Weeknotes #4 — A commitment to write
Last week was like stepping back in time. I had a mini lockdown for one as I struggled through a crappy cold. So this weeks weeknote is an ode to Olbas Oil!
I feel lucky that I don’t get sick very often. When I started contracting I therefor didn’t really consider the fact I wouldn’t get paid for sick days. Well this week I should have taken at least 2 days off. How many days did I take off… zero.
I realise this is setting a bad example but I think it’s hard when you’re working from home. You can lie in bed and watch Harry Potter or you can lie in bed and dial into some Teams calls. Will this new way of working mean more people will try and push on when they really need to rest?
On Tuesday I ran a collaborative session with the Innovation Team at Lloyds to open up the design process and get input into the research we’re currently planning. It was nice to be back running a workshop.
Speaking of which it’s been good to get back to being hands on with research planning. It’s been a while since I ran actual research interviews and I’m feeling nervous, but I know once I get going I’ll be fine. One of the team has personal experience of the subject matter we’re researching and has kindly offered to do a practice interview with us so we can test our approach and timings which will be helpful.
I think it was also Tuesday (I was pretty high on Olbas that day) that I landed a new client. I’m super excited to be working with a lovely lady in Manchester who’s looking to launch a new charity. I’ll be providing support to help her write her strategy, name and brand the charity and build a website.
On Thursday afternoon I attended the final session of Magnify Conference run by the amazing Claudia Hopkins. I’ve been so impressed by how she organised the conference and the care and attention she put into making it inclusive. I was privileged to attend a session with panelists from around the world. I think we had people dialling in from India, South Africa, Tanzania, Scotland and London all in the same session.
We all had to pre-record a video of our talk. I did this weeks ago when we’d just moved into the new flat and I remember sending it to Claudia without watching it back because I knew if I watched it I would want to re-record it again and again.
It was a really interesting exercise to be present when they played it and watch myself do a talk. It made me think of all the things I learned on the UpFront course. I was pleased to notice my pace was steady, I had minimal ‘umms’ and I wasn’t touching my hair every 3 seconds! It did make me want to stand up to talk though — my posture is terrible.
This was my Let’s talk about sex talk which I’ve done around 10 times now. This experience itself has been great as it’s allowed me to hone my delivery while not worrying about the content as I know it inside out. So it was a recording of me at my best I’d say. I wonder if I would have had the same reaction if it has been a video of me doing the talk for the first time.
I also really enjoyed Marissa Cummings talk. She had some really great advice and sources for carrying out safe research around sensitive topics.
On Thursday evening I left the house for the first time in 4 days! I walked around the park wondering what I was going to do with another night on the sofa when I got a reminder of an UpFront event I’d forgotten about. What followed was a super inspirational hour with the amazing Ilona Bannister. I felt engaged and happy and excited as I listened to her personal story and practical advice about becoming a writer.
I figure I just need to keep saying and writing this. I’m going to write a book next year. I’m going to sign up for this course. I’m going to join the writers circle through UpFront and the lovely Emily Bazalgette is going to be my writing buddy.
Friday was my Joy day and it was packed with lovely chats about possible new work for next year. It’s interesting that most of the direct client requests I’m getting at the moment are for brand development work. I think that’s possibly because it’s the most tangible part of my offering. I’m not sure how I feel about this as it’s the area I feel least confident working in.
My favourite chat of the day was with Zoe Amar. She runs her business as a network which I really admire. I’m hoping we can find a project to collaborate on as working with Zoe and her team seems like a lovely half way house between permanent employment and contracting. Could it be the best of both worlds?
Lastly, and excitingly, I booked my first overseas trip for 2 years. Overseas travel is a real passion of mine and I don’t think it hit me until recently how much I’ve missed it. So in January we’re going to the North of Tenerife to hopefully get a bit of winter sunshine.
Three things I’m taking into this week…
- Next year I will write a book
- Next year I will write a book
- Watch Harry Potter when you’re sick not Teams meetings.
