I don’t think I’ve ever posted one of these “A Day in the Life” posts but people seem to enjoy them, so who am I to judge. So, you’re getting a glimpse into a regular week day of my life. Today’s “day in the life” is actually from YESTERDAY, because I can’t take pictures in the future, obviously.
4:15 AM — My alarm goes off. I hit the snooze button. 9 minutes to wake up. Then I get out of bed, throw on my workout clothes (that I have put out the night before, because I am organized like that) and do a quick bathroom routine (brush and braid hair, wash face, brush teeth).
4:35 AM — I grab my breakfast/lunch (also prepared the night before) and my water bottle (with a NUUN tablet) bottle from the fridge and get all my bags: lunch bag, purse and gym bag. J kisses me goodbye and locks the front door behind me.
4:40 AM — I drive to the gym + eat a string cheese on the way. Can’t workout on an empty stomach (and dairy protein agrees with me). I also listen to NPR in the car, always.
5:00 AM — I park at the gym, check in, put my gym bag in the locker, and text J that I am there. He worries because it’s dark out when I leave and I park in a parking garage downtown and who knows what kind of people are out and about at this ungodly hour. (Psst, mostly other dedicated people that go to the gym before work – oh, and construction workers, apparently.)
5:10 AM — I start my warm up, followed by 30 min strength training and a 4-mile run on the treadmill.
6:30 AM — Workout done! Time to get in the shower and get ready to go to work.
7:15 AM — I arrive at work and I am the first one in the office (well, at least in our suite). I put my breakfast in the fridge and turn on the computer.
7:30 AM — I catch up on email and set up my to-do list for the day. I have drinkable yogurt as a post-workout snack.
7:45 AM — I can finally make coffee. I usually don’t make coffee right when I get to the office, because my co-workers come in about an hour later and since we share the coffee pot, I don’t want their first cup of coffee to have sat on the burner for an hour already. (Maybe it’s because I am simply a nice person, or it’s just because I myself wouldn’t want coffee that has been sitting out that long.)
8:15 AM — My co-workers trickle in. As you know, I have a cubicle in the back of the suite now and people mostly yell “good morning” over the cubicle walls. I try to make an effort and go see them “face-to-face” when I go get my first cup of coffee. I used to share an office with (one of my) co-worker(s) and it’s still weird to not have that anymore (plus the window view). Then again, it’s nice to have some more privacy.
8:20 AM — I start working on a new alignment project. If you recall, I work with 3D models of laser point clouds and part of the processing is putting the collected scans together into said 3D model. I love this type of visual work and am super grateful whenever I have a LiDAR project to work on. Most of my time is spent with Excel spreadsheets these days, and while I don’t mind juggling numbers and creating graphs/tables, I mostly prefer the visual work with the LiDAR data.
9:15 AM — I get my second cup of coffee (before it starts getting cold) and chat with my co-worker about his kid’s field trip.
9:20 AM — Spreadsheets, maps, processing. Work, work, work.
10:00 AM — I eat my breakfast. Overnight steel cut oats with raspberries (slightly warmed in the microwave). Yum. It’s my perfect winter go-to breakfast.
12:00 PM — I got outside and on a walk for my lunch break. It’s a beautiful fall day here in Northern California.
12:15 PM — I call J for a few minutes and then call my parents for a mid-week check in while I am walking.
12:45 PM — Back in the office. I eat my lunch (tomato soup, mmmh!), and add some croutons for the heck of it, and keep working on data processing.
3:00 PM — I need a mental break and get up to walk around a bit. I go to the mail room to check the mail (no mail).
3:15 PM — It’s a pretty quiet day, no meetings on the schedule, so I dive into some new data spreadsheets that I just received.
5:00 PM — It’s pitch-dark outside and I haven’t even noticed because my office doesn’t have a window anymore. Ha, gotcha! I actually went and took a picture from my old office. My co-workers have already left. The sun is setting and I miss having this view from my desk.
5:50 PM — I go wash my mug, bowl and silverware. I also clean out the coffee pot. Since I am usually the last one in the office, cleaning up somehow became my responsibility.
6:00 PM — I wrap up my work day and head home. I call J and talk to him on the way to my car, because it’s dark and campus is a scary place when it’s dark.
6:20 PM — I stop at Rite Aid to pick up some milk and ear plugs. We have construction work going on next door.
6:40 PM — I arrive at home and immediately start preparing dinner. I try a new recipe: beef & gnocchi stew. Yum.
7:00 PM — J and sit down and catch up on our days while our dinner is cooking.
7:30 PM — I watch some news and work a few rows on my knitting project.
8:00 PM — Dinner is finally ready and it’s delicious. The recipe will probably go into our recipe binder (which means we’ll make it again!). Next time, I’ll probably prepare it the night before and cook it in the slow cooker. Usually I don’t make dinners that take longer than 30 minutes during the week.
8:30 PM — Time for my evening cup of tea. It’s a ritual during fall and winter. Honey Chamomille Vanilla.
8:40 PM — I try to catch up on the news but can only handle it for like 20 minutes. Then I tell my (new and shiny) Xfinity Voice Remote to “watch Friends” instead. Always a good decision.
9:30 PM — I get ready for bed. J lies down with me and we talk for a little while. Then he goes to the living room to watch TV and I read a couple of pages before I turn off the lights.
How was your Tuesday?
Beth
November 8, 2017 at 8:58 amI love day in the life posts! It is on my list to do one, I just always forget when I get into my day to take pictures and what not to show different things! I’m going to make it a goal to get one done though! I loved learning more about what you do each day – you are dedicated getting up at 4:15 to workout!
san
November 9, 2017 at 7:45 amYou have no idea how often I thought about doing a “A Day in the Life”-post and then forgot to take pictures throughout the day… haha. I had to really focus this one time :)
a/k/a Nadine
November 8, 2017 at 9:21 amI enjoy these types of posts as well. I am jealous that you can wear jeans to work. My boss and I were just discussing this morning how “business casual” needs to go. My productivity can only be helped with comfy clothes.
san
November 9, 2017 at 7:46 amOMG, I am so, so happy that I can wear jeans to work… I can even wear more casual wear and sandals in the summer :)
Mind Over Meta
November 8, 2017 at 12:14 pmSo nice to read about someone who gets up at the unearthly hour of 4am to work out! Plus, you’ve given me a craving for tomato soup now! You have a long day at work too, I admire the fact you make it through despite being up so early. I also try to get to bed for 9.30pm so I can get some decent sleep!
san
November 9, 2017 at 7:47 amI work a four day, 10-hour schedule, so yes, my days are looong, especially on the days when I work out (I don’t do that every day of the week), but the long weekend (I get most Fridays off) makes up for it ;)
Dani
November 8, 2017 at 12:35 pmLove these types of posts! Wow, you have such a long work day! Mine is strictly 9-5. I don’t have any windows at work either, but I like the privacy factor too. I might have to pick up your evening tea ritual- that sounds so relaxing!
san
November 9, 2017 at 7:47 amI work a flex schedule (four 10-hours days) and get most Fridays off. You get used to the long days and the 3-day weekend is so nice!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
November 8, 2017 at 3:27 pmLove love love those post. I have mine planned for next week ;-)
I am really impressed that you a) get up at this time b) go to the gym at this time c) be at work that early and having done half a life already. So crazy
But I wonder: when do you blog or read Instagram 😜
san
November 9, 2017 at 7:48 amSo, the options were: working out before work (and getting up early!) or working out after work (and getting home REALLY late)…. so I chose the first option. I only work out that early 2-3 times per week, so it’s manageable :) and I actually feel really good once it’s accomplished.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
November 9, 2017 at 10:05 amYou are right, it does feel good ones you actually into the routine. When I was staying in the US we had basketball training at 5am. I thought they were crazy… But in the end it was awesome. However I would never do it voluntarily ;-)
Megan @ Meg Go Run
November 8, 2017 at 3:33 pmDay in the life posts are my favorite because I am sooooooooo nosy. So J gets up at the same time as you? What time does he have to leave for work? It sounds like such a long work day. 7:15-6pm. Is every day like that? My work day is 7:55-3:40. Then two nights a week I come home and teach piano lessons, but only two nights. I relish my nights with no lessons… like tonight. :) I’m listening to the hairspray soundtrack and drinking wine. Is your office noisy or quiet?
san
November 9, 2017 at 7:50 amHaha, J gets up to kiss me goodbye and then he goes back to bed ;) but it’s still nice he sees me off in the morning… :)
I work a four day, 10-hour schedule, so yes, all my days are that long, but I get (most) Fridays off in return…
My office is pretty quiet most of the time, we’re only 6 people in our suite and four of them have actual offices… so it’s pretty private.
ShootingStarsMag
November 8, 2017 at 4:12 pmI love these type of posts! It’s just fun to see what people do on a day to day basis. It looks like you have quite a long day though! haha
-Lauren
san
November 9, 2017 at 7:50 amI work a flex schedule, so yes my days are long, but I don’t mind… I get Fridays off :)
Kimberly G
November 9, 2017 at 5:50 amI always love “Day in the Life” post because it gives me a chance to learn more about the blogger behind the blog :)
san
November 9, 2017 at 7:51 amAgreed! I love reading other people’s post, too.
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
November 9, 2017 at 6:44 amThat is sweet of J to get up when you get up! Phil is so not a morning person so when I used to get up early for run club he definitely stayed in bed! But I wasn’t getting up as early and didn’t worry about my safety since I was meeting a running group. It makes sense that he stays up long enough to get a text from you to make sure you made it to the gym safely!
I enjoy reading day in the life posts, too. I feel like my life is way too boring to posts like these, though!! :P Especially now that I am pregnant and taking it extra easy due to all the RA flares!
san
November 9, 2017 at 7:52 amJ sees me off, but he definitely goes back to bed after I leave :)
Haha, I never posted a day in the life post because I thought my day to day is so boring… so you have no excuse! I want to know now what your day looks like :)
Kate @ GreatestEscapist.com
November 9, 2017 at 7:22 amI love these day-in-the-life posts, & yours is no exception! I can’t believe you get up so early; I live in a time-zone three hours ahead of you & am still not awake at the time you wake up, when it’s 7:15 over here. Inf act, I’m usually asleep for another hour or two! That said, I was up until 2am last night, so…
And man, looks like some beautiful weather in California right now!
san
November 9, 2017 at 7:53 amYou seem to be on a completely different schedule… I don’t particularly “enjoy” getting up THAT early (and I only do it 2-3 times per week), but I had two options: working out before work (and getting up early!) or working out after work (and getting home REALLY late)…. so I chose the first option. I have long work days, that’s why I have to start early, but then I get (most) Fridays off for a long weekend which is super-nice and which you can get used to VERY QUICKLY!
Stephany
November 10, 2017 at 7:52 amYay! I’m so glad you did a day-in-the-life post. It’s so fun to get a peek inside people’s day-to-day lives.
Tuesday in my world was the end of my vacation to Asheville, so I had one last brunch and stroll through downtown Asheville and then flew home to St. Pete where I was greeted very enthusiastically by my dog. :)
san
November 11, 2017 at 4:50 pmI really enjoyed your day in the life posts and that inspired me to finally do my own :)
So happy you had such an awesome time in Asheville!
Lindsay
November 14, 2017 at 1:38 pmI just LOVE reading about to other people’s days and how they are spent. You work long, days, eh Sandra?
I’ve penned out a couple of days in the last few months but never end up posting them. I must do another sometime soon. :)
marie
November 17, 2017 at 8:22 amLove your coffee mug!
Holy crap I can’t believe you get up so early!!!
And love how J wants to make sure you are safe and ok.
Terra
November 17, 2017 at 9:40 amI love the days I actually get up and get my workout done early. It’s so nice to not have to worry about it after work, especially now that it’s dark outside so early. I always hate the waking up early part, but I’ve never once regretted actually getting out of bed and going to the gym.