Week Notes 01
01–05 May 2023
Key Headlines
So … here it goes … as publicly pledged last week .. my first attempt at Week Notes!
Why did you want to start writing Week Notes? I hear you ask!? … Well, my job and life is generally quite busy (which I’m sure resonates with most people) and in the absence of a ‘daily commute’, I’ve come to realise how valuable that time was in helping me reflect on my day or week (when I’m not giving my best Beyonce performance with the blowers on!). As much as I love the work-life balance I have now, and I 100% have no desire to spend everyday battling with Nottingham traffic, I have felt the negative repercussions of not prioritising reflection time each week.
I’ve recently moved into a new role at the DVSA, and in the transition period of juggling two roles, I’ve felt this more than ever! I love a good to do list, but I’ve become super reliant on writing as much down as possible so as not to forget, meaning I’ve at times felt removed from the discussion in an attempt to capture things I think I might need to reflect on later.
I’ve also found I have to put myself in ‘low power mode’ earlier in a day than I’d like, due to the fact my brain battery drains quicker than ever! My mind is so full by early afternoon as I don’t prioritise making time to reflect and organise my thoughts. By 7.30pm … I’m exhausted and ready for bed!
Working in the team that I do, which is full of passionate, enthusiastic, excitable puppies all eager to do amazing things, my brain gets full … fast!
Enter …. Week Notes!
I’ve made a series of changes over the last few weeks to how I’ve been working and managing my time, and I’m already feeling the benefits of these changes. Week Notes is next on my list of changes, and will now become my new ‘weekly commute’ … and, whilst I can’t promise live Beyonce tribute performances on here, I can promise a weekly download of the life of a Lead Service Designer at the DVSA, mum to a teen and a toddler (yes .. at the same time! It’s carnage!) and unapologetic Disney enthusiast with a love for gaming and doodling!
I’ll end the ramble here (well done if you made it this far!), but before I do I want to share my highlights of the week …
— Recruitment … my first ever recruitment campaign and so far its been a great experience! I’m looking forward to updating future Week Notes on this topic, so watch this space!
— Apprenticeships … Designing an Apprenticeships journey is proving to be a really interesting piece of work! I ended this week getting a survey out the door to Year 12 and 13 students at my local 6th form. This is to try and understand what goes into a students decision making process when choosing the right next step for them in life … I’m buzzing with excitement to read through the results of this survey and watching it shape my Customer Journey!
— Keeping Britains Roads Safe … something, that working for the DVSA, rings through my mind every.single.day! Its my job! And I love the challenge it brings. However, today made me think about this from a new angle. When you think about keeping Britains roads safe, your mind immediately goes to vehicles and drivers .. well today, my mind went to people and mental health. I heard today about some of the great work being carried out at National Highways around Suicide Prevention and the opportunities we have in our unique position to address this issue. It was incredibly insightful and thought provoking. I’m now fuelled with a desire to do something, no matter how big or small, to support the work taking place on this topic and do my bit.
Its been a crazy, busy week and I could bullet point all day, so I’ll sign off this week on my favourite thing …. my team … here is me and our Performance Analyst, Maisie, attending a teams meeting today rocking our Walt Disney World / Disneyland spirit jerseys … if I ever needed confirmation that I’m in the right team … then today, in this moment … I got it … Happy Bank Holiday Folks!
Nik x
P.S its not the best pic … but I realised after the meeting it would have been better to just screen shot haha!
