A Day in the Life of Hali

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Hali

Hali’s work has included market strategy for defense technologies, federal health market sizing and analysis, and cybersecurity market trends.

Prior to Avascent, Hali worked at academic research centers studying the security implications of disease and U.S. foreign policy. Hali graduated from Georgetown University with a Masters in Security Studies. She also holds a B.A. (Honors) in Government from The College of William and Mary.

6:00 AM

My alarm is set for 6, but rarely do I get up at 6 especially now that the DC office is working from home. I usually will roll out of bed and attempt to work out around 6:45 but sometimes (especially during WFH) this doesn’t happen.

7:15 AM

I volunteer as a crisis counselor on Crisis Textline (they’re hiring volunteers currently; if anyone is interested feel free to reach out to me with questions). On the mornings I don’t work out, I’ll eat my breakfast and help texters deescalate whatever crisis they may be dealing with.

8:30 AM

I’m a morning person so I prefer to get a slightly earlier start to my workday. I start by catching up on news and anything I missed while I was sleeping, like emails or messages on Teams.

By 9am, I start working on project research and compiling that research onto slides. I am currently looking into U.S. Navy case studies that focus on agile software development. I use the Pomodoro Technique (25 mins work, followed by 5 mins break) to stay focused on one task at a time while preventing burnout.

11:00 AM

Usually by 11am I am super hungry, so I grab a snack. One of my favorites lately has been Chobani flip yogurts (the key lime flavor is the best!)

By 12pm I have made lunch and eat on the couch to take a break from sitting at my desk. Sometimes, if I’m feeling particularly inspired, I’ll work out over lunch just to prevent the post-lunch slump.

1:00 PM

I check in with my manager and send slides for feedback. I switch to my other project that is focused on electromagnetic spectrum operations; we recently presented a portion of the project to our client so I’m now researching other topics that have to do with the EM spectrum that we’ll present in a few weeks.

4:00 PM

I try to take a longer break and go for a walk in the afternoon if I don’t have any meetings later in the day. I’ve found it’s been even more important while being at home 24/7 to take short breaks to get outside and moving.

6:00 PM

If I don’t have any pressing deadlines for the following day, I am usually done by 6 or 6:30. Regardless of when I finish up for the day, I make dinner or get takeout around 6pm and eat with my fiancé. If I’m finished my work, I’ll often Facetime with my mom and dad to check in on them.

8:00 PM

If project deadlines are coming up, I may work until 8 or 8:30. Once I’ve reached a stopping point, I send my last emails to my teammates and turn off my laptop and monitor. I’ll try to squeeze in a third walk towards the end of the day, but sometimes my couch and TV call my name!

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