{"id":60914,"date":"2024-02-29T11:37:50","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T00:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-328533-4778250.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=60914"},"modified":"2024-02-29T11:37:51","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T00:37:51","slug":"sofianna-ng-head-editor-at-addlly-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/balancethegrind.co\/interviews\/sofianna-ng-head-editor-at-addlly-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"Balancing the Grind with Sofianna Ng, Head Editor at Addlly AI"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In our latest Balancing the Grind conversation, we sit down with Sofianna Ng, Head Editor at Addlly AI. Sofianna walks us through her unconventional path from a junior freelance copywriter to spearheading the editorial team at a pioneering generative AI startup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

She gives us a glimpse into her daily routine, filled with coffee-fueled mornings, diverse tasks, and the hustle of startup life, alongside her commitment to carving out “Sofianna time” for work-life balance. She also shares the importance of switching off after work, time blocking for productivity, and the value of coaching and mentorship in navigating career challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s start with your background! Can you share with us your career journey and what you’re currently up to?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I first started out as a junior freelance copywriter, before I packed up my bags and moved to Sydney with no job and $600 to my name. That was quite a learning experience being in a new culture and environment. After six years, I returned to Singapore and entered traditional publishing as an Editor. But I realised that traditional print media was dying, and I needed to find a new niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that point, everyone was talking about tech and digital transformation, and I decided that I wanted to jump on the bandwagon. But how? I\u2019m not an engineer. My \u201ceasiest\u201d option was to switch from lifestyle writing for B2C, to tech writing for B2B. Fortunately, I was a bit of a tech geek, so that helped with the transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been fortunate enough to work with both MNCs and start-ups, while also doing freelance on the side. Today, I am the Head Editor with a generative AI start-up, Addlly.AI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’d love to know what a typical day is like for you. Could you describe a recent workday?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t start the day without coffee. Yes, I am THAT person. Once I’m fueled up, I typically start my day at my desk at 9:30 am where I go through emails, respond to Slack messages I might have missed and follow up on what the team is working on or needs me to help with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start-up life is different. We have our daily BAUs which for me includes writing \/ editing blogs, checking on our social media content, daily \/ weekly team meetings and client work. But as we\u2019re growing, there\u2019s stuff that pops up which requires immediate attention, such as Press Release announcements. For example, we recently had a successful round of seed funding and won Bronze in the ASEAN Digital Awards. We\u2019re also looking to expand into the Indonesian market, and things like this don\u2019t follow a fixed timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re also looking to grow the team so there\u2019s also job postings and interviews to do. It\u2019s busy, but a good kind of busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you define work-life balance for yourself and share with us your approach in maintaining it?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For me, work-life balance is about making the best use of your day. And I like to leave my work at the office so when I am at home, I do not look at any work. In fact, unless I am WFH (which is rare) I leave my laptop at the office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So to ensure my productivity when I am at the office, I do time blocking – any task that I have for that day, it goes on my Google calendar and I block it. This includes \u201cpersonal\u201d appointments as well. Not only is this method effective in ensuring that you prioritise what needs to be done, it’s super useful when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n