Not Quite Your Typical 9 to 5

In many ways, my schedule, my life is pretty opposite to your typical ‘day in the office’.  It’s rare if I’m home before midnight and it’s common for me to fall asleep as the sun is rising. But I don’t mind.  To be honest, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I’ve done the ’9 to 5′ gig where I sat in my little cubicle and 80% of the job was sitting in front of a desk all day. This ‘office job’ has its pros and cons. Pros:  It’s stable, it’s consistent and you feel like a grown-up. Cons: You fall into a mundane routine, life gets predictable, you get comfortable, you get lazy, you get bored.  Or at least I did.

People tell me all the time that I must have the coolest job in the world.  And I don’t disagree. I have the freedom to choose my weekly schedule, I’m out most nights of the week, and the best part of my job is I get to network, socialize, throw kick-ass parties, drink champagne and eat bomb food…on the job.  Doesn’t get much better than that.

A Typical Weekend Party @ Bling

But a life in PR isn’t all parties and fun.  To be quite honest, the “social” part of my job is only 40% of what I do.  Most of my job is actually “behind the scenes” work, from writing press releases, brainstorming event concepts, event organizing, a lot more admin and “office work” than you’d expect.

Whether I’m replying to e-mails, attending meetings, answering a million phone calls a day, welcoming customers at Hatsune, or partying at Bling,  it’s all part of the job.  But it’s more than just a job for me, it’s all part of my life, what I do, and how I choose to spend my days. Even though I’m always on the go, running off to another meeting or another party, I’m happy to be busy out and about rather than sitting in an office waiting for the clock to move faster.

Alan said something once that’s really stuck with me.  He said, “I’m never working and I’m never not working.” As the creator, designer, and man behind the successful restaurant empire The Hatsune Restaurant Group, he is so much a part of his restaurants and in turn, his restaurants are a part of who he is and everything that he does.  Which is something I can completely relate to.

There is so much truth to what he said because I too am never “not working.” In my job, there is no “getting off work” or “weekend break” or even “holiday” for that matter.

Tonight I found myself quite bitter that tomorrow morning I have to get up at 7am for a 12 hour photoshoot while everyone else I know is out all night partying and celebrating this National Holiday, but then my senses kicked in and I realized I don’t need a “holiday break” because, in essence, the life I live in Beijing basically is a permanent holiday.

And at the end of the day, I love my job, I love my life and I really wouldn’t choose to have it any other way.

Happy 60th Anniversary PRC!