Here Corin Campbell, PR and Media Manager, explains a typical day.
6.00am – No need for an alarm clock these days because my wife and I have a fourth-month-old daughter. Chloe is very clear about when she’s ready to get up, and right now that tends to be around 6.00am. I get up with her and promptly make the first of the day’s many cups of coffee. It’s an earlier start than what I was used to before we had Chloe, but I’m really enjoying feeling less rushed in the morning and having all this extra time before work. That time is mainly spent playing with Chloe – the silver lining for me during this difficult period is all the added time I’m getting to spend with her – but while she’s having her first nap of the day, I’ll often do a little home workout or whip up a quick batch of cookies or scones.
9.00am – Chloe has kindly let me use her nursery as my office during lockdown, where, sitting alongside shelves lined with Dear Zoo, Peter Rabbit and Llama Llama Red Pyjama, I say a quick hello to everyone on Microsoft Teams, catch up on emails and prioritise my work for the day. The in-person meetings I would normally go to – like our press office catch-up and the department’s weekly social media meeting – have switched pretty seamlessly to an online format. I’m really impressed with how quickly everyone has adapted to what feels like a big change.
11.00am – At the moment our work in the press office is focused almost entirely on University activities related to Covid-19, so the bulk of my day is spent researching and writing relevant news stories. Reflecting the world-leading expertise we’ve got at the University, we’re also fielding a huge number of interview requests from journalists around the world covering the pandemic, and I pitch in with these too.
1.00pm – Being able to have lunch as a wee family with Chloe and my wife Tash is lovely. If the weather’s good, we’ll go for a walk around Inverleith Park or the network of former railway line paths that stretch up towards Leith. If it’s not so nice out, we’ll just spend a relaxed hour together playing little games and singing songs with Chloe.
2.00pm – Back at my laptop for the afternoon, I’m typically drafting news stories, discussing media strategies with members of the press team, and holding video calls with academics leading projects aimed at tackling Covid-19. My work in the press office usually involves covering everything in the College of Science and Engineering – from astronomy and biology to physics, geosciences and maths – so it’s quite different being focused entirely on the pandemic. It’s inspiring and very motivating, because we’re witnessing first-hand some of the incredible research and other things staff and students are doing to help people get through this difficult situation. It’s a privilege to help get messages out about the amazing things the University community is doing at such a challenging time.
5.00pm – I clock off for the day, saying goodnight to everyone on Teams. Tash and I prepare dinner while Chloe reluctantly goes down for her final nap before bedtime. We have dinner and keep Chloe entertained before starting on her nightly routine of bath, story and song before putting her to bed around 7.30pm. I’ve been getting back into running over the past few months, so I’ll often pop out for 45 minutes once Chloe’s down for the night and we’ve got a precious few hours to ourselves. I find it so relaxing – the best way to clear my head after a day in front of my laptop – and with the evenings getting longer and warmer, it’s also just a lovely time to be outside. Later in the evening Tash and I relax on the couch, have a drink and chat or watch a bit of TV.
10.00pm – Bedtime for me and Tash, so we can get a few hours of sleep in before the first of Chloe’s two – if we’re lucky – nightly wakeups, and we start all over again!
What does your new nine-to-five look like? Share it with us at bulletin@ed.ac.uk