‘Planning is guessing’: Aims for 2018
There are loads of posts at the moment where people are sharing their resolutions for 2018. So who am I to dodge the trend?
I’ve been thinking about how I plan for the future for some time. Ever since visiting the careers advisor in secondary school, if I’m being honest. Part of me feels like I should have an idea of where I want to be and know how I want to get there, and reading about the Japanese concept of Ikigai (living purposefully to help you to live your best life) has only exacerbated that. However, I’ve always struggled with the idea that my future should be mapped out. Two years ago I was living the bachelor lifestyle in Cardiff, and there was no way that I could have possibly known that I would end up living with the love of my life and my stepdaughter in Devon. In that sense, applying some of Jason Fried’s thinking from the Basecamp podcast (which is well worth a listen) makes much more sense to me — planning is guessing. It’s important to know what you’re in control of and to work accordingly. It’s equally important to know when you have no clue.
I am really interested in how Roadmaps might be used as statements of intent instead of being set in stone. Neil Tamplin’s comment on his Minimum Viable Digital TransformationTeam post has given me a lot to think about, I’ll be really interested in what Louise Cato’s efforts look like on a personal level when she shares those. It’s important that any such process doesn’t become an end in and of itself, which I saw so many times when I worked at the Wales Audit Office.
So bearing all this in mind, what are my aims for 2018?
Work / life balance
I’m steeling myself for what is going to be a hectic time between January and April, as it’s our busiest time of the year. I can tell already that maintaining a healthy work / life balance is going to be a challenge. All the while, I’ve still got to prove myself at Research in Practice and Research in Practice for Adults and ensure that I do the job to the best of my ability. Commuting also adds three quarters of an hour to my start and finish times, so finishing late makes it difficult to make sure that my stepdaughter has the evening that she needs (good food, lots of kip, more stories than you can shake a stick at). The Christmas break helped me to understand the benefits of taking time away from work to regather myself. In a worse case scenario, I could end being this guy…..
I’m also really lucky that I work at Dartington where they look after the wellbeing of their staff. I do Yoga on Friday lunchtimes, which is awesome. I want to take that a step further by cycling during my lunchbreaks too. Plus, it’ll help me scope out the geography of the area in a way that I haven’t had the chance to do yet.
How will I know if I’ve got this right?
- We’re eating good food
- I’m back from work before 6pm
- My work is purposeful, so I’ll be refocusing on what I do in accordance to what I learnt at the Wales Audit Office
- I go for a thirty minute cycle in my lunchbreak at least once a week
Better use of the internet
2017 was the year where I really understood how addictive phones are. I’ve made big steps to address that by buying an alarm clock (which has saved me half an hour of procrastination every morning) and turning my phone off late in the evening until I need it to listen to podcasts for my commute. I want to continue on that trajectory. I also need to put my phone away when I work to enable myself to better focus on the task at hand. Giving myself an extra second to check myself can make all the difference.
I’m aware though that not all dead time should be eliminated. Dr Rachel Hughes has shared a brilliant post on Quartz that looks at the benefits of not being productive, which hits the nail on the head:
“The truth is, work expands to fill the time it’s given and, for most of us, we could spend considerably fewer hours at the office and still get the same amount done…. Taking time to be totally, gloriously, proudly unproductive will ultimately make you better at your job, but it’s also fulfilling in and of itself.”
Making time to relax and unwind is good. But I do want to do that in a way that really makes a difference to my wellbeing — by reading a book or playing my guitar. I need to make these alternative tasks much easier than they currently are (my guitar is in a cupboard and my book is by my bed), and I need to make my phone a little harder to access by putting it further out of reach.
I’m also trying to use less Google products, having also left Facebook in 2017. I can’t remember who it was that said during an RSA podcast that “if you’re not paying for a product, you are the product,” and in 2017 I became really aware of how my data is being harvested. I’ve already moved away from Chrome to Firefox, from Gmail to ProtonMail (lots has been written on how Gmail in particular is a privacy nightmare, although that may now be the least of our problems), from Google Now to Nova Launcher and from Messages to Chomp SMS. I’m yet to find a good alternative to Calendar for personal use, and Google Maps is by far and away the best mapping app (although if you do have suggestions, I’d love to hear from you). But I reckon there’s more that I can do.
How will I know if I’ve got this right?
- I’ve migrated away from Google Drive and Docs to using Dropbox and Dropbox Paper (or better alternatives)
- I’m reaching for my guitar or a book instead of my phone
Working out loud
Blogging isn’t part of my day job, and I’m conscious that using my phone less means blogging less. I want to work as much as I can in the open, whilst also giving myself the time to really unwind and de-stress. I’m inspired by the Weeknotes crew, who share what they’re doing weekly, but I know that this would be too much for me. When I started my new job I was blogging every other week. I may need to re-examine this as I think about what a good life looks like to me.
I really need to align these posts with purpose, rather than stats. The reflection on my work and chronicling of resources is really helpful, as well as the opportunities to share with and learn from others. I definitely do not want to lose this. I also love blogging in Welsh, which is helping me to keep my writing skills ship shape. If my posts were monolingual, I’d lose so much of what I find valuable about blogging and the conversations that my Welsh posts can spark with Welsh speakers on Twitter.
How will I know if I’ve got this right?
- I’m blogging regularly (once every 2–3 weeks)
- I’m seeking out interesting, challenging and thought-provoking posts and I’m commenting where I can help or add value
Bring on 2018
Whilst 2017 was a shocker of a year on a worldwide scale, it couldn’t have been any better on a personal level. Thanks to everyone who helped and encouraged me as I blogged on a personal basis for the first time. I hope to repay the favour this year. May 2018 be as awesome for you as 2017 was for me!
