This is the ninth post of our series “Life in a Digital Agency”. The previous five in the series have covered the role of a content marketer, a graphic designer, a project manager, a SEO Expert, a Chief Technical Officer, a Quality Assurance Engineer, a Digital Marketer, the Technology Team Leader and the Business Development Associate
respectively.
I am a programmer engaged with the development of world wide web applications. Pearl, Python, Ruby, Java, PHP and ASP are like the alphabets to me. And I like making new words with these the entire day. What follows tries to explain my schedule a bit.
9 am to 10 am:
At this time, I prepare myself for the day’s work. I arrive fresh and have my tea, more like a daily ritual, exchange some banter with the rest of the employees and begin looking at the list of my tasks and making a mental plan of completing the same.
10 am to 11 am:
The dreaded stand-up meeting. The list of tasks on my notebook grows each time the turn of a project manager comes.
Honestly, I do not like working on too many different projects in the same day. I prefer immersing myself in one project and spend quality time to ensure output that reflects my skill and professionalism. Unfortunately, there are always multiple projects going on each time in a digital agency with several of them needing those pesky little never-ending ‘minor changes’ that are never quite as minor as the project managers believe!
11 am to 12 noon :
The first half of the day is devoted to the major tasks of the day, and by this time it manages to absorb me fully.
12 noon to 1 pm :
Thoughts of lunch start sneaking into my mind (confession- I am a massive foodie!). However, I force myself to focus on the tasks at hand. I never quite manage to enjoy lunch as much without the satisfaction of a productive session at work.
1 pm to 2 pm:
One of the three best times of the day. Lunchtime, gossip and jokes, and the customary phone call to my darling wife!
2 pm to 3 pm:
I usually over-indulge myself during lunchtime, which usually leads to a lethargic next hour. Time for a cup of coffee now! Tea would be too mild for this one.
3 pm to 4 pm :
By this time, I’ve managed to shrug off my lethargy, thanks to coffee and the nervously fluttering project managers around! I put on my headphones, and begin preparing for the final stretch.
4 pm to 5 pm :
On good days, I’ve completed most of the major tasks and now I turn my attention to the minor annoyances. Thoughts of my baby daughter start coming into my mind at this time.
5 pm to 6 pm :
Put in the final touches to the day’s work, updating the task manager (JIRA), and finally ending the day by going to for a stroll with my close friend Amit.