My Working Day – Mat Ratty – CEO of TrafficGuard

As the leader of a company, you are there to set an example and to lead and inspire a team of individuals to achieve a series of business goals. But how do these business leaders go about their daily routine? We spoke to Mat Ratty, CEO of TrafficGuard, about his working day.

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What time do you wake up?

I wake up at 4:45 am every day without fail. This is unless I’m travelling overseas, then who knows!

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What do you typically have for breakfast?

I don’t eat breakfast. My last calorie is 9 pm and I fast until 2 pm the next day. I also eat the same thing every single day; 6 eggs, steak, 100g of Rocket salad with olive oil and lemon, 2L of whole-fat milk, Sauerkraut, Veg, 2.5L water and Vitamins A, B1,b2, c, and d.

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What is the rest of your morning routine?

5 am, an espresso is in the hand. That’s non-negotiable. Then I’m reviewing all the emails that have come in overnight. By 7 am my inbox is clear and Evernote has all the tasks for the day in it. Then, from 8:30 am, I’m connecting with all my C-Level execs to discuss how they are tracking to their KPIs.

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What is the first thing you do at the start of your working day?

The first thing to do is check my emails and global money markets. Then it’s vital I review our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform.

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How do you prioritise your day’s work?

Honestly, I divide and conquer it based on what has the most impact for the company given our KPIs. I spend a lot of time with our investors to map this out effectively and allocate further time toward focusing our company on the core strategy.

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Do you plan meetings or are they a waste of time?

At TrafficGuard, we have a rule; No meeting is longer than 45 minutes. If you can’t get your point across in 45 minutes, you don’t deserve to hold the meeting.

There are exceptions to this in some cases, however. Meetings are valuable as long as the agenda is there and everyone is aligned on that agenda.

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Do you have a working lunch or do you take a break?

I sit down and eat at 2pm to break my fast and that’s usually 30 mins tops.

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When does your working day finish?

When my eyes are shut. This is roughly around 11 pm.

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How do you prepare for the next day’s work?

I write in my Evernote what I need to do tomorrow based on the work today. When I wake up, like magic, it’s there. Having these elements of ease makes working life a lot easier.

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What’s your favourite piece of technology?

I have to say my Apple Watch. I love being able to track my resting heart rate and love knowing when someone is calling because my phone is always on silent.

How do you switch off?

My daily rituals include ice baths, going to the gym and cooking. I cook literally every night to take my mind off of work.

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What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

If you cannot measure, you cannot manage.

This is a fancy way of saying, make sure you are all over the numbers and how your decisions impact those numbers.

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Read more 👉 here.

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