I'm a senior director at Roblox. My day starts with a 6 a.m. bike ride and ends with journaling before bed — here's what my routine is like.

Robin MadellMar 5, 2023, 17:30 IST

Richard Sim and his dog Auggie posing in front of the iconic Golden Gate bridge.Courtesy of Richard Sim

Richard Sim, the senior director of product for monetization at Roblox shared his daily routine.
He starts with a bike ride, then drops his kids to school and heads into the office.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Richard Sim, a senior director of product for monetization at Roblox, from San Mateo, California, about his daily work routine. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I wake up before sunrise at 6 a.m., grab some water and granola bars, and head out for a quick morning bike ride.

Sim tries to get a bike ride in during the early morning.Courtesy of Richard Sim

It's a bonus on the rare days when my son agrees to join me mountain biking 10 minutes from our house.

Sim enjoys bringing his son on the mountain bike trails.Courtesy of Richard Sim

Refreshed from my morning ride, I head home at 7:30 a.m. for a quick shower, get my daughters into the car, and whisk them off to high school.

Sim and his wife split morning drop-off duties.Courtesy of Richard Sim

I'm at work by 8:15 a.m. Before entering the office, each employee must complete a COVID test, submit results in our app, and secure a wrist band. I've felt very comfortable coming into the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Sim works in the office three days a week.Courtesy of Richard Sim

I'm at work by 8:15 a.m. Before entering the office, each employee must complete a COVID test, submit results in our app, and secure a wrist band. I've felt very comfortable coming into the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Walking into the Roblox office, I'm inspired by the highlights displayed in our lobby from our community of developers and creators.

One of the company's values is "Respect the Community."Courtesy of Richard Sim

My primary role as a product manager is to ensure that my team of engineers build products and features that will drive value for Roblox and our community of developers.

Sim manages more than 60 engineers.Courtesy of Richard Sim

My primary role as a product manager is to ensure that my team of engineers build products and features that will drive value for Roblox and our community of developers.

After I review my calendar and respond to emails and Slack messages, I head over to our cafe to get my morning coffee at 9 a.m.

Sim chats with a colleague in the cafe.Courtesy of Richard Sim

Each of our engineering teams does a daily stand-up meeting that lasts no longer than 10 minutes. We share updates on what we accomplished yesterday and what we plan to tackle today.

Standing incentivizes everyone to focus and be brief.Courtesy of Richard Sim

Each of our engineering teams does a daily stand-up meeting that lasts no longer than 10 minutes. We share updates on what we accomplished yesterday and what we plan to tackle today.

Before lunch, I'm pleasantly surprised by a thank-you gift I received from UndoneBuilder, one of our millions of developers. I ran into them at our annual Roblox Developers Conference last October.

UndoneBuilder is a long-time developer on Roblox.Courtesy of Richard Sim

Before lunch, I'm pleasantly surprised by a thank-you gift I received from UndoneBuilder, one of our millions of developers. I ran into them at our annual Roblox Developers Conference last October.

It's 12:30 p.m., so I grab lunch at the company cafe. Roblox offers a daily stipend for lunch and breakfast, plus the ability to order for free from EAT Club, a catering service and snack shop.

EAT club offers catered office meals plus boba tea and smoothies.Courtesy of Richard Sim

It's 12:30 p.m., so I grab lunch at the company cafe. Roblox offers a daily stipend for lunch and breakfast, plus the ability to order for free from EAT Club, a catering service and snack shop.

Our cross-functional meetings in the afternoon involve participants from across the country. Roblox has been operating under a hybrid model that allows employees to work where they're most productive.

Employees join the Roblox meeting remotely and in person.Courtesy of Richard Sim

Our cross-functional meetings in the afternoon involve participants from across the country. Roblox has been operating under a hybrid model that allows employees to work where they're most productive.

I have walking one-on-ones with my team and cross-functional partners. We do personal check-ins, align on priorities, identify blockers, and provide peer feedback.

On nice days, Sim tries to get outside as much as possible.Courtesy of Richard Sim

At 4 p.m., I head to Carlmont High School to host discussions for the Shark Tank Business Club. Today, I facilitated a case study with the prompt: How should Roblox accelerate the "aging-up" of our platform?

Sim volunteers at Carlmont High School.Courtesy of Richard Sim

At 4 p.m., I head to Carlmont High School to host discussions for the Shark Tank Business Club. Today, I facilitated a case study with the prompt: How should Roblox accelerate the "aging-up" of our platform?

A highlight of working at Roblox is reading fan mail. We receive drawings and letters from kids worldwide who tell us they love the platform, provide feature requests, and ask for free Robux!

Sim says bout half of Roblox users are under age 13.Courtesy of Richard Sim

A highlight of working at Roblox is reading fan mail. We receive drawings and letters from kids worldwide who tell us they love the platform, provide feature requests, and ask for free Robux!

Fun fact: employees at Roblox receive no free Robux. If Roblox offered employees free Robux, we would water down the value of the Robux currency in the economy.

The company takes inflation in the Roblox economy very seriously.Courtesy of Richard Sim

At 5:30 p.m., I attend our Engineering Open House. Each team gets to leverage their creativity and crafting skills to demonstrate their work and answer questions from employees.

The event is held like a science fair.Courtesy of Richard Sim

At 5:30 p.m., I attend our Engineering Open House. Each team gets to leverage their creativity and crafting skills to demonstrate their work and answer questions from employees.

Today after work, I get to watch my daughter play volleyball for her high school team. Roblox encourages employees to find balance, whether it's through personal recharge days, unlimited PTO, or the focus on impact over face time.

Sim poses with his daughter at volleyball match.Courtesy of Richard Sim

Today after work, I get to watch my daughter play volleyball for her high school team. Roblox encourages employees to find balance, whether it's through personal recharge days, unlimited PTO, or the focus on impact over face time.

We make it a point to have dinner together as a family every night around 7 p.m. It's one of the rare times we can sit down together, without devices, and give each other our full attention.

Sim enjoys dinner with his family.Courtesy of Richard Sim

We make it a point to have dinner together as a family every night around 7 p.m. It's one of the rare times we can sit down together, without devices, and give each other our full attention.

Around 11 p.m., before I turn in for the evening, I try to journal. I discovered "The Five Minute Journal," and use it nightly to reflect on my accomplishments, appreciation, areas for improvement, and intentions.

Sim discovered the five-minute-journal method years ago.Courtesy of Richard Sim

Around 11 p.m., before I turn in for the evening, I try to journal. I discovered "The Five Minute Journal," and use it nightly to reflect on my accomplishments, appreciation, areas for improvement, and intentions.

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I'm a senior director at Roblox. My day starts with a 6 a.m. bike ride and ends with journaling before bed &mdash; here's what my routine is like.

I wake up before sunrise at 6 a.m., grab some water and granola bars, and head out for a quick morning bike ride.

It's a bonus on the rare days when my son agrees to join me mountain biking 10 minutes from our house.

Refreshed from my morning ride, I head home at 7:30 a.m. for a quick shower, get my daughters into the car, and whisk them off to high school.

I'm at work by 8:15 a.m. Before entering the office, each employee must complete a COVID test, submit results in our app, and secure a wrist band. I've felt very comfortable coming into the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Walking into the Roblox office, I'm inspired by the highlights displayed in our lobby from our community of developers and creators.

My primary role as a product manager is to ensure that my team of engineers build products and features that will drive value for Roblox and our community of developers.

After I review my calendar and respond to emails and Slack messages, I head over to our cafe to get my morning coffee at 9 a.m.

Each of our engineering teams does a daily stand-up meeting that lasts no longer than 10 minutes. We share updates on what we accomplished yesterday and what we plan to tackle today.

Before lunch, I'm pleasantly surprised by a thank-you gift I received from UndoneBuilder, one of our millions of developers. I ran into them at our annual Roblox Developers Conference last October.

It's 12:30 p.m., so I grab lunch at the company cafe. Roblox offers a daily stipend for lunch and breakfast, plus the ability to order for free from EAT Club, a catering service and snack shop.

Our cross-functional meetings in the afternoon involve participants from across the country. Roblox has been operating under a hybrid model that allows employees to work where they're most productive.

I have walking one-on-ones with my team and cross-functional partners. We do personal check-ins, align on priorities, identify blockers, and provide peer feedback.

At 4 p.m., I head to Carlmont High School to host discussions for the Shark Tank Business Club. Today, I facilitated a case study with the prompt: How should Roblox accelerate the "aging-up" of our platform?

A highlight of working at Roblox is reading fan mail. We receive drawings and letters from kids worldwide who tell us they love the platform, provide feature requests, and ask for free Robux!

Fun fact: employees at Roblox receive no free Robux. If Roblox offered employees free Robux, we would water down the value of the Robux currency in the economy.

At 5:30 p.m., I attend our Engineering Open House. Each team gets to leverage their creativity and crafting skills to demonstrate their work and answer questions from employees.

Today after work, I get to watch my daughter play volleyball for her high school team. Roblox encourages employees to find balance, whether it's through personal recharge days, unlimited PTO, or the focus on impact over face time.

We make it a point to have dinner together as a family every night around 7 p.m. It's one of the rare times we can sit down together, without devices, and give each other our full attention.

Around 11 p.m., before I turn in for the evening, I try to journal. I discovered "The Five Minute Journal," and use it nightly to reflect on my accomplishments, appreciation, areas for improvement, and intentions.

I'm a senior director at Roblox. My day starts with a 6 a.m. bike ride and ends with journaling before bed — here's what my routine is like.