How Andrew Mok, CMO of peer-to-peer carsharing company Turo, spends the first 15 minutes of his workday
In this new normal working from home, I’ve tried to make it feel as much like I’m starting my day as I used to in the past. That’s part of the challenge for a lot of folks: compartmentalizing. I try to replicate the work atmosphere as much as possible and create boundaries to not make it feel like I’m at home.
I’ll start my day at around 7 or 8 a.m. and I don’t think about work quite yet. I like to start with taking in some of the external outputs from the world, whether that’s listening to a podcast or checking daily news updates from NPR, CNN, BBC to get a more global perspective. Starting your day with these external outputs is really important before getting into the bubble of your own company or own world, which tend to be too narrow. Sometimes I’ll also do a decent bit of cleaning—when your external space is cluttered or messy, it tends to have an impact on your headspace.
Once I’m done with that part of my morning, I start with reviewing my running list of to-dos—I like to keep this list pretty short and prioritize the three most important tasks and visualize what needs to be done to make progress or check them off the list. One work-from-home tip I would emphasize is that I think it’s unwise to start your day with Slack [or other inter-office chat tool] or checking email. Personally, I think that puts you in a position where you’re reacting to messages that were sent or requests being made of you, versus being proactive and strategic about managing your time. Game-plan and reflect before accepting those inputs from other people.
What time do you wake up?
My alarm goes off at 7 a.m. Depending on how I’m doing on a given morning, it could be 7 on the dot or closer to 8 a.m.
What’s your typical breakfast?
I don’t actually eat breakfast—I’m an intermittent fasting guy.
What are some of your favorite news sources to read or listen to?
The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times’ “The Daily” podcast, Vox Media’s “Pivot” podcast and the “Robinhood Snacks” podcast.
How do you wind down after the workday?
I like to exercise every day. I have a Peloton and a little gym environment with a yoga mat and some weights, and I’ll do various bodyweight exercises.
Illustration by Eugene Smith.
Julian Zeng is omni-channel content manager at the American Marketing Association. He may be reached at jzeng@ama.org.