Yanny Li

5.00 AM 

The alarm goes off. I have a shower, get dressed, make a cup of matcha latte and catch the train into a yoga studio.

6.30 AM

Free-breathing. I have a 2-hour Ashtanga Mysore yoga session. A daily dose of inner peace keeps me calm and clear-headed throughout the day. 

8.30 AM

I try to walk 10,000 steps every day. If the weather is good, I would walk to work from the yoga studio (about 2 km). 

9.00 AM

I arrive at work, get to my desk, log in and check the calendar for all meetings scheduled for the day. I get myself a cuppa before checking my emails, attending to any outstanding chat messages on Skype from last night and replying promptly to my colleagues.  

9.30 AM

I started craving coffee and so are a few of my co-workers. We all head down to our go-to coffee spot. These coffee runs are a great chance to catch up with my colleagues and get to know them better. 

10.00 AM

Time for our regular Stand-up meeting. My work is project-oriented and using the agile methodology. These stand-up meetings keep everyone aware of the project’s landscape and progress. If there are certain tasks or issues we need to focus on, this is the time to discuss and to make any adjustments needed. 

As a Systems Engineer, my role is to support the execution of Systems Engineering activities on a large-scale system of a systems integration project. This involves breaking down customer supplied requirements into lower-level service specifications, working design aspects and managing the compliance tracking and evidence gathering back up the lifecycle. 

10.30 AM

I go back to my desk and continue working through the task I started earlier today. I read through emails and feedback from the detailed requirements I submitted for review. Collate all of the feedback and comments, I make changes to my work. The changes don’t take too long to make. Once I am done, I would chat with the senior engineers to make any further amendments or arrange new tasks. 

12.30 PM

It’s lunchtime. I alternate between a social lunch or a lunch packed the night before. I go for a walk around Collins Square and pick up some snacks from Woolworths. The snacks go to our team’s snack drawer and keep everyone in the team energised throughout the day. 

1.30 PM

Back at my desk and continue working through the requirements specification process. The detailed requirements describe the necessary functions and features of the project solution and lay a strong foundation for project success. I write down any questions in my head and walk over to my manager’s desk to discuss them. 

3.00 PM

I take a small tea break whilst chatting to colleagues in the kitchen area. 

5.00 PM

Time to catch a train home. I use the commute time to check my social media messages and catch up with my friends. 

6.00 PM

I get home, pack my lunch, pick out my clothes for tomorrow and change to my gym outfits. 

7.00 PM

The gym is less busy now. It’s time to sweat it out and stay on track with my health and fitness goals. 

10.30 PM

Time for bed. I try to go to bed by 10:30 PM so I can start the next day nice and fresh.