• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, March 5, 2003

“A Day In The Life…” I was feeling a little nostalgic after sitting on a plane the other day and was reminiscing about how much things have changed over the last few years, so I thought a little light-heartedness in the middle of your week would be acceptable.

Hence, “A Day In The Life Of An Online Media Planner”, 1996 vs. 2003.

7:30 am
1996 - Wake up after going to bed at 2:30 (spent the night drinking at Internet party for “SpendLotsOfVCMoney.com”). Pry open eyelids, get dressed and go to work.
2003 - Wake up, head to the gym for a light workout. Break a sweat, eat some granola and head to work. Run through schedule on the way to work and realize how much work you have to get done and start to worry about how in the world you’re going to do it all.

9:00 am
1996 - Get to work (ok, maybe 9:15 or 9:30) after stopping for coffee and Tylenol to stop the pounding in your head. Sit down at your computer, open Eudora to check for fires and write email with friends from college whom you haven’t spoken to in such a long time (probably 3 days).
2003 - Review Inbox in Outlook, prioritize messages and delete Spam. Establish a list of “to-do’s” for the day. Look over at younger people in your office and take note of which of them are drinking coffee or are just a little bit laggard this morning. Forget all sympathy for those days and get to work. Answer phone – cold call from sales rep. Get off the phone as quickly as possible.

10:30 am
1996 - Sit and chat with people around your desk about the party last night. Reach into your bag and take out the cards from the sales reps you met last night, the ones that are two years out of school making six-figure salaries and spending like they make seven-figures. Examine what you wrote on the back of their cards so you would remember who they were when you see them the following night at whatever party is next on the social agenda (chances are high it was either CyberSuds, IDB, or something sponsored by Yahoo).
2003 - Internal meeting. Try to hurry through and get back to your desk so you can work on the deliverables that you have for the day. Finally get back to your desk, get settled into the “groove” only to be interrupted by a phone call from a cold calling sales rep (again). Get them off the phone in less than three minutes and get back to the “groove” only to be interrupted by Instant Messenger from two different people (unbeknownst to one another) so they can tell you what they did last night (because chances are high they don’t have a job and were actually out till 2:30 am reminiscing with some of your other unemployed friends about “the good old days”). Finally get off IM, decide not to answer the phone for an hour, put on headphones and get back to work.

12 noon
1996 - Shake the cobwebs out of your head and get to work only to realize its lunchtime. Recognizing you’re about to hit your stride, decide lunch can wait, put on headphones and start to work on reports and other deliverables. Realize lunch is the best time of the day because no one is going to call you as they’re all out getting food. So far, this is the most efficient portion of your day, so take advantage of it.
2003 - Recognizing that you’re hitting your stride, decide lunch can wait, put on your headphones and start to work on reports and other deliverables. Realize lunch is the best time of the day because no one is going to call you as they’re all out getting food. So far, this is the most efficient portion of your day, so take advantage of it (except for one cold call from an email vendor).

3:30 pm
1996 - Stand up, stretch a little bit, and get some lunch.
2003 - Stand up, stretch a little bit, and get some lunch. But right before you go, call a client and let them know the status on what you’re working on. Also, check your voicemail and see how many calls you missed with your headphones on. Delete mid-day Spam. Realize that you’re on the phone; lunch is going to have to wait a little longer. Good thing you had that granola earlier this morning, right? A little older and a little wiser.

5:00 pm
1996 - Interrupt the rest of the media department for a little indoor wiffle ball. Use the Creative Director’s desk for the homerun line, and anything off the walls is in play. Let one of the partners bat first, since they sign your paycheck, but refuse to let them win. Media is up 3-1 vs. the creative department. Gotta keep streak alive, play to five innings, streak is safe. Get back to work… it’s only 5pm after all.
2003 - Watch the other company that is sub-letting space from you pack their bags and head out the door at the stroke of 5pm. Understand that this is now the next most efficient part of your day since sales reps won’t call after 5pm and the clients are waiting patiently for your deliverables. Start to think ahead about how late you are going to stay this evening and try (operative word “try”) to maintain some balance in your life.

6:00 pm
1996 - Start to make evening plans with co-workers, call roommate and determine which Internet party you are going to hit tonight. Make plans to meet at 9pm, you should be out of work by then.
2003 - Send deliverables out after proof-reading them. Make sure the “I’s” are dotted and your “T’s” are crossed. Rewrite your to-do list for tomorrow and prioritize what you need to get done in the morning. Stress about all the meetings you have this week -- it’s good to worry once in awhile.

6:05 pm
1996 - Change plans, realize you are going to be working till 10 p.m., change meeting place. Consider grabbing dinner (“Kozmo” or “Waiters On Wheels,” of course).
2003 - Hit send on deliverables. Review email and voicemail again. Check a couple of your favorite sites and make dinner plans.

9:00 pm
1996 - Start to wrap up project for the day, call the client (chances are they’re still there too).
2003 - Relax a little, have a drink and some good food.

11:00 pm
1996 - Internet party. Woo hoo!
2003 - Head home or wherever else the night takes you.

2:00 am
1996 - Say to yourself “I should probably head home soon, I gotta work in the morning”.
2003 - Be sound asleep in your bed.

Does this mean we are more professional these days? I guess it happens to us all.

Have a great week!