8am
Read the online news and spend some time looking for new words. Also spend some time ranting to colleagues about the state of the world and latest political shenanigans (is there a new ScoMo-ism? Why does he say ‘fair dinkum’ so much?).

8.30am
Stop reading news.com.au and respond to some emails.

9.30am
Try to focus on writing time and work on book chapter. Manage to eke out a few hundred words.

10.30am
Dictionary centre stops for daily work meeting (i.e. morning tea and Tim Tams). Usual topics of discussion: new words and reality television.

11am
Copy-edit dictionary pages. Realise everything tagged as <i> inside a <drv> tag has translated incorrectly, and so will need to spend extra time to check every example in the dictionary; there are 2000 of them.

12.15pm
Eat lunch while reading the news and checking social media; also do quick research on possible new words to consider for the Australian National Dictionary.

12.45pm
Prepare for radio interview tomorrow (yet another one on new words in the dictionary and how do we decide what goes into the dictionary!). Write the latest Oxford Word of the Month (‘chicken salt’ – yes, it’s Australian, no idea why we didn’t pick this up before now).

1.45pm
Spend some time preparing upcoming semester’s course in Wattle (have they changed the layout of Wattle AGAIN?).

2.30pm
Do some more copy-editing. Panic over our definition of ‘marriage’ which needs updating. Ask colleague to rewrite it. Check if this affects any other entries.

4pm
No meeting scheduled so leave for home to avoid the traffic.

4.30pm
Feed the dogs and chooks, do chores around the house, have a snack.

5.30pm
Research and reading time until dinner, avoid checking emails.

8.30pm
Check Twitter, check emails, and watch TV with half an eye while reading latest political memoir for evidence and new words for the Australian National Dictionary. Wish politicians didn’t write such boring memoirs.

10.30pm
Day’s darg now done! Can go to bed and read a novel.