24 hours with... Sanju Menon

Ever wondered what an ideal day in the life of someone from advertising/marketing/media is? We're here to spill the beans on it.

Every Tuesday, we'll have a person from the advertising/marketing/media industry profiled in this section.

Name: Sanju Menon

Job: Chief operating officer, Wondrlab India

Professional mantra: Your best is ahead of you

Personal mantra: Bit by bit, day by day

7:15-7:20am: The second alarm wins the battle. I roll out of bed, summoning my thoughts, determined to outdo yesterday. It’s not easy—I’m no morning person—yet I marvel at my miraculous ability to have made it through school and college before the first bell rang out. If that’s not a small victory, I don’t know what is.

7:45am: Power mode on. I hit the gym for some weight training followed by a 20-minute cardio session on the treadmill. This is me-time fuelled by my classic rock playlist on Spotify. This is a newfound passion that’s taken hold of my life, and here’s to praying it never lets go of me even when I’m begging for a break.

8:45am: Speed read the newspaper—yes, I still believe in the old-school depth of the daily broadsheet. Tip: If your A-game needs a boost for that first meeting, a casual mention of current events buys you precious moments to gather your thoughts, all while staying on top of the world. News knowledge, you could say, is my undercover weapon.

9am: It’s me vs Mumbai traffic. I secretly hope that I win this ultimate showdown someday. It’ll be a glorious first! Meanwhile, Hrishi K on the radio helps drown out the expletives that wage a war inside my head, desperate to slip past my vocal chords as I navigate the chaos with calm. 

9:45am-1pm: It’s a whirlwind of in-person meetings and virtual encounters with clients over Zoom. We converge in the war room – discussing how logic and magic can co-exist. I delve into case studies as our compass for inspiration. And three few cups of invigorating green tea help the concoction of meetings, brainstorming, and a touch of Zen. 

1-1:45pm: My stomach grumbles, reminding me it’s lunchtime. Having been a breakfast-skipper for over two decades, I’m the ‘OG of intermittent fasting’, that’s what someone called me once. It’s also a time for some collective reflection and to chew on ideas that could elevate our craft and plot the path to more impactful results. 

2-8pm: By now my daily calendar goes rogue. Meetings overlap and unexpected crises sneak in — juggling campaigns, influencer activities, performance marketing strategies and a complex CRM project. My mind shuttles between multiple realms. Yet, you might not notice the frenzy, for I carry my armour: a smile. Its power is immense in the midst of chaos.

8-8:30pm: Enter the cooling zone. I dive into a sea of unread emails, tending to messages that I’ve unconsciously (and sometimes deliberately) left unopened. I make a mental note of tomorrow’s to-dos and resist the urge to unleash new assignments on my colleagues. At this point in time, everyone deserves their well-earned downtime.

10pm: It’s dinner time. I make the most out of this meal as it has to sustain me until the next day’s lunch. Dinner table conversation with my journalist wife becomes my portal to escape the world of advertising and commerce.

10:30-12am: OTT binge. Crime thrillers, Malayalam movies, cringey-yet-cleverly-told matchmaking content — it’s a delightful dilemma. I surrender to what is chosen for me, and I’ve never regretted it till date.

12am: The clock strikes ‘Wordle’! I’m at my competitive best at this nocturnal moment of unwind. I like to bend the rules and play a self-made version that challenges me to solve it at lightning speed. Pretty much against the way the game should be played.

12:02am: Wordle conquered—in two minutes—like instant noodles. Now shouldn’t that be a record? Lights out!