Hi, my name is Naomy and I am a second year Civil Service Fast Streamer working as a project manager on secondment in the private sector.

My day begins with a cup of tea, ready to head to my makeshift office at home for around 8:45.

I have just come back from a few days of annual leave; therefore I take an extra few minutes to go through emails I received while I was away. Inbox management is important! I flag any emails that require immediate action, and respond with a confirmation of receipt to the emails that require it.

I then check my calendar to see what meetings I have got lined up for today: I have a planning session with my manager and two other project leads, a catch-up with a colleague working on my company’s net zero strategy, a Project Delivery Fast Stream check-in call, and a German chat-roulette meeting with a member of the Civil Service languages network. All in all, a varied and busy day ahead.

I return to those emails that require my attention. There is an email from my manager introducing me to a member of the team who leads on a collaboration project I am working on. I thank my manager for making the connection and offer to find a spot in both of our diaries to have an introductory meeting.

I then spot a request from my manager to pull together some slides ahead of a project kick off meeting later in the week. I acknowledge the ask, note it down and schedule a couple of quick calls with two colleagues to ask for their input on this task.

Looking at the time, I take a few minutes to think about the upcoming project planning session: who is attending, the agenda, the topics that require my input, and any objectives or outputs I am looking for. This will help me make valuable contributions and progress my own areas of work.

A couple of hours later, the meeting is done. My company provides facilities management services across the Government Property Estate and our focus in this session was the Home Office and Ministry of Justice. It was good to understand where the project was at, the frustrations and obstacles that needed to be unlocked, and a clear set of next steps.

It is time for lunch: I reheat some leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. We made a spinach and sweet potato dahl; it’s one of my favourites.

I carve out some time to focus on my Fast Stream objectives. I put in 1.5hrs in my calendar to do so to let others know that I am focusing on a task and will not be taking meetings during this time. This always works really well and gives me a dedicated slot to focus. Fast Stream objectives ensure that we work towards developmental goals that are stretching enough to prepare us for a more senior role at the end of the scheme.

At 4pm, I jump on to a Project Delivery check-in call. It’s a good way to stay updated and say hello to other Project Delivery Fast Streamers. We’re all spread out doing different things so it’s nice to have a fortnightly catch-up.

My last meeting of the day is a German chit chat with a Civil Servant who works at BEIS. The languages network sets up a fortnightly chat roulette match. This means I get to brush up on my German and network with others. It’s a win-win!

I finish the day by booking my travel next week. I have meetings in London and Manchester next week, so I use the internal booking system to book the trains. I take a quick look at my to do list and make a couple of notes on what to prioritise tomorrow.

It is now a little after 5:15pm. I log off and head into my evening!