Day in the Life of a Remote Worker: Keisha Washington
This spotlight illustrates how each remote worker finds freedom and productivity in their everyday life, in their unique way. Get inspired and see how you can improve your workspace, workflow, and work/life balance.
Name: Keisha Washington
Pronouns: She/Her
Current Job: People Operations Manager @ Buffer, social media management software
Current Location: Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA
Current Computer: Macbook Pro
Current mobile devices: iPhone 11
What does your typical workday look like?
That’s a great question! It really depends on how many open roles we have (and how well my newborn sleeps 😴), but my day typically looks something like this:
8:00 pm - 10:30 pm
(Yes, you read that correctly! Since the birth of my (now) 3-month-old son, Ezekiel(Zeke), my “workday” begins with my nighttime routine. To accommodate his feeding schedule—and the fact that my husband works the midnight shift—I’ve leaned into working APAC hours, which pairs quite nicely with the open Customer Advocate role we’re currently recruiting for in that region. So grateful for remote work and the ability to work a flexible schedule!)
Take a shower and get dressed in my “work” clothes, which is always comfy pants, a T-shirt, and usually one of my Buffer hoodies. Say goodnight to my 4-year-old, Denzel, and to my husband, Dominique (Dom), before he goes to work. Feed Zeke and put him to bed (usually while dancing around to a Jammy Jam playlist 🎶)
10:30 pm - 2:00 am
Naptime! Then wake up to feed little Zeke and lay him back down before I start my day.
2:00 am - 4:00 am
Make a hot cup of tea and pop into Slack to see if there are any hiring questions or concerns that need to be addressed. ☕️Catch up on important announcements/conversations in Threads. Peek into other Slack/Facebook/LinkedIn groups to interact and answer questions. Potentially have a video chat with a team member, and generally, reflect on what I need to accomplish for the day.
4:00 am
Baby’s hungry! 👶🍶
Me and Zeke after he’s had a good meal 🍶
4:45 am - 7:00 am
Check calendar, email, and review progress in the candidate pipeline while eating some breakfast, which could range from oatmeal, fruit, and almonds to leftovers from the previous night’s dinner.
7:00 am
Wake up Denzel for preschool plus feed Zeke (every three hours, like clockwork! ⏰)
7:45 am - 10:00 am
Dive deeper into moving candidates along their journey, make sure that hiring teams are prepared for interviews, reply to emails, and share hiring updates transparently in Slack. Also candidate interviews are generally scheduled during this timeframe.
10:00 am
Baby’s hungry again! 🙌
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Wrap up daily projects, catch up on miscellaneous tasks, finalize/share interview notes, and attend occasional team meetings.
Zeke is a #BufferBaby
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Zeke is a #BufferBaby
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Break time! Depending on the day, during this time I will: grab a snack, take a nap, feed/play with Zeke, make dinner, and/or do some household chores.
3:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Denzel’s home! Family/dinner time plus Dom steps in to help with Zeke.
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Mommy time! Which usually equals nap time 😴
Describe your workspace setup:
I mostly sit on a recliner in my living room with my laptop on a snack tray in front of me. Sometimes I’ll sit with my laptop at the dining room table.
What do you listen to while you work?
Nothing but the white noise in the background that I play while Zeke is asleep.
Aside from your phone and computer, name a gadget you can’t live without in your workspace:
It’s not really a “gadget”, but I need a pillow, or two. I always put a pillow behind my back to help me feel more supported.
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