Working on the go with entrepreneur and urban nomad James Tutton

Entrepreneur James Tutton is somewhat of an urban nomad, moving from home to darting to meetings across town, and meditating in parks when he has the chance.

Resisting the conventional nine-to-five routine has meant that his days are ever-changing as he balances commitments for multiple ventures and boards, including design based property developer Neometro, the not for profit meditation program he co-founded Smiling Mind, and his new business school The Plato Project, among others.

When asked how he fits it all in, James credits a natural flux between being intensely focused and ‘mildly checked out’ during times such as school holidays.

‘It’s unrealistic to expect to be firing on all cylinders all of the time. I tend to throw myself into something and do a huge amount of work for a period, and then I disappear for a week to spend time with family or in Byron, it works quite well!’

It’s a refreshing admission in an industry that often touts busyness as a badge of honour. ‘We need to acknowledge we are all human and have ups and downs in our focus and energy.’

Be it our work, our daily routine, or even our exercise habits, James teaches us that mindfulness is far more crucial than perfection.

WORKING ROUTINE

Morning

Whether I go to bed at 11pm or 2am, my body clock wakes me up at 5.30am, which can sometimes leave me short on sleep.

I might potter around the house and then every day without fail, I will go to the same cafe for coffee and a salad sandwich.

I always eat well, but I go through periods where I’ll go swimming or the gym after breakfast, but then I might go for six months without doing much exercise. All or nothing, that’s me.

I’ll then get ready for work and tend to have meetings from 8.00am onward. I have a lot of set meetings and phone calls throughout the week with the various projects I’m involved in, so my professional life has some very strong cadence to it. I work with amazing people.

Mid morning

I’m pretty nomadic in terms of my working life and I’m often walking between meetings. I try to spend part of the day in nature, be it in Edinburgh Gardens or the Botanic Gardens as a way to avoid spending too much time inside. I don’t like aircon. I need nature, air and light. Maybe that’s a product of either a bit of a hippie childhood or my Moonlight Cinema [which Tutton founded] days.

I’ve also become a daytime meditator, which from a habit perspective maybe isn’t as consistent as being a morning meditator, but it’s what works for me.

Afternoon

I’m not very habitual with lunch as it’s often a work meeting or a one-on-one with a colleague.

I spend a fair bit of time working from home (I live Northside and all all our projects are Northside too) reading through work papers or answering emails. I previously had a policy of phone calls in the morning and meetings in the afternoon, but I’m no longer that fixed.

Evening

I typically finish up around 6pm. I might occasionally check work emails but try not to as it really impacts my concentration and ability to be present with my family. That said, both our kids are teenagers so they are less inclined to hang out with their parents.

I’m also trying to cook more at home. I’m not much of a cook, but I go to the market every Sunday with my partner and obsessively buy beautiful tomatoes and nice almonds and roquette and I get a lot of joy from that.

I’m highly curious and sociable, but I am probably a bit more inclined to enjoy my own time, time with our kids, and time with close friends.

Bedtime

Before bed I tend to listen to music. I go through periods where I read a lot, but that tends to come and go. I read literature, books on Buddhism, contemporary business thinking and at times I’ve been a bit immersed in crime too.

I’ll often be asleep by 11.30, any earlier and I’ll be up at 4am and then feel kaput in the afternoons.

Working on the go tip:

Keep an open and soft heart – don’t allow past hurts or negative experiences prevent you from taking  important risks emotionally and professionally.

Madeleine Dore is a freelance writer and the creator of Extraordinary Routines. extraordinaryroutines.com@extraordinary_routines