A whirlwind 12 months
Moving to a new country has been an interesting experience (🏴 ➡️ 🇮🇪), throw in a change in the industry and a global pandemic for good measure, I can safely say it’s been 12 months I’ll never forget. September the 11th marked my 1 year anniversary at FREE NOW. I thought I’d mark the occasion by writing my 1st blog post by sharing 3 key learnings from the past year…so here goes:
Change happens quick, Embrace it!
Being a person who typically likes routine this essentially goes out of the window working for a MaaS (Mobility as a Service) company where being adaptable is imperative in order to stay ahead of the competition. So much has happened this year, some planned, some unplanned but I have been so impressed with the way these changes have been implemented at Free Now. Recent examples is the launch of FREE NOW’s Taxi + screen fleet in Ireland which was introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The most recent example, launched last week was the introduction of our Eco fleet. Here users have the option of selecting an electric or hybrid vehicle when booking with FREE NOW.
There have been many other changes over the past 12 months and I’m sure there will be more to come over the next 12 months which excites me.
Learning to Pivot
As Albert Einstein once said, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”
Data isn’t everything but it’s important to utilize the data available and spend time analyzing it. Previously, I would jump into a task without putting enough consideration into the planning process in order to get the best outcome, this applies both personally and professionally. I would then proceed to carry out the task without spending time reviewing the results. Deep-down I knew an alternative method was required to attack the task but I would keep going. The main reason for this would be the time I would have invested (stubbornness) knowing that time would be wasted. Sometimes I just need to swallow my pride and move on.
Make time for self-care
Previously I would have been quite critical of taking time out to practice self-care, particularly during working hours. FREE NOW actively encourages this through various initiatives. The most recent one is TAGG where the whole Dublin office has bought into. One person is nominated to take an hour doing something they enjoy, they then TAGG the next person and so on. For my hour I decided to go for a wet, boggy run in the country. (Debatable as to whether this was considered to be enjoyable?!)
Self-care is so important for both physical and mental health, the latter particularly over the last 6 months where the majority of people’s mental health is being severely tested. Self-care is the one thing that is easy to drop if I’m going through a busy/stressful period. Even taking 20 minutes to do a quick HIIT workout/run either before work or during lunch allows me to re-focus and in turn, be more productive.
