Importance of Monthly Offsite for Lead's Productivity

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In 7 Hours With, we explore the routines of leading professionals in their space to learn the when, why, where and how they work. In each diary, we will look at what they’re doing at seven different check-ins throughout their day.

Sebastian Hayto is the specialty partnerships lead at Harry’s, a men’s care company founded in 2013 that focuses on streamlining the shaving, facial and hair care processes.

6:15 AM

My day kicks off fairly consistently at 6:15 — I love my mornings. I delay as little as possible before getting outside (on a nice day) or to the gym/peloton. If I don’t work out in the morning, it can put the rest of my day in a serious funk.

After a workout and shower, I aim to be out of the house by 8 — homemade smoothie in hand. My standard smoothie is filled with frozen blueberry, frozen banana, peanut butter, protein powder, and almond milk. It’s truly the best. I’ll usually skim the news while waiting for the elevator, too. Source of choice: The Economist Espresso.

Then I’ll grab a Citibike — by far my favorite means of transportation in NY — and head to the Rapha in Soho, a cycling club, store and cafe, where I either grab a latte to go or plan to meet up for exploratory business chats with connections new and old. An avid cyclist, the $200 annual membership for use of their clubhouse (a great meeting spot and cafe) is more than worth it when you take into account the fact that it includes free coffee.

9 AM

Coffee in hand, I head to the office, usually getting in around 9. I always make a little noise when I first get in — I like to wake up the team. I have a stein at my desk for tea & water that I’ll fill up before getting to my emails. My first priority is to read and label any unread emails — “Urgent”, “Awaiting Reply”, “Do it Later”, etc. — a disorganized inbox drives me nuts.

Organization is really important in my role specifically, since I oversee brand partnerships for Harry’s, the men’s care company. I work on collaborations with other brands or designers aiming to elevate, differentiate, and create content for the brand. I also oversee the team that then works with department stores, specialty stores, and hotels to bring our assortment to life. We consider the whole operation a marketing effort, so I work closely with brand, design, PR, and social, reporting directly to our GM.

11 AM

I’m usually between meetings around 11, continuing to label emails as they come in. Another productivity hack that keeps me focused, aside from email labeling, has been enabling and learning shortcuts in Gmail. They’re surprisingly effective.

A more macro hack for productivity is that I hold at least one half or full day offsite per month to brainstorm new business opportunities and generally have fun. I find that it really bolsters productivity. This frequency might seem excessive, but I’ve found that they not only lead to some of the best ideas, but are also great for team bonding — they seriously make a difference. As you can probably tell by now, I am obsessed with the chaotic nature of a startup where every day is different, but having this monthly offsite is a common thread.

1 PM

If I’m in the office (which I am today), I head to a deli close by for the exact same salad. It’s easy because I know the team of servers by name, and they start preparing my order the moment they see me. Makes the whole experience of getting lunch much more pleasant. I typically spend less than 30 minutes eating, and will often eat alone outside to really take a break. I like to keep my momentum during the day — long lunches have never been for me.

3 PM

Today happens to be a Monday and I often keep my calendar clear on Mondays so I can stay late to button up the rest of my week! This afternoon I’m working on creating frameworks, project agendas, and catching up on the little things that have piled up. It’s also important to practice efficiency whenever I’m at my desk. Coworkers have learned that when I’m at my desk I’m cranking! For a break, and when I start to lose productivity, I get up and grab a water or socialize.

7 PM

I generally leave at 6:30 or 7 — I love coming home before any post-work event, but often find myself dragging my backpack home after happy hours and dinners. Dinner is a priority, obviously, and I cook at least 3-4 times a week. These are some of my most fulfilling evenings. Cooking is my meditation. My favorite dishes are usually centered around white meat or fish — salmon is probably my favorite. That’s what I’m making tonight, seasoned with salt & pepper, and doused in lemon. Accompanied by a big salad with dressing made from olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon, and a huge dollop of humus.

9 PM

I rarely work on Harry’s while home, but I usually spend an hour or so working on some of my other projects every evening. City Lodge is my biggest passion project that has recently started taking off. It’s an event group I started 4 years ago with the goal of finding unique spaces in New York and hosting seasonal events in them. They’re always open bar with an amazing DJ, and each event hosts anywhere from 200 to 600 people. This August we’ve chartered a sailboat to take 200 guests sailing on the Hudson. For Halloween, we’re taking over Astor Barber to host Sweeney Lodge — a Halloween party in Manhattan’s largest barbershop.

We donate most of the proceeds from these events ($20k in the last 2 years) to Planned Parenthood of NYC. Whether I’m finding new venues to host events in, or designing our next invite, I can easily fall into a rabbit hole when working on this stuff (a fun one). Once I’ve had my fill of City Lodge work I’ll head to bed, and I try to make it to bed before midnight — 6 hours is normal, 7 is a luxury, and I can’t remember the last time I slept 8.