How I Start My Week
Asia Phua
I’ll start with a disclaimer. If you’re hoping to read a hyper-regimented, #girlboss #goodvibes-esque post with a step-by-step guide featuring meditation and a bullet journal, I’m sorry to report this isn’t it. Sadly, I’m a regular lady with a pretty basic (but not that kind of basic) routine. I will say though, it gets the job done.
If you’re here, you’re more than likely familiar with the kind of work Etched does. We’re a public relations agency, but that’s just our government name. I like to think of us an effervescent hub of people that tell stories and make good news happen.
A large part of my job is creating, and I’m sure you’ve heard that term a million times before, without a good explanation. I’ll try to unpack it in layman’s terms. I write and edit everything from copy to new releases, dream up ideas for campaigns and strategies, design things for social media and sometimes (read: a lot of the time) send my coworkers homemade memes.
Needless to say, creativity is a resource I make sure to nurture at all times. Sometimes that means binging on art, podcasts, social media and news during the weekend and coming to work on Monday bubbling over with ideas.
Now, I suspect you didn’t really come here to read a bootleg TED Talk on creativity, and mainly want to know the weird, nitty-gritty things I do, so I’ll get to it. I start my week by getting to the office two hours early. Okay, that’s not true, but I’m still including it in hopes it’ll manifest permanently one day. Once I’m inside the office, it’s time for coffee.
As much as I despise “But first, coffee” culture, I am “But first, coffee” culture, and I need a cup before I even begin to feel real. If I’m really struggling that morning, I’ll treat myself to an americano from Giant Leap, the space-themed coffee shop attached to our building (an ingenious and very dangerous feature). After my first cup, I’m feeling like a boss, buzzing with energy and mental clarity and ready to tackle the day. Hear me roar, world!
I’m old school in that I like to write things down. Having that tangible connection of idea to hand to pen to paper really resonates with me, but I’m also a millennial and like to have everything readily available in an omnipresent, 24/7 cloud. So naturally, I use both. ToDoIst has been my latest favorite tool to stay organized. The app has a nice, clean interface and sends you praise and badges for completing tasks. You hear that, Evernote?
During our daily status meeting, I scribble my tasks for the day in my journal and transfer everything to the app afterward. It may seem counterproductive, but when your mind is as pleasantly chaotic as mine, you have to take extra precautions.
After another cup of coffee, it’s time to “get-to-getting” as my mother says. I open up Toggl to manage my time for both billing reports and personal accountability and then dive into my workload for the day. This is #NotSponsored, but Toggl is a wonderful free tool that tracks your time and organizes everything by client and project and I’ll always sing its praises.
Regardless of where the day takes me, I like to take at least 30 minutes to brain dump ideas at some point. This can range from huge, pie-in-the-sky, “WHAT IF WE BOUGHT A ZOO?”-type ideas to smaller, more attainable things, such as the best content I saw on Instagram that weekend.
If you haven’t already guessed, I’m a hyper type-B person. My brain dump typically resembles an actual dump and usually takes shape on a Google doc. It sounds wildly ineffective, but you’ll be surprised how many times I’ve referenced these docs to pull ideas. The truth of the matter is, creatives aren’t creative every day and it’s wise, important even, to make the most of the days when you’re cranking out gold.
There are so many growth-hacking tactics and tips from big names that tell you A-Z what you should do to have an “AMAZING WEEK,” but you have to do what works best for you. Some Mondays I stay at the office until 8 p.m. When I’m on a roll, why stop just because it’s an arbitrary “quitting time”? Other weeks, Tuesday feels more like a Monday do-over. All in all, I start my week at a pace that works for me, (granted there aren’t any pressing deadlines, major fires or mercury isn’t in retrograde) and I think that’s what matters the most.
