Over the last few weeks I have been in a bit of a funk, I’m 8 weeks post-surgery and recovery time was great but it has seriously messed with my routine and it’s time to change it up.
Which got me thinking about trying something new and chucking out what isn’t working right now.
In my line of work, I am always speaking to clients about self-care, setting aside time for their wellbeing needs, and the importance of movement every day. A combination of lockdown, being incapacitated for 6 weeks, and just flat out with work commitments has meant that I haven’t been taking my own advice. It’s easy to do and we all need a kick up the butt from time to time.
It’s not exactly new, let’s call it a refresh! But I have been implementing the pomodoro method. If you haven’t used this method before, it basically working in sprints. You allocate 25 mins to each task you have and set a timer. When the 25 minutes is over you have a 5 min break. I personally use 25min and 90min sprints as some of my tasks such as client sessions and writing, require longer sprints. As soon as my timer chimes, I get up from my chair, have a walk around and a stretch, go sit in the garden in the sun and drink a glass of water. It had become a terrible habit just sitting at my desk and allowing 7hrs to pass without a break and a walk. The timer brings me back to the present moment and allows me to take care of my immediate needs. Here’s a cool little tool I found to help get you started https://pomofocus.io/.
I’m a lifelong learner and a real fan of learning something completely different to my usual work. It’s a great way for me to engage the creative side of my brain, and let my logical, organised side relax and take a back seat. We are currently renovating our house, and I have really enjoyed working with the draftsman, reconfiguring the layout. The next step is to work with the builder on all the fittings and fixtures. I’ve decided to learn how to use sketch up to be able to take our new plans and make them 3D and interior design the new space. I’m super excited to see how this turns out.
My team is geographically dispersed, and we have a few new team members, so we decided to run a weekly session, over 4 weeks, to get to know each other better and our working styles. Each week one of us leads the session and decides on the format. We have had MBTI sessions that compared us to cakes, drinks, and sporting activities. We played people bingo and 2 truths and 1 lie, it be a really fun time and I have learnt so much about both new and existing team members.
Ok, so some things just need to go, and right now mine is MS teams social gatherings. I totally get that people are over lockdown and want to keep in touch with friends and loved ones. However, I spend 80% of my work week on teams and zoon calls and the last thing I want to do on the weekend is log in again and sit looking at a screen. Friends, I love you dearly but it’s not happening! I am all up for a phone call, on the couch with a G&T, or a socially distanced exercise catch-up.
What are you kicking to the curb? And what new things are bringing you joy and energy? I’d love to know. Drop me a comment below.
In Joy
