Nicholas Brogden is an Digital Marketing Consultant who has led marketing campaigns for nationwide trade brands and global companies in the finance, fintech, blockchain and ISP space.
Working from home and need inspiration? Grab a copy of our Workflow book, featuring beautiful photos and inspiring stories from workspaces around the world.
1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I started my digital career working with major online directories in Australia. The reason I took this path was due to my high level of interest in how SEO worked on a local level. I then studied the way the sites were built and optimised.
After a few years of that, I moved to agency land where I worked with some of the more experienced digital marketers in Australia. At the agency, I learned cross channel marketing (social, Googles Ads, SEO/content) and started leading growth teams for major clients made up of high performing staff members from each channel.
My next move was into consulting where my goal is to deliver high-quality SEO services that deliver results for competitive terms as fast as possible.
2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
I get up at around 6:30 and spend the morning getting my kids ready for their day and then I generally start working between 8 and 8:30. The first tasks are reviewing my Slack channels (of which I have a bunch) and emails to make sure I am across everything I need to be.
Check my calendar to ensure I am aware of meetings I have that day and then open Asana (project management software) and start working on whatever is scheduled for that day. I am a firm believer in the ‘eat the frog’ principle so I generally try to tackle the more tedious tasks in the morning.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
Absolutely, I have actually designed my life to be as flexible as possible. Generally, all I need to be able to work is a laptop and an internet connection. Actually I find I can even get a number of tasks done from my phone. As I do not have fixed hours if I need to do something for my family in the day I can do it and then I just make up the time at night.
4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
I had children four years ago so a work-life balance has become more increasingly important. Previously when I was working for a digital agency I had a very poor balance as I would leave home at around 6am and often not return till around 6pm – 7pm.
This would mean I would see my kids maybe 1 hour a day. Since I have moved to a more independent lifestyle I have been sure to structure my days to allow a much better balance which still affords me time to get the same amount of work and spend time with the children.
Working from home and need inspiration? Grab a copy of our Workflow book, featuring beautiful photos and inspiring stories from workspaces around the world.
5) What do you think are some of the best habits or routines that you’ve developed over the years to help you achieve success in your life?
I would say it is not to get bogged down in how things are done. You should always look for a more effective way of doing things and make sure that everything you do has a clear reason for doing it.
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
7) What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?
Plan out the day.
8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
Maybe Paul Sprokkereef the co-owner and MD at Web Profits (the digital agency I worked at). Paul had an amazing ability to be an absolutely focused professional when he was working and a totally relaxed and funny guy when he was out of the office.
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
Don’t spend time doing things just because you think they need to be done. First, think about why each task needs to need to be done and you will find you can be more productive in less time.
Before you go…
If you’d like to sponsor or advertise with Balance the Grind, let’s talk here.
If you never want to miss one of our conversations about work, life & balance, subscribe to our newsletter.
This conversation is brought to you by Kickback Australia, shop online and get cashback from hundreds of your favourite shops and brands.