Monthnotes — April 2022
Looking back at last month’s notes, I can see I was aiming to get back to regularly exercising. I’m signed up to a 50 mile ultra run in Snowdonia in early September, so there are four months to get as fit as I can for that kind of adventure.
My success in stepping up the mileage this month has been mixed. I’ve managed a couple of ten mile runs and have been out on my bike. I’ve also got back into a pretty regular routine for CrossFit.
However I have to admit I’m not loving the running right now — I’ve always gone through cycles of really enjoying the feeling of running and then struggling to motivate myself to pull on my trainers and get out. Even with the goal of an event I’ve never done before, I can see this pattern playing out over the past few weeks.
We were lucky enough to get a few days away with my family over the Easter weekend, heading to Norfolk for a short break. Plus we have also started to plan holidays for later in the year, which has meant things have started to feel a bit more post-Covid than over the winter months.
Workwise it’s been a month where a few days off and the Easter bank holidays have meant it’s been hard to hit that cadence where I feel I’m achieving lots. Aa lot of parallel workstreams has meant progress has seemed a bit more intermittent than I’d like.
I seem to have spent more time in London this month too, with two or three days a week spent across our offices in London Bridge and Spitalfields. It’s been a good reminder of the value to time spent face to face with colleagues.
In particular it’s been the unplanned conversations that have really seemed valuable — making connections, sharing informal insights and talking through problems together. A good reminder of some of the friction that hybrid working gives us to working through complex issues — and how human interactions and relationships are a lot harder through a Zoom window.
Away from the day job, this month I’ve also taken on a new board position as non-executive director at National Support Network CIC. This is a not-for-profit social enterprise that hosts the UK’s largest hub of trusted support services, such as helplines, for companies to signpost customers or employees in need.
It’s a really exciting start-up that’s aiming to building upon existing successes to commercialise and grow its impact. I’m really looking forward to working with the co-founders and other non-execs to be a part of the organisation’s growth.
