... and pasting (it's the little things)

It really is the little things that matter. A bit of lining paper hanging and my dining room transformation is really happening.

Stripping (wallpaper)

Thank goodness I found a man who would strip the layers of wallpaper out of my dining room. Good to come home and find progress has been made in my absence.

You know it's going to be a good day when ...

... your 9:30am meeting runs for EXACTLY the hour you'd scheduled in the diary.

Then your dog walk finishes just as a big black cloud breaks over Hitchin and the heavens open as you shut the door and put the kettle on.

It's been a productive day, although those productive moments haven't always chimed with what was on my Toodledo list first thing.

When did the focus change from IT to SM?

Back in my days at Birds Eye Wall's, then together and part of Unilever, it was all about IT. I helped set up a company-wide screensaver, updated daily with share price, news, photos etc. I worked with a team in IT and the idea of anything being 'social' was ridiculous.

I can't remember when we stopped talking about Information Technology. Maybe some people still do, but I haven't heard the term for ages.

Maybe we're giving less information away now. Have we become more superficial? Is it less about the technology and more about the manner of dissemination?

Or is it just a generational, semantic change?

Delightfully creative plumbing

To be fair to whoever created this plumbing, it was originally in the corner of a tiny airing cupboard. Now the cupboard is down, this is how cold water gets to my boiler and hot water gets to my bathroom and kitchen.

It's actually quite beautiful.

It is: its abbreviation is it's

It's not hard, people.

Your job is to decide where you're heading.

See what I did there?

Sometimes, it seems people are just not checking texts and tweets, but maybe they don't actually know.

Just do it

I am frequently frustrated by the language women use and how different - usually judgemental and non-motivational - it often is to that used by men.

We scupper our own chances of success by talking ourselves down. Even to ourselves.

The reason the Nike catchline 'Just do it' works is because it's verb-driven. Whatever it is you 'do', you should just get on with it.

Women frequently set goals using 'try' or 'attempt' or 'aim' at the root. I don't want to be sexist, but men don't try to do something. They just do it.

Many, many female traits are positive and are certainly as valuable within any environment as their male counterparts. But sometimes, they're self-defeating.

If you find yourself saying 'I think ...' too often, ask yourself if you're using that to give others permission to say 'I disagree'.

If that comes across as a bit of a rant, I apologise. I enjoy working with women. I enjoy working with men. Same thing, as far as I'm concerned, but I just wish women sometimes would just do it.

New business card

I'm going for a completely new look, thanks to a great designer.

New icon - this is me

A hand. Holding a pen.

Local radio interview about suspended coffees - before breakfast

I was interviewed by Iain Lee on BBC Three Counties radio this morning about suspended coffees. A friend and I are trying to get it introduced in Hitchin.

If you've never heard of suspended coffees, it's all about kindness to strangers. You buy a coffee (or tea, in my case) from a cafe and then also pay for a second cup for someone else. At some point thereafter, someone coming in to the cafe will be given a drink for free. The logistics are the biggest issue for cafes and there are lots of different ways of doing it. It's been done for years in Italy and started in 2013 in Cork. No reason why it shouldn't spread into the UK. Surely we're kind people?

Find out more on their Facebook page.

This morning's interview was quite painless - it would be great to get suspended coffees going in Hitchin and I'm happy to talk about it to anyone who has an interest. We just need a couple of cafes to get on board with it and I know people across the town will support it.

Blast from the past

In honour of my birthday today, a friend posted this screengrab.

I can't decide whether the fact that it's 31 years ago makes me feel old or just that I've lived a full life!

Learning and sharing - what life is all about

I've come to the conclusion that learning and sharing really is at the heart of life. A bit deep for a Wednesday morning? Possibly.

Nevertheless, as soon as you stop learning new stuff, there really isn't much point. If you're not sharing with others, you might as well be a hermit and live in a cave.

Learning doesn't always mean silent listening and we all learn (and teach) in different ways, in different environments. But as soon as you find yourself saying "I always ...", it's worth taking a look and seeing if there's a new way of doing something.

As for sharing, I am fortunate in having truly amazing children, who yesterday surprised me with an early birthday meal at the Shard. Their treat. It wasn't the fact that they were prepared to shell out their hard-earned cash, but that they knew I'd enjoy the food and the experience. It was definitely a shared experience.

So, today I'll be sharing some of the books I've learned from (see what I did there?)

Focus, focus, focus

Focus: one thing at a time, done right.

I recently met someone who punctuated every single part of our conversation with an anecdote. Although engaging at first, it became obvious she was using these stories as endorsements of her actions. If she did something, she'd back it up with a story of someone who'd done something similar and been successful (or the opposite, and failed).

Constantly trying to bring our meeting back to the topic was incredibly difficult and I realised I tell anecdotes too much, too.

So my focus now is on focus.

I loved this mind map from www.mindmapart.com So, one thing at a time.

Tree. Church. Shard

One of the best things about working occasionally in Bermondsey is the juxtaposition of old and new, built and natural. On a beautiful day like today, views like this are just inspirational.

Fire fighting is SO last year

2015 is all about being proactive for me.

I've set my goals and tasks on my To Do list link to each one of those. I'm not being too smug, as I'm well aware that we're only five days into the new year, but being proactive has to be better than fire fighting.

There'll still be fires to fight, but hopefully I can sometimes get in first.

A mild start to 2015

The view from my window this morning. I know this year will see the building finished and people moving in. It's a big improvement on the garage that was opposite when I moved in three and a bit years ago.







So that's one thing I can be fairly sure will change in 2015.

Who knows about what else will change?

The year has come in fairly mild and, of course, it's time for a dog walk before much else happens today and that's hopefully something that won't change this year. Although it does feel like a chore sometimes, it is definitely a pleasure to let the wind blow the cobwebs away with the dog cavorting around the fields.

Here's to a great 2015!