Make time for the people that enrich

How have you been doing this week? Have you had a chance to think about any of our activities so far?  As they seem to be building up I have added a tab at the top of the webpage so that you can access them individually and easily.

I just want to take a moment to say how much I am enjoying writing this blog.  I had always put very high expectations on myself and constantly strove for perfection – as if I was trying to convince myself that I had control.  Starting this blog however was a complete jump into the unknown.  I am not a writer or a photographer, and whilst being prone to bursts of creativity it is not a trait that defines my everyday. Moreover, I have never been particularly active on social media platforms.  Continue reading →

Make time for the things that enrich

If you have set your aspirations for 2018 (see ‘The Beginning’) or just for this month (‘Reflection’), you may have noticed that there is a lot of white noise in-between these things that you would like to do and the things that you simply must do – be it work, grocery shopping, eating, washing and so on.  How can you quieten that noise a bit to find some more ‘me time’?

Put simply, a good start would be to:

• review exactly the things that you enjoy doing;
• consider the people who you really benefit from spending time with; and
• consult your diary/calendar and clear out as many things as you can that do not fall into either category.  An old work friend of mine used to call this ‘self-preservation’!

However, the reality is that this exercise requires a lot more thought to ensure that you get it right before you needlessly cull your diary.  This week let’s take a step or two back and start by considering these key questions:

What are genuinely your favourite things?

What inspires you and makes your heart sing? Continue reading →

Have you managed to spend at least five minutes every day doing something for yourself, which makes you feel happier and more consciously engaged with your wants and needs?

Hopefully you would have had time to read my introductory blog post ‘The Beginning’.  If you are time-rich, you would have also had time to watch the TED talk, and started a conversation with yourself about time, how you can prioritise it, and how you can carve out more of it for the things that you love.

Can you list the things that you have deliberately done for yourself over the past week/fortnight?  On reflection, does that make you feel empowered or that you need to take more control? Continue reading →