Weeknotes 2022, part 12

Tales from my week. 10th – 16th December 2022

I’ve been spending time reading back over old Weeknotes recently, as I’ve been gradually un-archiving previous series. When I returned to regular writing a couple of months ago I instinctively archived everything as I was worried I’d written something cringey; now I look back with pride knowing I’ve come an awful long way, and those early thoughts and lessons and concerns have shaped how I see the world now.

Reading all those previous editions makes me realise how hard I am on my myself, and how quickly I move from one project to another without giving myself time to breathe and enjoy the successes along the way.

So this week I’m taking the opportunity to celebrate the good things that happened. This week hasn’t been without it’s challenges as we sprinted towards our end of discovery deadline, but lets not dwell.

✨ Lovely things that happened this week ✨

1. Incredible teamwork to bring together all our discovery findings and recommendations together into a final report and associated summary deck. I’m excited to start alpha in the new year once I’ve had a few days off to rest and recuperate.
2. A kick-ass closing show and tell. We had some great feedback about the clarity of messaging and breadth of content.
3. We had a virtual leaving do for three colleagues. I was worried I would cry, which I did, but it was through tears of laughter. It was a joyful way to end the week, and demonstrated the mutual respect and sense of humour we’ve shared over the nine months working together.
4. I found out some colleagues read these notes (hi 👋🏻) and didn’t totally cringe out at the thought.
5. Had the second meeting with my new mentee. They prepared some questions related to work they’re doing at the moment on which I was able to share some practical advice, and it was a useful reflection exercise for me to call on what I’ve learned from various roles and projects – win-win!
6. My younger brother made it home through the wintery conditions in time to celebrate his birthday with us today.
7. I’ve reconnected with the UPFRONT global bond after a couple of months away, attending Kasey Robinson’s session on anti-racism and posting in Circle.
8. The extreme snow in Gloucestershire has meant spending a lot of time indoors, so I’ve picked up a languishing knitting project (the gingham jumper) and nearly finished the second sleeve.

A thick blanket of snow descended over Gloucestershire on Sunday, and has remained in place ever since. A magnolia bush is unrecognisable under the snow, the branches bending with the weight of it, and every horizontal surface – plant pot, wall or hedge – is completely covered ❄️

🎄 Next week (countdown to Christmas) 🎄

1. I’ve got two Christmas concerts this weekend, and another on Thursday. I usually restrict myself to one performance per weekend to preserve energy but I’ve made an exception since it’s so close to my holiday.
2. 1–2–1 with our new delivery manager for alpha. Looking forward to getting to know them a bit more and hopefully set off on a positive note.
3. I’ve set aside some time for reflections on 2022. I’ll be using the Year Compass tool.
4. Final trip to Birmingham for the year to see off a colleague who is leaving for pastures new.
5. Now discovery is done I’ll hopefully have some time and headspace to watch some recorded training / lunch and learn sessions which have been waiting in my inbox for a while.