It felt like the world and his wife had left this summer, the buildings were noticeably quiet, and we had no external meetings or events. I normally use this period to catch up on all the things I have been promising to do and use some of the time for planning and thinking. I know what your ‘thinking time for thinking ‘but it is incredibly important to carve out time to think, think bigger picture, strategy and goal setting which is fundamentally different from the thinking we do daily to react to matters or complete tasks. We also decorated, our spaces here at the BEC, we have Instagram worthy workspaces now, which have lifted mood and morale considerably and not just mine.
For me this is blank page of my fabulous notebook, and the ideas just flow on a whole wealth of matters relating to the BEC and the wider work we do.
However, just for the record I am about to go on my summer break now we do not have to fit round education and school commitments the last ten years have meant late September holidays. Still fabulous weather but a little cooler to go exploring and not moan about how hot it is 😊
I will return at the start of October with renewed energy and a fresh perspective on the sticky issues which have been pressing on my mind for a while.
Here is what I am planning to do:
Set new goals:
I intend to use the clarity and motivation of my holiday to set myself new and achievable goals, in all areas, personal development, our team performance, and project specific targets.
Prioritising tasks:
On returning the to do list always seems to have grown, but if I prioritise then I can ease myself into productivity without feeling overwhelmed and then facing that ‘it feels like I have never been away feeling.’
Reconnecting with the team and wider colleagues:
Summer felt a lonely place at time, colleagues I see a lot both in the BEC and wider went off on leave so it will be nice to get back to collaboration. This is an area of the role I really enjoy learning from brilliant colleagues means every day is a school day.
Setting my new routine:
Sadly, winter approaches I admit my enthusiasm for Pilates, yoga, the gym, and healthy eating disappears, and I can always find an excuse. It is a case of ‘namaste’ turns into ‘not today!’ but not this year! I intend to create a workable winter routine which fits nicely into the life and does not feel like a chore. Vitally important this year having lost 32kg over the summer I intend this to be a lifestyle choice from now on. Hand in hand with this goes learning to balance work and life in general, I am famous for talking the talk about balance but not so good at keeping this for myself, but I have learnt that it is vital for productivity.
I hope you find this helpful, and I will see you in a couple of weeks on my return when Amplify will kick off for cohort two and other exciting programmes begin. Happy autumn everybody!