Woody Wonders

I'm late with publishing my blog this week as I had to prioritise other things this weekend, which leads me quite nicely into this week's topics.  First of all, I'd like to tie up the Xmas side of things and then talk a little bit about New Year. A couple of weeks ago I spoke about the build up to Xmas and how easy it is to become overwhelmed at this time of year.  You can only do your best and can only focus on one thing at a time.  What really helps me is keeping some element of routine in my life.  They act like a safety net when I'm feeling like I'm in the midst of chaos.  It's very easy to forget about our usual routines at Xmas and, to some extent, that can be quite freeing.  The downside is that we can end up in a whirlwind of moving from one thing to the next without any purpose.  In my case, the one thing I do without fail is to stick to my exercise routine.  I may choose to do 10 mins yoga instead of a 10k run but for me, exercise is the...

Have you noticed that quite often the build up to something is far worse than the actual event itself? Last week I went into the office for the first time since May, in fact I was only in for a couple of hours to collect my belongings in May, so last Thursday was my first proper day of working in the office. It sounds ridiculous after previously working 4 full days in the office during 'normal' times but I have to admit that I felt quite apprehensive.  It wasn't the fact that I didn't want to go back in, it was simply a fear of the unknown.  Fear could be a slight exaggeration but nevertheless there were a number of things that were bothering me: What was the traffic like on the motorway these days? What time did I need to set off? What did I need to take with me? Where was my pass?!! Would I have any technical issues with my laptop? Would there be a docking station and 2 screens Where would I sit following the changes in the office? Where are all the feckin controls on...

  Flexible or 'hybrid' working as it's being referred to is here to stay and many of us are happy about that, including myself.  I've gained an extra hour every morning and evening thanks to no commute and I've been using it wisely.  Right from the first day of working from home, I made the decision to use my extra time productively and not waste it by staying in bed longer every morning, or working late every night. BUT , the success of working from home, and keeping sane and healthy, relies on one thing ... boundaries.  Creating those gaps between your work and home life.  Back in the old days, it was easy as you had your commute time to make that transition from home to work and work to home.  When that disappeared, some people struggled to create those same kind of boundaries and things became a little fuzzy round the edges. This topic is particularly important to me this week because in all honesty my boundaries have been smashed to pieces, gates left ...