sits on the windowsill when she hears my car pull into the drive. Of course, my first job is feeding the ever-hungry cat!
I’m straight into my joggers or PJs before preparing dinner – usually a recipe from one of the copious amounts of cookbooks I own! Prep done, I then wait for my husband to arrive home and we eat dinner together, catching up on each other’s day. Finally, it’s sofa time – with my mandatory herbal tea, two dark digestive biscuits and a gripping murder documentary.
Before climbing into bed, I do 15 minutes on my shakti mat, then I read with little Norah by my side – and that’s me done for the day.