Alex Freberg’s Post

How do you balance professional and personal life as a data analyst? ✏️ In my opinion, striking a balance between professional and personal life can be a challenging reality. Every human deserves good time to their selves but at the same time we have need to live a sustainable life. Working as a data analyst can be a hell of a job. Imagine the scenario working with large data sets that requires you to do some cleaning, analyzing and reports on using different analytical tools. These processes takes long time and in most cases, you end up being leaving mentally stressed. Putting your personal life into consideration, you have to prepare a suitable schedule that will help in keeping a balance between those two lives so you don't end up using all your time for work. In addition, there are certain measures to take when trying to figure out a balanced life between a professional and personal life as a data analyst. Fixing a rigid schedule for your work hours, remembering to take a break when necessary, having a balanced work etiquette, cherishing your free or off - work days, the list goes on. Remember that achieving a perfect balance may not always be possible, but by being intentional and proactive, you can create a healthier equilibrium between your professional and personal life as a data analyst #dataanalysis #sql #techcareerskills

A few of years ago, I remember meeting a sweet couple on holiday, and we soon began chatting. The woman asked me what I did for work and I said “I’m just an administrator”. She had a look on her face when I said it as if she was offended and then without missing a beat said “Do you know how important administrators are?!”. When I say a few years ago, I really mean 10+ (but that reminds me that I’m an adult now, so lets ignore that); my role was pretty much just data entry, copying information from one system onto a spreadsheet, day after day. As my jobs changed and my roles progressed in different industries, there was still some structure to my daily tasks including copying information over and doing the general admin tasks everyone pictures when you talk about that role. Then one day a manager asked me to write out a list of everything I did. In every job I’ve ever had, I’ve never felt the need to send daily updates or make long lists of every single thing I’ve done that day or week to send over and highlight what I’ve spent my day doing. I’ve never felt it necessary and I’ve always been left to get on with things. Of course, if I’d ever had an issue, was confused about a task, or felt like something could be changed/improved, I’d voice my opinions, but other than that I just kept my head down. Writing that list out made me realise quite how much my “just an administrator” role actually entailed. Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how much you do, because to you it’s second nature, as they say “same s*@t, different day” – but I’m a gal that loves a good routine. There has always been structure to my work life, but no day is ever actually the same, there’s always something new to keep me on my toes. It can be hard sometimes to hand over the reigns when you’ve got things down to a T, or you feel like you’re on top of everything, but it’s easy to get stuck in a never ending cycle. The tasks you see as quick and easy, someone with fresh eyes might see as unnecessarily longwinded or over complicated. Having a helping hand isn’t admitting defeat, it’s not only helping you, but it’s helping your business grow – and without a strong admin team carrying the load, you’ll never be able to get over those obstacles you didn’t even realise were there. #admin #support #administration #businessgrowth #adapt #virtualassistant

Lessons from Overcommitment 🚫🔄 Hey fam, Let me take you back to a time when I thought juggling multiple roles simultaneously was the key to productivity. Spoiler alert: it wasn't! 🤯 Mistake I made was that I fell into the multitasking trap, trying to excel as a data analyst, pursue my PhD, manage customer support duties, and navigate my consulting agency all at once. Result? Burnout and a severe lack of focus. Lessons Learned: Quality Over Quantity: It's not about doing more, it's about doing things well. Focusing on one task at a time allows for a deeper level of engagement and quality output. Strategic Prioritization: Not everything needs immediate attention. Learning to prioritize tasks based on importance and deadlines is key to maintaining sanity. Mindful Time Management: Time is a precious resource, and spreading oneself too thin diminishes its effectiveness. Allocating dedicated time blocks to specific tasks improves efficiency. Embracing Imperfection: Accepting that it's okay not to excel at everything simultaneously is liberating. Give yourself the grace to prioritize, reassess, and improve over time. Delegation is Empowerment: Surround yourself with a capable team. Delegating tasks not only lightens your load but also empowers others to showcase their skills. Focus is not a limitation, it's a superpower. What about you? Have you encountered the multitasking maze? Share your experiences and let's learn from each other! 🔄💡 #LessonsLearned #FocusIsKey #Buildmybrandchallengewithhexa #LinkedInReflections🔍

As a business analyst, it's not uncommon to feel overwhelmed with work at times. Indulged in what you are doing, aiming for completion and accuracy can sometimes blind us on the number of tasks we're taking up. I, myself, am guilty of this. But with some expert advice, I figured out some things I can do to manage the workload: Prioritize tasks. Not every assignment is made equally. List all the tasks that need to be completed and arrange them according to priority and urgency. Next, focus on the most important jobs first. Delegate tasks I realize that this may be problematic for some of you, including me. However, if you work in a team, assign assignments to those who can and will assist. This will empower your team members and assist you in managing your workload. Looking back, you're doing better than you realize. Break down the crap out of your biggest tasks! Large assignments can be intimidating, which makes people put them off. Divide them into more manageable, smaller jobs, and concentrate on doing each one individually. Take breaks! I cannot emphasize more on this, it may sound counterintuitive, but taking breaks can actually make you more productive. When you feel overwhelmed, step away from your work for a few minutes, take a walk, or do something that relaxes you. Always keep in mind, nothing is more important than you and your family. Manage your workload effectively to avoid a burnout. By prioritizing tasks, delegating, breaking down big tasks, and taking breaks, you can stay productive and maintain your sanity. #BusinessAnalysis #WorkloadManagement #ProductivityTips #SelfCare

How do you organize your tasks at work? How you set up your workflow and #todolist should change as your job functions and responsibilities do. Here's what I'm using currently for my role as a #datanalyst which involves a lot of recurring tasks, ad-hoc requests, but relatively few tasks that linger from week to week. 📩 #inboxzero + Tasks This format uses Outlook or your email of choice as your primary hub for organization. The goal is to have zero inbox, remove the "thinking" part of deciding the next piece of work, *When you receive a task or an ask of any kind, immediately add it as a task (if you're in a meeting, add it to a note and add those to a task immediately after). If you have notes about that task, make sure to include them in the task description. If it repeats (ex: send monthly report, send daily email, pull weekly data), make sure that it's repeating. *At the start of the day, check your emails. For each email briefly determine whether it makes an action for you. If it doesn't, archive it. If it does, add it as a task and then archive it. You want to empty your inbox, remember that you can always search to find archived emails. *Turn on the To-Do Bar in your Inbox and Calendar. I keep mine on the right for Inbox and bottom for Calendar, but YMMV and you may prefer having them in the same location for each. *Check your list of tasks and determine which are most Important & Urgent (whole books are written on this, but if you're going to finish your work each week, then just go with your gut). Move them so that they are most important/urgent first. *Do the first task. If you can't finish it (for example, you need someone's input), then reword the task to solving the hold, action the hold, and move it down your list. Once a task is done, check it off and either move onto the next one if it obviously follows or quickly empty your inbox. Repeat. This runs into problems if you have so many tasks that it's unmanageable, if tasks drag on week to month to year, or if you receive so many emails that checking between tasks slows you down for more than a minute or two. If you hit these problems, you probably want a more robust organizational method (I love Notion personally!). It also doesn't provide an especially easy way to track wins, you'll want to do that separately; I do mine monthly using a custom tag in #OneNote. What it does do is allow an easy flow of task to task. It takes out a lot of the guesswork by handling things early and it means you don't spend time on something you didn't decide was a real thing to do. If it's not important enough to make a task out of, it's probably not something you actually have to do. If it is important enough, then you probably want to get it done quickly. How do you handle your workflow at work? Sound off in the comments, I'd love to hear!

Data consulting versus being a full-time employee after two months ✨ 1. I don't have to be online right at 8 AM everyday. 🕗 My mornings often have more variety than they used to. Listening to a podcasts, hitting the gym slightly later, going for a morning walk, and making time for a complete breakfast. When an FTE, I always ensured I was online by 730 AM. Now I can flex that a little and do more self-serve activities prior to starting actual client work. 2. Way more context switching - Environments / Projects / Sales & Marketing vs. Analyst Mode 👨💼 As a FTE engineer, it was nice being able to focus on a select few tasks each day and knocking them out. Now as a consultant, I am constantly going from one challenging project or meeting to the next - often in entirely different environments. And I'm also going back and forth from networking meetings to diving straight back into technical client meetings. It can become exhausting, but I'm finding you start to get used to it with repetition. 3. Lack of a team dynamic It's just me. Remote or not, as a FTE if you're lucky like I was you have an awesome team that supports you and is there for socialization. Now there are no more check in team meetings or happy hours. It's just me, creating those team dynamics myself through mentors, networking meetings, events and meeting future employees. 4. Later nights 🌙 To fit in all admin, networking/business growth activities and client billable work, I find myself working later into the evenings and nights. No more structured 8-5 schedule. Every day brings variability to my schedule. You have to stay flexible and roll with how each day pans out. 5. Working from new places 🏢 In the last few weeks to manage my stress levels, I've been working from the Columbus Main Library. This helps me with focus and stress by putting myself in a focused and spacious environment. Overall, consulting and running my own data consulting company has felt like a more diverse and sometimes stressful lifestyle. My ultimate goal is to turn Steinert Analytics into a data analytics agency with an entire team. Until then, these early days are heavy lifting and living deep in the client code while trying to balance sales and marketing. Hopefully this helps some of you data professionals as you consider starting your data consulting journey. #dataanalytics #consulting #entrepreneurship

🛠️ Balancing Data Work and Dad Duty: How I Do It 👨👩👧👦(and other workmates in Sophia Solutions). Missing out on a cool data project is one thing, but missing your kids' childhood? That's a whole different story. 📊👶 Let's talk about being a good data engineer and a dad, plus having time for studies, all without losing mind. Here's what I've painfully learned from my own experience. I spend about 7-10 hours each day solving problems for clients at work. Sometimes, I even save the day! Or customer! I really enjoy what I do. But a year ago, I started wondering if I could change things up. Could I spend more quality time with my family and also be truly present for them? Could I find time to learn new methodology and technology (Data Vault and Snowflake) without getting stressed out? My solution involves being disciplined, staying active, and making a few sacrifices. It's a mix of two regular workdays (doing the "mama taxi" and having relaxed lunches with coworkers) and three days focused on my family well-being and studies. You can adjust these based on what suits your family, your kids' ages, the exercise you like, and what's happening in your life. Here's the basic plan for the three days: 🕥 5:30 AM: Start your day with a cold shower. No need to wake the kids with a loud yelp. Hit the gym, go swimming, or take a run. A sauna after the gym feels great. You could even bike or jog to work to save time. 🏢 7:30-8:30 AM: Get to work and get going. ⌚ Work for 8 hours, have a quick lunch, and then head home as soon as possible to spend time with your family (sorry boss, company can collapse tomorrow). 📚 9-10:30 PM: Study time. 😴 10:30 PM: Time for bed. Try to get 8 hours of sleep (if you can). Need a different plan? No problem: 🌅 You could study in the early morning and exercise after work, so you come home feeling refreshed. 🏋️ Things you might need to give up a bit: Hanging out with friends for frequent drinks during the week. Watching Netflix (goodbye, Witcher and Silo). #WorkLifeBalance #DataEngineering #DadLife #Datavault #Snowflake

As a data analyst, balancing professional growth and personal time on weekends is essential. Dedicate a few hours to enhancing skills through online courses or reading industry blogs, staying updated with the latest trends and tools. Participate in data-related forums or attend webinars for networking and learning. Ensure you allocate ample time for relaxation and hobbies to recharge. Spend quality moments with family and friends, pursue outdoor activities, or indulge in creative pastimes. Striking this balance fosters continuous learning while maintaining a healthy work-life equilibrium, ensuring you return to work refreshed and motivated. Engage me, how will you be spending your weekend? Ademidun Aluko Nimitariye George SPHRi™, SHRM-SCP (in view) Ayodeji Adelowo Paul Popoola #analytics #weekends #worklifebalance #Growth #goals

🚀 How to Stay Calm and Focused as a Data Analyst 📊🧘♂️ Being a data analyst can be challenging with tight deadlines, complex datasets, and high expectations. Here are some strategies to maintain calm and focus in this dynamic role: 🔍 1. Break Down Tasks Large projects can feel overwhelming. Break them down into smaller, manageable tasks. Focus on one step at a time to maintain clarity and progress steadily. 🧘♀️ 2. Practice Mindfulness Incorporate mindfulness practices like meditation or deep-breathing exercises into your daily routine. These techniques can help reduce stress and improve concentration. 📅 3. Plan and Prioritize Use tools like to-do lists or project management software to plan your day. Prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance to ensure you’re focusing on what truly matters. ⏰ 4. Take Regular Breaks Short breaks during work can boost productivity and prevent burnout. Step away from your screen, stretch, or take a walk to recharge your mind. 🖥️ 5. Organize Your Workspace A clutter-free workspace can lead to a clearer mind. Keep your desk and digital files organized to minimize distractions and streamline your workflow. 🤝 6. Collaborate and Communicate Don’t hesitate to reach out to colleagues for support or clarification. Collaborative efforts can lead to more effective solutions and reduce individual stress. 📊 7. Continuous Learning Stay updated with the latest tools and techniques in data analysis. Continuous learning can make tasks easier and more efficient, reducing frustration. ⚖️ 8. Maintain Work-Life Balance Ensure you have a healthy work-life balance. Pursue hobbies, spend time with loved ones, and engage in activities that rejuvenate you outside of work. 🧩 9. Embrace Challenges View challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. A positive mindset can help you stay resilient and motivated even when facing complex problems. 🎯 10. Reflect and Adapt Regularly reflect on your work habits and strategies. Identify what works best for you and make necessary adjustments to improve your workflow and stress management. Remember, staying calm and focused is key to thriving as a data analyst. By implementing these strategies, you can enhance your productivity, reduce stress, and achieve your professional goals more effectively. 🌟 Join the Conversation How do you stay calm and focused in your role? Share your tips and experiences in the comments below! #DataAnalytics #Mindfulness #ProductivityTips #WorkLifeBalance #CareerAdvice #StressManagement #ProfessionalGrowth #DataScience

🚀 Excited to share some insights on time management as I juggle job applications and skill revision for my career as a Data Analyst! 💼⏰ As I embark on this journey, I've realised the importance of prioritising tasks and maximising efficiency. Here are a few tips I've found helpful: 1️⃣ Prioritise Tasks: Identify the most critical tasks and tackle them first. Whether it's applying for jobs or revising data analysis tools, focus on what matters most. 2️⃣ Set Realistic Goals: Break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. Setting achievable goals helps maintain motivation and momentum. 3️⃣ Time Blocking: Allocate specific time slots for different activities. This helps avoid distractions and ensures dedicated focus on each task. 4️⃣ Utilise Tools: Leverage tools and platforms to streamline workflows. From job search platforms to online learning resources, technology can be a valuable asset in optimising productivity. 5️⃣ Take Breaks: Remember to schedule short breaks to rest and recharge. Stepping away from work periodically can boost productivity and prevent burnout. 6️⃣ Stay Organised: Keep track of deadlines and commitments using calendars or task management apps. A well-organised system ensures nothing slips through the cracks. By implementing these strategies, I'm striving to make the most of my time and propel my career forward 😅 . Do you have any time management tips? Let's share and learn together! #TimeManagement #CareerDevelopment #DataAnalytics #JobSearch 📈🔍