A day in the life of Julien Milla

It’s a cool late autumn evening and Julien Milla is all smiles when he opens the door to his flat in Paris’ 11th arrondissement, just off the Place de la République. He takes place in his Togo seat to tell us (in his lilting southern accent) about his work in construction, waking up early, and why he never has alcohol with lunch.

Hello Julien, can you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Julien, I’m 37, married, and a construction manager for Nexity. I work specifically on new residential projects.

Tell us about your background.

I come from Beziers, in the South of France. I studied engineering at ESTP in Paris 13 years ago, after completing postgraduate studies in Maths. At the time, I really wanted to move to Paris. I originally wanted to be an architect. I’m really into design and beautiful things, and in particular architecture. I quickly realised that working as an architect might not be for me after all. I’m still very passionate about architecture, but more as a hobby than a job. I was drawn to construction work through the human contact it entails. I started out working for Bouygues construction for 10 years, before switching to the developer side of the industry.

Do you still spend as much time on construction sites these days?

Much less than I used to. I currently manage a team of ten or so people, and my tasks include many organisational, budget- and design-related items. That being said, I always manage to squeeze in at least one site visit a day.

Can you walk us through one of your typical workdays?

In the morning, I’m at the Nexity head offices in Saint-Lazare. In the afternoon, I do my site visits. As I’m involved in extensive construction projects, in large areas of activity, I often have to travel to the suburbs just outside of Paris. I usually start my days bright and early, and I’m often at the office at 8am. I’m allowed reasonable flexibility when it comes to my working hours: when I leave the office, I never have to tell anyone where I’m going. Heavy processes often weighed down large real estate companies, but my company tries to innovate when it comes to working hours.

You’re an early bird then.

Yes, I’m up at 6:30am. I got into the habit when I worked on construction sites where I often had to start by 7:00am, so it’s not something I find difficult. I can plan my day as I see fit, but I enjoy getting an early start, and finishing my days early too, obviously. I also go to bed early, as I’m very attached to getting my beauty sleep.

What’s the first thing you do when you get up?

I have a cup of tea. I’ve never had coffee in my life, which is quite paradoxical when you have to get up as early as I do! Then I have a shower, and I wash with the Horace orange blossom / petitgrain shower gel, which is my favourite. I really love it because it’s so different from other, more mainstream shower gels, which I’ve honestly always found super boring. Then I’ll take my time, start my day slowly. I like to prepare my outfits the evening before, based on my schedule and the appointments and meetings I’ll have during the day.

Speaking of which, how do you dress for the office and site visits at the same time?

I mix and match items so as to be ready for anything. I have a keen interested in clothes and I like to change glasses regularly. That being said, I’m sometimes end up not being dressed properly for meetings or site visits! I wear a lot of Paraboot shoes, they have sturdy soles that are very practical on construction sites. Alden’s cordovan leather is also good because it’s very easy to clean. Plus, their shoes are very comfortable!

You spend a large portion of your day outdoors; does your skin get dry?

It does! When I’m visiting construction sites, my skin gets dry, especially in winter. As a result, I tend to go through quite a lot of your mattifying moisturiser. I’ve also started using your hand moisturising balm. I meet a lot of people and have to shake quite a few hands, so having soft hands is good. I also love its scent! Oh, I’m also quite fond of your toothpicks. My wife not so much, as she’s tired of always seeing me with one in my mouth!

You were telling us about your frustration with supermarket shower gels. How did you get into grooming products?

In all honesty, I never really used to take care of myself. I wanted to start paying more attention to my grooming routine, so I tried out products and found what I liked. My grooming routine and products are important because my days are always busy. Having products I can rely on is crucial, such as a good deodorant, for example. I’ve had a beard for a long time, even though it was complicated to pull off at the beginning of my career.

Really?

In some more traditional companies, it was a little complicated. It was the same for work outfits: sneakers were strictly prohibited, and it was suits and ties every day. These days, anything goes, so I’ve started wearing ties! (laughs)

Do you wear perfume?

I love cologne. I’m of Spanish origin, so I buy my cologne over there. There’s a real family tradition to it. My mum would comb my hair with cologne, so it obviously brings up happy childhood memories. I buy it in bulk, and put it Comme des Garçons perfume bottles.

Sounds like a good way to keep your source a secret! What’s your hair care routine like?

Do you manage to switch off from work easily?

I don’t ever really switch off, because I don’t feel like I need to. I check my emails over the weekend, without it ever being an issue. When you’re in my line of work, you can’t really afford to turn your phone off. If the heating goes off in an entire building, and I get a call on a Saturday morning, I can’t decently answer on the Monday and say “sorry, I don’t check my phone on the weekend”. That being said, this is a standard I don’t expect from my teams. I never call them too early, even if I’m up and ready to start working. Friday afternoons are also calmer as we generally have lunch with the construction teams on the sites… I think it’s all about finding the right formula to be productive.

Do you play any sports?

I have a gym subscription, like most Parisians. Actually going to the gym is an entirely different kettle of fish! I should put more effort into it because I eat lunch at the restaurant every day for work, and it makes resisting temptation all the more difficult. In my defence, it’s part of the job. I never have alcohol with lunch, though. It would make my afternoons extremely complicated! I do enjoy a good nap, so I’d rather not put myself in a situation where I might not be able to resist dozing off!

I noticed you have a pair of Nike Air Max under a bell jar. Are you a sneakerhead?

I was, for a very long time! I’m serious about my passions. When I get into something, I tend to go all the way. At some point it was sneakers, then jeans, and after that music. My first pay checks were entirely spent on sneakers. When I was a kid in Beziers, sneakers were a treasure. When your parents bought you a pair of sneakers for 1,000 francs, you had to take very good care of it. I think that’s how it started. I still follow new releases, but I only rarely buy a pair. I find it extremely difficult to sell my sneakers, as the history attached to each pair makes them priceless in my eyes, regardless of their market value.

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