The Tenth Cut

Week Ten at Zoo Media

Another Monday began the same way many of them now do, with a task list waiting to be crossed off. By this point, writing lists had become less of a habit and more of a ritual. Media reels, byte edits, finalising pending work. The kind of notes that look simple written down but slowly expand into an entire workday once the timelines open up.

Most of the week revolved around Client 2. Tuesday, especially, felt packed from start to finish. I worked across five different reels, adding animations, implementing changes, adjusting timing, and refining edits over and over again. It was one of those editing days where the timeline never really stops moving. Every completed task immediately led into another small correction, another export, another adjustment. Exhausting, but also satisfying in a strange way.

By Wednesday, the pace slowed slightly, which gave me the chance to step back and actually reflect on the work I had already done so far. Instead of rushing into entirely new edits, I spent time revisiting reels, making changes, and thinking more critically about what could be improved. I realised that somewhere between the constant feedback rounds and quick turnarounds, it becomes very easy to only focus on finishing things. Slowing down enough to look back at the edits properly felt surprisingly important.

Thursday was one of those rare office days where there simply was not much to do. Most of the pending work had already been completed earlier in the week, and for once, the timelines were not overflowing. At first, it felt strange because I had become so used to juggling multiple tasks at once. But it also reminded me that creative work moves in waves. Some days are chaotic and nonstop, while others are quieter simply because the work was done faster than expected.

Friday carried that same lighter energy. Since I had already finished most of my assigned tasks on Tuesday, the day felt unusually relaxed. Instead of staring at an empty timeline pretending to be busy, I spent more time talking to my colleagues and getting to know them better. Listening to their stories, experiences, and how they had ended up where they were made the office feel different somehow, less like rows of desks and more like a room full of people constantly figuring things out in their own ways.

This week was not the busiest or the most technically challenging, but I think it reminded me of something equally important.

Productivity is not always loud. Sometimes it looks like finishing work earlier than expected. Sometimes it looks like slowing down enough to reflect on what you could do better. And sometimes it is simply taking a moment to look away from the screen and connect with the people sitting around you.