I wrote an article with the same title about a year and a half ago. And then I changed jobs. Even though I am still technically at the same mid-managerial level in procurement, many things have changed. The spend under management and team size tripled. So did the number of issues I am facing daily. 

So, how does my day now look like:

8:00 I am lucky to work in a company with flexible work timing. We are allowed to come anytime between 7:30 and 9:00. As long as we clock the required weekly working hours, everything is fine. I love coming in early. It is quiet, and I use the time to plan my day, week, year or life. Great time to think, while sipping the hot coffee. 

Also, this is the time I check my emails and sort out all the things coming for my approval 

9:00 to 11:00 is the time I do most of the work that requires focus. I have a habit of putting all my tasks on the calendar and allocating time for them. So in a nutshell a meeting with myself. While I do keep an eye on my Teams messages and emails, I prefer not to respond. By the way, both apps have desktop notifications switched off. I find them annoying and not helpful. Rather I open them from time to time, when I get a bit stuck with my task for the day. 

11:00 I have figured out that this is the best time for phone calls. Everyone arrived at the office and had his morning tasks already done. Also, if I need anything within the company this will be the time I am catching up with colleagues. 

12:00 Catching up with emails, orders and other approvals. The daily grind. 

13:00 Lunch, and a bit of a slow time. As a massive introvert, I love spending my lunchtime with a book. It helps me to drift my thoughts away from work and relax. If time allows, this hour is the time I learn. A 15 minutes online course will help you, in the long run, to become better. And with the afternoon dizziness, you need something interesting to bring you back to life. If I have something fun to do, I do it at this time. Like writing this article. 

14:00 Another great time slot for the “heavy lifting”. The brain is back after the slow time, coffee did its part, and I am full of energy. Especially Excel related tasks go smoothly at this point in time.

15:00 This is the time most meetings happen in my company. Also, if I have outside visitors I will allocate this time for them. 

16:00 Catching up with the team. I bring up any follow-ups that came to me during the day. Also, this is the time slot for my one-on-one meetings. This article by Kevin Kruse can help you understand one-on-one meetings. I do them for quite some time, and they help me a lot in improving my team’s performance. 

17:00 Time to wrap up. Any approvals, emails that can be quickly replied to? The aim is always not to leave any email unopened before heading home. At least I make a reminder for tomorrow morning. 

I usually head home around 6 pm, unless there is some significant issue. But do check my notifications. As trouble usually comes on a Thursday evening. 

As you can see, the position of a Procurement Manager is less operational, and more about team and strategy. We are no longer the “guy who gets things done”, but a coach and guide. Of course, I do jump in whenever the team needs help. Or I feel it is not going at the required pace. But this is more an exception than a rule. 

So, this is my average day. What about you?