My location-agnostic PR agency life | Hannah Thompson

Hello! I am Hannah Thompson, a Senior Consultant at Tyto, and this is my location-agnostic life. In this series, we want to highlight the freedom our model enables and how we navigate any challenges it presents.

What’s your morning routine?

While I set my alarm for 7:30 am, I’m usually woken up at about 7 am each morning by my dog, Toffee, jumping onto my face. There’s no morning alarm more effective than a 14kg dog flinging itself onto you with great excitement.

I have a cup of tea, walk my dog and then read the news pretty thoroughly. I think that understanding what the media is covering and what stories are breaking is an important foundation for PR – it gives you great insight into where your clients can fit in and add value to the conversation.

How do you organise your day?

In the morning, I’m generally focused on reviewing the news, catching up on Slack and email and ticking all the small items off my to-do list for the day. I tend to leave chunkier tasks until the afternoon as I find it easier to focus on them without all the little tasks cluttering up my brain.

When are you the most productive?

Definitely in the afternoon! I’ve tried my absolute hardest to be a morning person, but after a good eight years of trying, I’m resigned to the fact that my brain just isn’t wired that way.

Also, I usually go for a walk over lunch – this helps me think everything through more clearly, so I arrive back feeling more productive.

What is your favourite workplace?

For me, I love having the choice to work in different locations. There are days where I love being in a bustling café, or in a co-working space surrounded by colleagues, and then there are days where I want total silence.

What’s your favourite thing about working remotely?

Not having to commute anymore! It’s made such a difference to the quality of my life now that I’m not spending 60 hours a month on crowded trains, or a fifth of my salary on a season ticket.

What do you miss about working in an office?

Doughnuts. When you work in an office, trays of doughnuts – or little tubs of treats – would be a regular fixture in the office kitchen. The doughnuts would often be cut into thirds, and you could sneakily grab a segment whenever you walked by to make a cup of tea.

Also, the cakes that would appear for everyone’s birthdays! I haven’t had a Colin the Caterpillar in months.

Although, on second thoughts, perhaps working from home is healthier…

What’s your secret weapon?

My dog! I’m guilty of getting sucked into work, and not knowing when to switch off. Having a dog is a great reminder that sometimes it’s best to take a break, go for a walk and come back to a problem with a fresh perspective.