A trainee psychotherapist, writer and master of all things admin, Sorted’s account manager Jo Elliott is a woman of many talents. Here she shares more about how she likes to work depending on which hat she happens to be wearing at the time.
I have been working at Sorted as account manager since early 2020. Essentially, it’s my job to make sure everything runs smoothly through the business, which includes liaising with our writing and editing team and our clients to match up skills and availability and assign work accordingly. With a background of over 20 years working in communications, I also do some writing and editing myself from time to time.
Working part-time, flexible hours is perfect for me as I am also a trainee psychotherapist. I probably spend about 15 hours a week on my training, once you consider student groups, my own therapy, supervision, meetings with other students and trained therapists, seeing my own clients and lots and lots of reading. I have six of my own clients currently and I see most of them face to face at my home consulting room, although I do still use Zoom sometimes following the pandemic.
I freely admit that I am not a morning person, so on a typical day I have been known to snooze my alarm a few times before getting up to feed my cat, have some cereal and make a coffee before I settle in to work in my home office.
The way I work depends on the kind of tasks I’m doing. When I’ve got my account manager hat on, I generally have the radio on and, really, it’s just like white noise in the background. Call me old fashioned, but I still prefer to hand write where possible, and I always take notes and make lists with a pen and notebook. I like to use different coloured pens and highlighters to organise my thoughts and help me plan; that way I can easily see the actions I still have to do.
However, if I’m writing I tend to stick my headphones in and listen to Weightless by Marconi Union on YouTube to help me concentrate. It’s said to be the ‘most relaxing song on earth’ – check it out! I find it helps prevent writer’s block and stops me from thinking things over for too long. When I do occasionally find it hard to focus, I take myself off for a walk, fresh air, and a change of scene.
Outside of work and studying, I have a close family and most of them live relatively nearby. I have five fantastic niblings (nieces and nephews) and always enjoy spending time with them.
I also love to read fiction. In recent years I’ve even completed the BBC’s Big Read top 100 book list! I also enjoy watching films and going to the cinema or having a movie night at home and am passionate about going to gigs and festivals. For me, there is nothing quite like watching live music with friends. Oh, and I’m ever so slightly obsessed with Formula 1! I love keeping up with the action on and off track, and I always root for the rookie drivers.
To find out more about our team and how our flexible support could help you, contact us today.