We all know Mondays suck.
Each week, I will feature a Monday in the life of someone who can provide some comfort/humor/inspiration to the start of your week.
Brandon is a Healthcare Consultant. "I go into hospitals for a living and help
them find ways to save money, be more efficient, and improve the patient’s
experience."
4:15am
Wake up!
Unfortunately, exclamation points like this can be easily confused with
excitement. Waking up before the sun rises is neither enjoyable nor exciting
for me. There are two kinds of people in this world - one who sets a single
alarm in the morning and one who sets more than half a dozen alarms (all of
which get snoozed through until the last possible second where you've now
reached a threshold of potentially being late). I fall into the second
category.
4:50am
Actually make it out of bed, in time for a quick
shower/shave.
5:00am
Pack for the work week. Waiting until the last
possible minute to do something as important as pack your suitcase for the week
would stress most people out. Not me. I thrive in this type of situation - you
know, the one that determines how you will look in front of people for the
week. It helps I do laundry on Sundays and have packing down to a precise
science.
5:10am
Now packed, dressed, and ready to be picked up
by a complete stranger (via Uber). It's still dark outside at this point, so
I'm still dealing with a strong inner-conflict to give up and head back to bed.
Alas, I push on, amazed how I've never mismatched my socks, forgotten my belt,
or left my computer.
5:30am
Arrive at the airport, which may be the most
"Monday" thing about my Mondays. I've always been intrigued by the
number of schedules different people are on at the airport. The heightened
level of stress people seem to have, adds significant discomfort to my travel
experience. Perhaps Erin will allow me to guest blog some time on the different
kinds of people you see at airports. (Editor's Note: I'm sure we would offend several groups of people with a post like that... let's do it).
5:35am
I don't condone stereotyping but must admit when
it comes to getting through the security line at an airport in the quickest way
possible, I will judge you harder than a magistrate wearing a powdered wig in the
late eighteenth century. Pro-tip #1: avoid getting behind someone with kids
(the worst), old people (sorry grams), people wearing excessive amounts of
jewelry (you’re not a rapper), or folks that clearly haven't flown in the past
decade because they still haven't figured out that you can't bring full-sized
bottles of your favorite shampoo.
5:55am
Arrive at my gate. Occasionally I'll grab a
snack, but rarely eat breakfast on Mondays. I also don't drink coffee so the
fact I'm somehow functioning is just short of a miracle.
6:35am
Up, up and away! Depending on where I travel to
(last week was Atlanta), my flight can take anywhere from one to four hours. By
the time you’ve arrived to work and gotten settled in, I’m likely in another
state. Pro-tip #2: Always take the window seat. Less germs than an aisle seat
(I think there are studies to prove this), you don’t have to get up from
someone needing to use the bathroom (come on people, it’s only an hour flight),
and if you’re like me, napping is so much easier in the window seat. Bonus,
sometimes you get great views like these:
8:30am
Arrive and make my way to the rental car center
(ready to pick up my third mode of transportation for the day). Despite my
status with most of the rental car companies, I always seem to find myself in a
jelly bean-sized vehicle with a paint job louder than forty thousand
pre-pubescent fans at a One Direction concert (they’re still relevant, right?).
Most of my clients happen to be in the middle of nowhere, so the ride typically
takes at least an hour. Luckily I’ve got coworkers and 90’s on 9 (satellite radio
station) to keep me company.
10:00am
Finally make it to work. About time right? I
quickly get settled into the team room, which almost never has windows. Luckily
I don’t have to worry about vitamin D deficiency, as meetings get me out of the
cave and into the action, where I’ll meet with various client stakeholders of
the project.
12:00pm
Quick lunch in the
hospital cafeteria. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is near impossible on the
road as I eat all of my meals out. Sure there are healthy options, but my
record for number of consecutive hospital salads consumed stands at two. Eating
the same boring salad over and over again is difficult, not to mention I have
terrible self-control when it comes to avoiding sweets.
12:30pm
More meetings (internal
and client-based) throughout the afternoon. Much of my work involves
understanding the client’s problems through shadowing staff processes,
interviewing management, and completing analytics on the hospital’s financial
data. From there, I help determine solutions to help the hospital save money,
operate more efficiently, and improve the patient’s satisfaction.
5:30pm
Head to my home away
from home (the hotel) and check-in (my go-to is Marriott; no, unfortunately I’m
not getting paid for this endorsement) and then occasionally go to the hotel
gym, which typically consists of a single treadmill, elliptical machine and no
more than eight free weights.
7:00pm
Dinner with colleagues. These are my people. I
spend more time with them than my friends and family. They help make the travel
woes, long nights, and interesting client environments, a bit more worthwhile.
8:30pm
More work (data analytics, preparing for
tomorrow’s meetings, etc.) and also time spent on personal ventures – something
everyone should have in their life. As of late, my personal focus has been on
two different hobbies: 1) Fifth&Franklin Letterpress Designs and 2)
@exploreCLT on Instagram.
11:30pm
Get ready for bed and fall asleep before midnight;
that’s the goal at least, as my 6:00am wake-up call will be here before I know
it.
Fifth&Franklin Letterpress Designs (greeting cards and wall art):
@exploreCLT on Instagram (helping Charlotteans discover the best things to see, eat, and do). Follow me on Instagram and check out our recent CLT Neighborhoods t-shirt campaign that ends this week!
This was hilarious.
ReplyDelete