My Blog

  • Why some people shouldn’t ‘Eat That Frog’

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    Brian Tracy wrote the book ‘Eat That Frog. It describes a productivity method where you choose the most important task of the day then do it before you work on anything else. Whilst this is a very brief synopsis of a whole book there is some valid thinking behind the principle. Many of us suffer…

  • Dealing with unexpected phone calls

    A phone call interrupting your flow is annoying. But what if it’s a really important call and you’re not ready for it? I knew there was an important phone call coming that afternoon. It was a while back. I had booked a call with my GP to ask for an autism assessment. I had accepted…

  • Regular Burnout vs Neurodivergent Burnout

    Burnout is talked about a lot. Some people think it is a never ending state of exhaustion, but there is more to it than that. WHO says what? The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines Burn-out as “resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” It is characterized by three dimensions: According to…

  • Meandering for mental health

    A few years ago Swindale Beck was restored to its original meandering path. It had been straightened about 200 years ago to improve farming on the land around it. Unfortunately there were unintended consequences. The fast flowing water meant that fish could no longer spawn as their habitat had changed. Biodiversity in the stream and along…

  • My burnout can help you feel better

    I thought I could cope with all the demands that I was making of myself. I needed to make life financially secure for my family and be able to buy shiny things and great experiences for my family. I needed to be a success at work. Does this sound familiar? Then, one day, I stepped…

  • Neither fishing nor mending nets

    This is a phrase I heard early in my career. Not from fishermen, but from an Electrical Superintendent in a papermill. Bob was good at quietly nudging people to focus what they spent their time on. When he thought folk needed to stop unproductive activities, he used the phrase “This is neither fishing, nor mending…

  • Being swept towards the rocky shore

    The outboard motor died, and the wind was blowing us onto the rocks of the small uninhabited island. I was a fit 15-year-old. The Saighdear (pronounced sigh-chair) was well into his eighties. I got the oars out and the Saighdear tried to get the outboard restarted. My aunt sat quietly with a worried look on her…

  • Strong Fear of Failure Creates Exhaustion and Burnout

    We struggle to admit to ourselves that we may be heading for burnout. Are we afraid of failure, of letting people down, or do we genuinely think we are ok, and we can cope? No one plans to reach burnout. “I’m looking forward to my burnout” said no one ever! No matter how stressed you…

  • My Meditation Process

    Meditation isn’t always easy, even for people who find it extremely helpful. Currently I meditate every day, usually just 10 minutes in the morning before getting started with the day. You would think that it was easy after doing it on and off for years. Sometimes it’s not, I have found it worth persevering though. My mind is…

  • Spotting The Insidious Symptoms of Stress

    Stress can hit you in the face like a prizefighter’s punch. It can also creep up on you and steal your life like a pickpocket in a well-known Charles Dickens novel. It can do both though. Firstly, creeping up slowly, eroding your life, before hitting you hard and knocking you out. It’s better to spot…

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