Walking home with the smell of barbecues in the air, this week has felt a little like summer.
And with the longer and brighter days has come a feeling of optimism and a new lease of life.
Working ten hour shifts has been gruelling as my body clock tried but failed to adjust to working longer hours but fewer days.
But over the course of the week my mood has lifted considerably, I’ve starting eating a lot better and a lot more, and with that my mood has lifted.
It’s easy to think that, when things take a turn for the worst, they will remain like that for ever.
So it was a surprise after a week of food restriction, the urge to continue started to pass and I was able to make some better food choices.
I’m now facing a full five days away from work thanks to the first May bank holiday next week.
That will be followed by a two-day week, which gives me plenty of time, and absolutely no excuse, to make some proper plans for the future.
First on my to-do list is to complete and submit my first CIPD Level 5 People Management assignment.
For anyone thinking of doing this qualification, the first assignment has been very manageable but the word count is around 4500 for a total of 12 questions.
You also have to include a minimum of 3 academic references in each answer, so it does take a little time.
It covers a range of topics from organisational structure and the employee life cycle, to organisational culture and behaviour, and even technology and AI.
I’ll be pleased when the first assignment is out of the way and I can progress to the next.
Also on my to-do list is the possibly crazy idea to learn how to use Adobe InDesign. As someone who didn’t have the patience to learn PhotoShop, this will be no mean feat.
But I’m more motivated this time around as I’m keen to be able to use the software to design notebooks and planners.
I still have the idea of a stationery business in mind, and even if I never get anything off the ground, it’s getting my up in the morning and there’s no harm in having a dream and something to aim for.
More progress would have been made in both of these areas if I didn’t spend so much time on TikTok, so I’ll have to lock my phone in a drawer or use an app like Forest to stop me picking it up and scrolling.
If you’re new to Forest, it’s a productivity app where you decide how long you want to stay away from your phone for, and it grows a tree if you succeed.
If you pick your phone up and start scrolling during that time, you fail to grow a tree.
It’s a clever idea and is helpful in helping you realise how many times we mindlessly pick up our phones without really thinking about it.
I might also revisit some productivity YouTubers like Ali Abdaal who also has a great productivity course on Skillshare.
Ruby Granger is another great YouTuber to watch as she is always highly productive and has built some great habits into her day.
But before all that, I’m going to relax with Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult and catch up on the sleep I’ve lost by having a six-thirty start each morning.
Sleep is very much needed.
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