I am a CoFounder at Urban Digital Recruitment, an early-stage agency that was launched in Q1 of 2020. I am also a single parent to a fabulous little lady, called Imogen.
7am – Wake up and check emails
A ‘typical’ day for me starts at around 6:30 am/7 am when I check my phone for emails and Inmails in bed. Usually, my 4-year-old daughter will be asleep next to me, with her arms and legs sprawled everywhere (haven’t quite got her sleeping all night in her own bed yet!).
We then have a morning debate about which fancy dress outfit she wants to wear to the nursery vs the nice, coordinated outfit I have picked out for her – she always wins.
8:30am – Nursery drop off
I then have an hour round-trip to and from her nursery before I formally start work at 9:15 am. During the pandemic, we moved in with my parents for much-needed help with childcare. This meant that Immi had to join a new nursery in the Cotswolds. However, since then we have moved into our own home in Cheltenham, but I didn’t want her to have any more upheaval with a further nursery change. So I do a 34-mile round trip, twice a day now instead.
9am – Morning strategy call (in the car!)
My business partner (Laura Brazil) and I start every day with a call in the car whilst we are both on our respective nursery runs. This is a key part of both of our days where we discuss what’s going on and what’s a high priority for the day ahead. Plus we always have a good whinge/laugh about the antics of our children from that morning.
9:15am – At the desk officially starting work
By 9:15/30am I am sitting at my laptop, strong coffee in hand.
My day typically consists of numerous candidate calls, head-hunting, video calls with clients and video calls with the wider team. To say my day is hectic is quite an understatement.
12pm Gym class and lunch
I always eat at my desk as I prefer to use my ‘lunch break’ to go for a run or exercise. It’s my main way to relax and de-stress. It is a critical part of my day!
I love using the business centre at David Lloyds Gym to hot-desk out of. This also means I get to join a HiiT or Spin class at lunchtime and then get right back to work afterwards (no video calls for me straight after lunch!).
1pm Back at it!
If I’m not getting a train into London to meet Laura/clients and use our Work.Life space in Soho, then I either stay in the David Lloyd business centre all day or head back to my house, where I have a very pink office, which I LOVE!
Between new business calls and CV submissions, I also love to get involved with our marketing strategy and upcoming plans. Becky Spencer-Davies, our Head of Marketing at Urban Digital loves it when I offer my ‘help’ with content and imagery that is going out that week across all social platforms.
When I have a quiet moment, I will scroll through LinkedIn news, or industry social media content to keep up to speed on the market and spot any juicy leads to chase up.
5 pm – Nursery pick up and parenting
When the clock strikes 5 pm I have a mad dash back to the nursery to collect a very tired little lady who nearly always falls asleep in the car on the way home. This is then followed by a haphazard attempt to do snack, bath and bed for her before 7:30 pm, usually, with me, multitasking, wearing my EarPods and trying to wrap up any loose ends with work, whilst attempting to also be a good parent.
7:30 pm – Immi’s bedtime, time to relax (or do more work!)
Once Immi is finally asleep, I nearly always log back on to my laptop, but now in front of the TV and accompanied by a rather large glass of wine. Despite constant parental guilt that I’m never doing enough, I absolutely love my job and the freedom it gives me.
I hope I’m going to make my daughter proud.
Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
Published on August 2, 2021 by female-business-owner-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-single-working-parent