The latest look at where my energy and attention is focused now…

Freelance work

The quiet of July and August is giving me an opportunity to rethink my entire freelance business.

My plan for the rest of the year (and beyond) is to:

  • adapt activities from my workshops into digital workbooks that I can sell
  • refresh my freelancer away days so they can be done at any time
  • focus on finding short-term facilitation gigs with small businesses and teams

Part-time employment

I’ve now been in my part-time content design role for just over a year. It’s taken a while to get the service off the ground, as you might expect, but right now my time is booked up at least a month in advance.

I’m still enjoying the variety in the work, getting more involved with the strategy behind projects and leading on discovery workshops focused on user needs. This week I’ve contributed to setting up a user research project too.

There’s a seed in the back of my mind about where the opportunities are for development. I’m a team of one at the moment, and if that grows I’d love to add some research expertise into the mix. I also wonder whether I’ll need to make a decision about increasing my hours. Nothing concrete at the moment, but I want to be prepared should the conversation arise.

Activities

I’ve been really enjoying playing tag rugby over the summer. After attending a taster session in May, I signed up to join the league and was assigned a team. Over the past few months, we’ve really bonded, finishing third in the first mini-season and qualifying for the Cup competition.

At work, there’s a small group of us ‘doing PE’. We started off playing Spikeball and have expanded to throwing a ball between ourselves as we walk/jog along the Quayside.

Through the print studio I’m a member of, I signed up to take part in the 20:20 print exchange. After a lot of thinking, I tested a concept and printing of the edition is under way. I’m still finding the process a little scary, not really knowing how the final piece will come out after three blocks, each adding a different colour/layer.

Relaxing

I am reading a lot at the moment, fuelled by regular trips lunchtime to the city library. On my summer reading pile are:

  • The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson
  • The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers
  • War of the Wind by Victoria Williamson
  • The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
  • Tokyo Express by Seichō Matsumoto

Summer also means that I’m watching a lot of sport. We’re really spoiled for choice at the moment with a variety of forms of cricket and the Olympics. And as we hurtle towards the start of a new football season, my photo library is currently filling up with drafts for my Fantasy Premier League team.

This is a ‘now’ page, inspired by Derek Sivers. Intrigued by this? Read about the origins of the /now page movement then make your own.