A Day in the Life of a Remote Financial Worker: Unveiling Scott Dawson’s Success

Name: Scott Dawson

Pronouns: he/him/his

Current Job: User Experience Architect

Current Location: Trumansburg, New York

Current Computer:
Dell Ultrabook Laptop (company-provided)
Apple iMac (personal)
iPad Pro (personal)

Current mobile devices: iPhone X

5-7:30 a.m.
Scott and his wife wake up early, enjoy coffee, and have some personal time before their kids wake up for school. During this quiet morning period, Scott spends half an hour reading and another half an hour writing. In fact, he wrote his book, The Art of Working Remotely, in half-hour stints during these pre-dawn hours. Around 6:45, the whole family gathers for breakfast and prepares lunch for the day. Scott’s wife is a teacher, so once she and the kids leave, he has the house to himself.
7:30-8 a.m.
Scott uses this time to do household chores, catch up on the news with NPR, or prepare something for dinner. He also takes care of administrative tasks like paying bills and personal correspondence.

8-8:30 a.m.
Scott opens his laptop, checks his email, handles light work-related correspondence, and sets his priorities for the day.

8:30-9:30 a.m.
Scott prefers to exercise early in the day, so if his workout plan includes a run, he goes for a 30-45 minute run. Afterward, he quickly gets cleaned up and ready for work.

Scott running at Taughannock Falls. He’s fortunate to live just 5 minutes away from this amazing park, which features the tallest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States!

9:30 a.m.-noon
Scott’s workday typically starts with several stand-up meetings. He prefers to schedule meetings back-to-back in the morning to avoid context-switching later in the day. Some mornings are filled with collaboration, while others allow him to focus on deep work with minimal meetings.

Noon-1 p.m.
Scott has always blocked time on his calendar for lunch. It’s an important way for him to eat well and reset for the afternoon. If he’s alone, he enjoys a meal prepared in his personal Crock-Pot or plans to meet someone for lunch. During the summer, Scott and his wife take a 20-minute walk around the neighborhood before he returns to work.

1 p.m.-5 p.m.
This is a crucial block of uninterrupted time for Scott. He thrives when he can dedicate this period to designing, coding, or strategizing. While there may be some working sessions in the afternoon, it’s mostly a time for him to focus and produce high-quality work.

5 p.m.-8 p.m.
Evening commitments vary, but Scott and his family make it a priority to have a home-cooked meal together. They take turns preparing the meal, including the kids, and document their creations at dawsondinners.wordpress.com.

8 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
If Scott and his wife decide to watch television, it’s during this time. They usually watch a series or a movie for 45 minutes to an hour. However, some nights they’re too exhausted and go to bed early, usually around 9:30 (which may have something to do with waking up at 5!).

Scott loves his home office, which was designed with remote work in mind. It’s located upstairs, away from the main flow of the house, and has a door that can be shut for a distraction-free environment. The office even has extra insulation in the walls and floor to separate it from the rest of the house. Scott has a standing desk with his two computers and a separate table for paper and pencil design work. When the standing desk is down, he sits on a ball chair. The best part of the office is that Scott’s family rabbit, Phoebe, is free to roam around. She has a cage in the corner with all her necessities. The office also offers a beautiful view of Scott’s backyard, garden, and sauna.

Scott’s home office is usually quiet since he needs to focus on his work. However, when he wants some background music, he listens to a variety of genres, including brain.fm, country, and classic rock!