My location-agnostic PR agency life | Noëlle Bölling
Hello! I am Noëlle Bölling, a 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?
Usually, I get up around 6:30 am, drink a large cup of English Breakfast Tea with (rice) milk and watch a bit of morning television to catch up on the latest news. Some days I also wash the dishes, go grocery shopping or turn on the washing machine. This way I don’t have to worry about the household while working.
How do you organise your day?
Every morning I write myself a to-do list and add to it over the day, so I don’t forget anything. In addition, I take a look at my appointments and calls and then decide which task is best to start with.
When are you the most productive?
Through the years I have discovered that thinking in the morning is the easiest for me. Especially in summer, I enjoy working in a concentrated way while it is still relatively fresh outside. For this reason, I try to start the day with complex tasks like working on a new topic, for example. Ideally, there is no call scheduled during this time that could tear me out of my thoughts, so I have the opportunity to stay on one topic as long as possible.
What is your favourite workplace?
Since I have arranged my desk the way I like it, including colour-matching equipment and fresh flowers, I really enjoy working at it. But apart from that I also enjoy working in cafés. Here I can look out the window, watch people on the streets and let my thoughts drift away. This allows me to think better and develop creative ideas – and of course the coffee, is much better than at home.
What’s your favourite thing about working remotely?
That I don’t have to ride the bus that much anymore! Even before that, my commute to work wasn’t that far, but because of rush hour traffic, I was often stuck on the bus for unnecessarily long periods. This time often seemed wasted to me. Now I can use it for other things like cooking a fresh meal instead.
What do you miss?
Actually there is nothing I really miss, but if I had to name one thing, it would be fooling around with my colleagues. In my opinion, the social aspect of work can be very well covered with instant messaging and video-call tools. But sometimes, I do miss those times when everyone is getting a bit tired and you ending up doing something funny like singing a song, and that then helps you to push through the week.
What’s your secret weapon?
Besides my gym pants, which allow me to work in every imaginable pose in a comfortable way, it is mainly my hand-written to-do list that gets me through the day. I can easily make little reminders and comments here and everything I have written down by hand stays better in my head.
