My Working Day – Claire Daniels – CEO of Trio Media

As the leader of a company, you are there to set an example and to lead and inspire a team of individuals to achieve a series of business goals. But how do these business leaders go about their daily routine? We spoke to Claire Daniels, Chief Executive Officer for Trio Media, about her working day.

What time do you wake up?

My alarm goes off at 5:55, I snooze it once and get out of bed at 6:05am.

What do you typically have for breakfast?

I go to the gym in the morning, so don’t eat breakfast until I get to work. I have the same thing every day; oats with almond milk and vanilla protein powder.

What is the rest of your morning routine?

When I get up, first of all, I feed my cat and my dog and let them out, before getting ready for the gym. I meet my colleague Colleen at the gym every day at 6:45 and we do an hour workout – typically a combination of cardio and weight training, or HIIT. If we’re lucky we squeeze in a quick session in the sauna before getting ready for work! I arrive at work at around 8:45.

What is the first thing you do at the start of your working day?

After greeting the team, I check my emails with the intention of clearing my inbox and saving a list of any I need to respond to or action that day. I also tend to check the company bank account.

How do you prioritise your day’s work?

Typically, I would have already written in my diary the night before, what my meetings and actions are for the day. I designed my own four-day week planner which helps me to plan my day and remain productive! It has sections for daily tasks and quick actions, along with a productivity review at the end of each day.

Do you plan meetings or are they a waste of time?

I do, but since we went to a four-day workweek at Trio Media, we’ve become a lot more strict about how we run meetings, to ensure we’re not wasting any time.

Do you have a working lunch or do you take a break?

It’s pretty much always a working lunch for me unless it’s a rare occasion where I’m meeting someone for lunch and can have a more leisurely break. But otherwise, I eat the same thing every day for ease and I’ll have it at my desk.

When does your working day finish?

I try to be strict with leaving work at a good time, somewhere between 5-6, so I can spend some time in the evening with my husband. If I’ve got work I still need to do, I’ll pick that back up at about 9pm.

How do you prepare for the next day’s work?

Make sure I’ve put everything in my diary for the next day and everything is prepped. So that means I check the weather, pack my gym bag with a suitable outfit for the next day based on what I’m doing, and ensure I have prepared anything I need in advance of any meetings or events.

What’s your favourite piece of technology?

It has to be my iPhone or AirPods as they both get me through the day and I’d be lost if I didn’t have either.

How do you switch off?

I think I’m really good at keeping a consistent healthy balance, and don’t feel the need to switch on and off from work. That being said, I love to go for long country walks with my husband and dog, but even on the weekend we could be talking about work or I could get a new creative idea or be reading an inspiring book, and I enjoy that balance. I have to be on holiday to really be able to start switching off, but I like to keep an eye on everything whilst I’m away.

What is the best piece of advice you have received?

I don’t think I’d be where I am today without my parents raising me with a belief that I could be whatever I wanted to be. Having that love and support as you’re growing up makes you feel pretty limitless, so I don’t think there’s any better advice than that.