Yup.*

Personal development and lifelong learning are woven through my professional practice. I talk about it in design sprints, encourage it in training and coach it. Investment in oneself is a foundation for professional and personal growth. Self-directed learning is great but sometimes we need to eat our own dog food, so I’m taking a week or so out to practice what I preach.

What brand of dog food am I eating?

I am participating in the brand new Design Sprint Masterclass, led by Jonathan Courtney & Dee Scarano of AJ&Smart and Jake Knapp.

AJ&Smart is a leading design and design training agency. They have won many design awards, working with the likes of LEGO, General Electric, Uber and Netflix. Jake Knapp is a world renown design practitioners. The inventor of the Design Sprint while at Google Ventures, he has led design work for YouTube, Gmail and Microsoft and many others.

Why am I telling you about my dog food?

As a designer, I have solved business problems with innovative thinking, ideation and prototyping. Yet it is easy to become comfortable with the familiar and let my work get stale. So, whether you are a fellow designer, a client or a passer-by, I am engaging you all as partners in my professional development.

For those I work or contract with, I hope this provides growing confidence in choosing to partner with me and a sense of excitement for how design thinking and sprints can grow your capabilities and your business.

And when I’ve finished eating the dog food?

My aim, as always, is to help my clients achieve their goals and desired outcomes with less time, effort and cost. As an aspiring early graduate of the Design Sprint Masterclass, I see this world-class certification as an investment in my journey towards design sprint mastery.

I will keep you updated on my progress. In the meantime, if you would like to know more, feel free to contact me for a chat or book a two-hour Lightening Sprint to experience the process for yourself. Either way, leave me a comment, send me a message, drop me a line or give me a call on 021 233 1445.

*A hat tip to Tom for telling me about eating dog food.

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This evening, I am packing before leaving tomorrow on a ten-day, two-city trip delivering leadership training for a client in Pacific Asia. I am no stranger to business travel but, up until now, almost all of it has been while working for someone else. The flights remain as long as ever, the security screening is  still a chore and the jet lag just as tiring, but there is difference is now. I am doing it for me and my business – and it feels great!

Last week, I read about a study conducted by the Universities of Exeter and Sheffield, which found that self-employed workers in the UK, the US, Australia and New Zealand are among the happiest. Despite often working longer hours and the perceived lack of employment security, the study found that, thanks to the greater freedom and control they have over their work lives, self-employed people across a broad range of sectors are more engaged and happier at work than those employed by others.

Autonomy seems to be the key factor. When self-employed, we have the freedom to pivot quickly to meet an opportunity, share our expertise to become a trusted advisor and innovate to partner for change or compete with others. Such autonomy and flexibility help to keep engagement and energies high, even when obstacles are encountered and problems arise.

Much of the satisfaction and fulfilment I get comes from providing high quality effective solutions that deliver added value for the organisation and individual employees as well. For me, the trade-off between the risk, long hours and the ups & downs of flying solo are more than worthwhile in terms of the gains in personal wellbeing and improved work/life balance.

As the world of work moves away from traditional salaried roles ands towards project and contract roles of the ‘gig’ economy, do you have a preference for a salaried role or do you dream of being your own boss? I’d be keen to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment, post a reply on Facebook or drop me a line with your thoughts.

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I’m in the middle of a hectic few weeks. At work, I am enjoying working with some awesome folks in the health and fitness industry. Evenings and weekends are full of chores, errands and fun stuff with family too. When things are busy, it can be hard to carve out a little time for myself, time when I can switch off and let things go.

Last Sunday, I read a great quote which reminded me how important these time-outs are:

Don’t just do something, sit there.*

You can find this as a popular meme all over the internet – easy to read and move on regardless. Instead, I took it as a prompt and decided to stop what I was doing and take time to sit and be. I made myself comfortable on the couch in our sunny kitchen, closed my eyes and tried not to think of anything.

Of course, thoughts continued to race through my mind. Rather than get frustrated, I smiled and enjoyed not having to deal with them there and then. My mind gradually slowed and I became aware of my surroundings. First, the hum of the fridge. Then the birdcalls. The mooing of the cows. The bleats of lambs. The wind in the pines on the ridge above us. After that, I spent a glorious twenty minutes with myself – not the business owner or husband or dad – just me.

I grew up in a faith tradition which worships in silence and yet I still forget how powerful a practice it is. Those twenty minutes provided valuable rest and respite for my brain. Made space for my mind to relax. Allowed my intellect to switch off. Prepared me for another hectic week.

None of this is new. Meditation has been around for centuries and mindfulness is now marketed as yoga for the mind. As such, these can seem like mystic skills we can never learn or clever life hacks to make us more productive. Yet we can all find a little space, a little calm and a little peace if we just stop doing and sit for a while.

Around one in six New Zealand adults is diagnosed with a common mental disorder at some time in their lives. These disorders include depression, bipolar disorder and/or anxiety disorder and many others.

I am one of those people.

In my case, pressures of work, too many commitments and a series of bereavements took their toll. Like many, I tried hard not to let things show, particularly at work. I tried to manage things on my own, thinking that I could cheer myself up and stop feeling down by sheer will.

It didn’t work. After a breakdown on a crowded international flight, I sought help. With support from family, friends and our doctor, I began to tackle the problem and things improved. Aware of the triggers and what I can and can’t control, life is more enjoyable. There are good days and not-so-good days but, more and more, there are great and fantastic days.

If you struggle with depression or anxiety, I encourage you to seek help and assistance. Below are some great places to start.

Mental Health Awareness Week
www.mhaw.nz

Depression.org.nz
depression.org.nz

The Lowdown
thelowdown.co.nz

Mental Health – conditions and treatments
www.health.govt.nz/your-health/conditions-and-treatments/mental-health

* This quote is attributed to many sources. These include Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, author Sylvia Boorstein and even Buddha himself.

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After introductions by my good friend Mark, we got to know a little about each other over a simple breakfast. Following this, we had a fun hour on how to increase participant engagement while delivering great applied learning results and a improved return on investment. After the session wrapped up, some left for work while others chatted more before heading to their first appointment of the day.

This may sound like any another business breakfast but it felt different. As I drove away, I thought about what exactly made it different and I realised that as a group we:

• Were more interested in exchanging ideas than business cards;
• Shared our passions, not our pitches;
• Pursued conversations, not conversions;
• Built relationships, not revenue;
• Focused on the other, not the self.

If this sounds like a wasted networking opportunity, I’d have to disagree. We are often encouraged to assess professional activities and events solely by their potential for generating new business. In doing so, we risk missing finding common ground through slowing down, listening to others, and shared experiences. These are the building blocks which pave the way for collaboration, innovation and creativity – all of which can lead to better outcomes.

So, next time you head to a business social event, try switching your mindset from ‘transmit’ to ‘receive’, from ‘networking’ to not working your pitch. Instead, focus on being present and attentive to others, listening for ideas and not simply for a cue to speak – who knows what might happen and where it could take you?

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In recent months, unfamiliar challenges have tested my patience, my calendar management and my communication skills. Frequent requests to open jars or change bulbs have broken my concentration. A ban negotiated to prevent the use of the vacuum cleaner during client calls. The drenching of lambs postponed until it didn’t clash with getting to a meeting on time.

Others in the house might point to a suspicious increase in unwashed dishes after lunch. Or a slowing down of the shared broadband connection. Not to mention a distinct lack of chocolate biscuits in the pantry since I began working from home.

For all this, so far the pros outweigh the cons. My office now overlooks a green pastoral valley instead of a car park, my end-of-day commute is down from 60 minutes to 60 seconds and I’m doing work I love for clients who appreciate it. What’s more, I get to spend more time with my office manager, Pip, seen above taking a break from office life.

Over the years, I have adapted and changed how I work to maintain a good work/life balance. Working solo from a home office has increased the need to do so. Good basic self-care is crucial for me and my business, so here are a few of the things I’ve put in place:

• Take regular breaks – try the Pomodoro technique;
• Stop for lunch and make it a healthy one;
• Get outside for a breather at least once or twice a day;
• Focus on one task at a time – trying prioritising with the Eisenhower matrix.
• Try to avoid long hours and over-working;
• Challenge unecessary goals and ‘fake’ obligations;
• Make a conscious effort to schedule in relaxation time;
• Enlist a team of supporters – family and friends or peers you trust;
• Celebrate milesones and reward yourself for completed projects;

What would you add to this list? How do you make sure to take care of yourself? Leave a comment and let me know.

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