Time Management – Head of Merrifield Consultants

Let’s be honest—time management is a skill we throw around in job specs and performance reviews, but rarely talk about with any depth. I’m not talking about colour-coded calendars or inbox zero (though I admire those who can). I’m talking about the real art of holding multiple threads together—leadership, health, home, ambition, energy, team morale—all while trying to look like someone who’s got it sorted.

I’m sharing this to lift the lid a bit. As Head of Merrifield Consultants—a recruitment agency dedicated to supporting the charity and not-for-profit sector—I know how high the expectations are on leaders right now. We’re in a recruitment market that’s increasingly pressurised: smaller candidate pools, tighter budgets, and organisations that are stretched thin. At the same time, we leaders are trying to stay upbeat, grounded, energised. It’s no small thing.

So here it is—a diary of a working week. Not to impress, but to offer solidarity. This is what balancing the plates looks like right now, for me.

 

Monday – The Optimist’s Beginning

06:30 – Out the door. A 1 hour 15 minute train journey into London, using the time to triage emails and mentally prep for the week. I get off at Waterloo and walk to our Farringdon office—not for efficiency, but for sanity. The 25-minute walk clears the head and adds steps to a day I know will be desk-bound.

08:00 – 18:45 – One of the first in the office, prep for the morning meeting, gather all of last weeks data. I lead a team of eight, all highly capable, all facing the unique challenges of recruiting in a market where charities are under financial pressure and demand is high. We’re constantly balancing commercial targets with values-led service—there’s no autopilot here.

Today it’s back-to-back. Candidate briefings, client calls, team development sessions. A cheeky 30 minute walk at lunch listening to a podcast. Back in the office. I’m trying to keep people motivated when they’re tired, under pressure, and carrying their own loads. Leadership right now is as much about emotional intelligence as strategy. How much do I push? Do I need to leave space for people to self-motivate?

19:45 – I am met at the train station by my partner, Francesca, and my dog, Baxter. Baxter gets 29 kisses, Francesca gets one. Quick change, then I’m on the turbo trainer in the shed—an hour of cycling, headphones in, sweat out. By 22:00 I’m sitting down to eat. It’s late, but the movement resets my head.

 

Tuesday – Commute on Two Wheels

05:45 – Lycra on, bike out. Drive to New Malden, park the car, bike out of the car. Cycling through central London is an adrenaline-fuelled game of dodge—the urban jungle version of Frogger. But it’s also glorious. I arrive at the office awake and wired, having won the first battle of the day (staying upright).

Work’s intense. Tuesday is the day where you hope things come through from Mondays efforts. Is that client I’ve contacted five times going to come back to me? We are one of eight agencies who have reached out to them? What’s going to make them work with us? We’re pushing hard on several campaigns and advising clients who are unsure about market confidence. This isn’t just a service we offer; it’s a strategic partnership we’re building, and that takes stamina.

Lunch? A brisk 30-minute walk, because I can feel my brain overheating.

Evening – The running club after work, I’m tired, but I’ve got to be consistent for those running. Gym tonight, gotta find the energy to go home and lift some weight. But I need to do some stretching and mobility, have to do that between sets. I’ve got a London Marathon medal on the wall and two Ironman races ahead—neglecting recovery isn’t an option.

 

Wednesday – The Home Front

WFH Wednesday. It sounds like a breather, but really it’s a chance to catch up on deep work without the buzz of the office.

07:00 – I’m up early, ideally and I want to get the dog walked, then he is tired for me to focus on work. Then I log on. Today I’m finding time to research markets, find ways to elevate the business and find opportunities for my team. Refining performance data, and working through apprenticeship materials. Yes—because I’ve also decided to take on a Level 7 Apprenticeship and a Masters. Why? Because learning keeps me sharp. And because I’m clearly allergic to free time. But, it’s now or never as well. The course is focused on my work and will help me, my business and the company.

12:30 – Go to the pool, knock out 1800 meters of swimming. A moving meeting with myself.

The afternoon is productive, food eaten, back into work and we’ve some excellent candidates to speak to. I finish the research, “Charities are struggling, a recruiter is a luxury and they will do all they can to hire themselves.” Fair enough. More roles going live. Big roles paying very little, charities praying to find that someone who just wants to work for the charity. Maybe…but £45,000 to lead four income streams, managing two people for a charity in deficit cutting people but not changing the targets…unfortunately a very familiar story.

Evening – Jumping on the bike. Try to watch something on the iPad, but distracted by a conversation with a colleague playing in my head…need to think about how to manage that tomorrow.

 

Thursday – The Midweek Crunch

This is always a long day. People are tired, but the office is full, and we want everyone together and a good buzz. The exercise is good, but I can feel my legs needing the recovery. Need to gather the data to celebrate the good bits from the week.

Morning – I’m trying to problem-solve with a team member who’s had a few days sick at the worst time. Need to cover their work, plus they have a holiday coming up…there is never the right time to be sick at the moment. Gotta make sure the team are on it today, budgets are close and we need to bring the energy for the office—it’s about resilience. I tell them I’m tired, and some of the work that I’m doing is a slog as well. You don’t have to be superhuman to lead—you just have to show up and care.

Lunch – 30-minute walk. Chicken, rice and broccoli…again. I still enjoy it.

Afternoon – Interview prep for candidates going into a huge opportunity. Four interview preps, it’s great hearing all candidates are slightly nervous, it means they care. Plus, I love putting an interview strategy together for them. These are the moments I love—helping someone unlock their next chapter. But it also takes real energy.

Wait…do we have enough drinks and snacks for the London office for the end of the day? Off to Tesco’s then. Also, please can there be no delays on South Western Railways. Please, please, please!

Evening – Gym. Late dinner again. A little reading for the course. Head on pillow by 22:30, running on fumes but satisfied.

 

Friday – Focus and Fatigue

Into the office, only three of us in but I don’t want to risk being tired working from home…I am human.

Cycle in – because it’s Friday, and I need the endorphins to make it to 6pm.

08:00 – 18:15 – It’s either the perfect day to catch up and round off the week, or it’s chaos. Today is chaos. Clients chasing. Candidate has turned down an offer because they now want another day working from home (we’ve spoken at least five time, twice on teams…there were zero reservations yesterday!) Feeling sick because the client will think it’s my fault they turned down the offer. Pick up the phone, deal with the client straight away. They understand, but we need to start again. Last-minute CVs to send. Email comes through, I haven’t sent through the businesses forcecast for the next three months yet! Damn it! By now I’m carrying around a to-do list that could be used as an exercise mat. Succumb to the realisation that the laptop will open on the weekend.

An end of Friday meeting about the weekend plans. Bring positivity, smiles and enthusiasm.

But we end on a high—one of the team lands a brilliant placement. Celebrations. Fist bumps. Morale lifted. Secondly, a testimonial comes through about one of the brilliant people in my team.

Evening – Cycle home, but it’s quieter and more enjoyable coming out of London. A gym session to finish the working week, I’m exhausted and a takeout would be perfect right now.

 

Saturday & Sunday – My Other Job(s)

Weekends are not a rest. There’s a shift in focus.

I am up early, 06:00. I clear the kitchen and make my morning green tea. I start to plan the weekend around the training. I make a coffee for my partner, I feed Baxter and let him out in the garden. Do I go for a long cycle now? Or do I go for a swim? Do I use this time to study? Or do I clear some of the work from yesterday?

Saturday and Sunday are usually a minimum of two big training sessions, time spent with Francesca, cleaning, walks with Baxter and some extra work and time to study, shopping and more. Lastly, Sunday is prepping for the week ahead. Five breakfasts made, five lunches, snacks and stuff to make an easy evening meal.

I’m deep in training for two Ironman events, the Serpentine Swim, the Venice Marathon, and a mountain marathon. That means big rides, long runs, lake swims, and mobility sessions. All punctuated by dog walks, stretching, and the occasional window to watch an anime (I’m a kid who loves a cartoon in the morning on the weekend).

Oh—and did I mention? I’m also getting married in August. My partner is a saint. Fingers crossed, she doesn’t change her mind before August. Yep, with all this, someone wants to be with me.

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Why Am I Sharing This?

Because time management isn’t just about spreadsheets and diaries. It’s about emotional load. It’s about keeping a team inspired when you’re running on empty. It’s about leading in public, while juggling personal goals in private. It’s about making space for health, learning, growth, and love—without dropping the ball on the business.

I’m not perfect at it. Some weeks I feel like I’m flying, I’ve got it altogether and we are heading in the right direction. Others, I’m just waiting for that tough meeting, a colleague to unload, a client to change their mind, and that little monkey on the back that’s quick to appear to tell me “You’re not doing enough, because you are failing…”

Only last week, I had meetings with a number of senior fundraising leaders and a number of them were telling me about the pressures they are under, nervous about the next six months and seeing the iceberg up ahead and they are doing all they can to turn the ship, but struggling to do so. It offers me perspective, because there are services and people relying on these organisations and it all needs funding.

I’m learning that leadership today is less about having all the answers, and more about finding the balance. I can’t change everything, I can just use the time as best as I possibly can. I’m human, I am not going to get everything right, people will think highly of me, and then people won’t. But, if I can get off the train at 19:30, tired, and be greeted with my partner and my dog – immediately it doesn’t feel so hard to manage.

If you’re in the same boat, I see you. Control what you can control.

Here’s to managing time—imperfectly, intentionally, humanly.

By Stuart Milliner, Head of Merrifield Consultants