Since I first published this list of 25 obvious, yet effective, ways to improve your working environment, all the way back in 2022, it’s become one of the most read posts on my blog. Many of my coaching clients and course participants come back to this again and again, to find new ways to tweak their set up and improve their working environment.
Given that we are once again in January, and given that this week I’d do just about anything to make work a little easier, I’ve gone back to review and update the list to include a few new things and approaches. There are a lot of things you can try to make your day a little more comfortable, calmer and more balanced. What will make a real difference to you depends on the way you work and your personal preferences.
What makes this approach work (for me at least) is that the aim is to start thinking about making very small, incremental improvements, not big or radical changes that new year resolutions so often come with. I can always find ways to make myself 1% more comfortable, even on a bad day. And along the way, I gain a little more awareness and distance from being lost in digital productivity curves.
My “1% better” list
Use this list to find ways to make a small change, or maybe two, and see how things shift:
Working environment
lights for different times of day, i.e. a work lamp, SAD lamp, fairy lights, a candle
a selfie or ring light
A place for a pet to be… if you can persuade them
a place for papers/desk tidy
open window or fan
heated seat pad
Work set up
a new mouse mat or a mouse you like
wrist rest/mouse rest
glare protector
foot rest (cushion or yoga bolster can work, too)
headphones that suit your ears
Stepping away from the screen
an alarm or similar that reminds you to take regular screen breaks
a physical reminder to go to a different room/downstairs/outside
cushioned slippers or shoes (particularly handy for standing desks)
a paper planner/diary you can use away from the screen to think/plan
a lunch date/appointment with someone away from your desk
Engage your senses
scented candle or a diffuser for aromatherapy oils
music
new flavour hot (or cold) drinks to try such as new herbal teas or coffees
a secret snack stash (healthy or not)
something tactile like a soft throw or a fidget toy
a pet
Analogue joys
a plant
a nice coaster
photos/pictures/art
a rock or shell from somewhere you like
record player
Healthy habits
eye mist and glasses that help filter blue light
a water bottle
cleaning products for your workspace, i.e. eco wipes, disinfectant, screen cleaner
find a window sill or high shelf you can use as a place to have meetings with your laptop or a sit stand desk or desk shelf
A few notes…
If you haven’t done so in a while and especially if you have recently moved things around, checking in on your work set up from a basic health & safety perspective and reviewing display screen equipment guidance is a good first step.
Many of us easily ignore or tune out constant factors that make working uncomfortable, like glare, noise, a bad chair and so forth. Try and look at your set up with fresh eyes.
Ask yourself, if someone else had to use it for a week, what do you think they might like or find difficult?
Support from your employer with purchasing office equipment for home working (or if you are self-employed here in the UK, you can apply for support with office equipment costs from the Department for Work) should help with making bigger changes, such as buying an adjustable desk, a suitable chair and other equipment.
What are you going to try to make your day tomorrow 1% more comfortable?
Over the last couple of years I have started to round up the year with a final post of blogging about blogging. Last year’s post told the story of the 72 posts I wrote in 2023, and this year I am sitting pretty on… well, read on to find out.
Back in June I took stock halfway through the year, and found that I had I published 35 blog posts in the first six months of the year, slightly fewer than over the same period the previous year (43), but still an average of six per month. March was the month with the most posts (thanks to lots of things to say about open education) and June was the month with the fewest (thanks to a deeply relaxing two weeks away and offline).
Since then, I have added another 30 to the total, which brings me to 65 blog posts for the year!
Now in this era of digital productivity, when the pressure to keep all your personal tracking graphs and dashboard trends pointing ever upwards, publishing fewer posts this year than the year before may not look – I am not actually sure what to put here. After all, what, I wonder, would “blogging success” actually look like?!
Let’s just say that for me (and as this is MY blog, it’s me who sets out measures of success), this year has been one of fabulous blogging. I have enjoyed it, I have indulged in it and I have kept my practice alive and kicking!
Over the summer, in the run up to the DS106 Radio Summer Camp, Jim and I had a conversation in which he came up with the slogan “Blog OR DIE!” and we ran with that as the plenary session of the event (and a lot of fun that was, too). Ever since then, the phrase has been stuck in my head as a battle cry for what I want my professional practice to be… and I have found in it both inspiration and motivation to keep going.
So thank you, Jim Groom, patron saint of indie edtech, for reminding (not just) me how important it is to use the voice we have and the domains we own, to shape the open web.
Top 10 posts
And here, for a bit of fun, are this year’s “top 10” posts:
This is a seasonal blog post I am sharing in the spirit of a bit of festive fun. Before you read the story, find out more about Christmas Jumper Day, which in the UK we celebrate on Thursday, 12th December this year, and which raises funds for Save the Children.
The story was inspired by my dog Posey ‘trying on’ a jumper recently, which gave me a welcome excuse to write a story and then create accompanying watercolour illustrations.
Read at your own (festive) peril.
Posey’s Big (Christmas Jumper) Day
The first of December was bitterly cold. The sky was a pale grey, and there was a biting wind from the North. Posey was curled up in her basket, looking out at the world. From here, a small study on the first floor of the house, Posey could survey her whole domain: there was her human, sitting at the desk nearby, typing away on the computer. And in the next room there was Teilo, her big brother, napping in his favourite chair. By the sounds of it, he was chasing a ball in his dreams. Promising smells of cooking wafted up the stairs from the kitchen below. Maybe, Posey thought, there would even be toast!
Posey’s basket in a festive study.
Next to Posey, nuzzled into her soft brown fur, was Gladys, her favourite upstairs toy. Gladys was the most flamboyant of all the toys in the house, her pink and blue flamingo feathers pointing in all directions. Gladys and Posey often had long chats in the afternoons, when everyone else was working. And it was from Gladys that Posey first found out about the Christmas Jumpers. Christmas Jumpers, Gladys explained, were special clothes celebrating the season that only get worn this time of year, and there is one day each year when everybody dresses up and wears theirs. Posey listened eagerly to Gladys telling her tales of tinsel and red noses on reindeer, her eyes getting bigger and bigger and her ears cocked in rapt attention.
As the days went on, Posey started to spot other dogs wearing jumpers and coats on her walks. Teilo was dismissive at first, as he didn’t care for dogs dressing up, proud as he was of his sleek black coat. But Posey was intrigued. She, too, liked her glossy brown coat, especially when it was freshly brushed, but those colourful jumpers the other dogs were wearing did look fun! And even Teilo started to look with interest at a neighbourhood dog in a rainbow coat running past on the field.
Gladys, the pink and teal Flamingo tope toy.
So one night, about a week into December, Posey held a conference with her best friend, Mabel, during one of their cosy nights staying up in the kitchen, when everyone else was asleep. Mabel, a stripy Hippopotamus that shared Posey’s bed basket, and who never came along on walks, being an indoor toy, listened carefully to Posey as she told her all about Christmas Jumpers.
Posey got all excited describing the jolly stripes, cheerful reindeer prints and warm wooly cuffs – and Mabel, knowing her best friend very well indeed, listened patiently to the whole tale. One jumper in particular had caught Posey’s eye: it was red, she told Mabel, and decorated with white snowflakes, a big reindeer with a red nose and little stars, too! As she was describing it, her eyes sparkled and her tail wagged back and forth so fast, that it became all blurry. However, when it was at last time to sleep and Posey curled up with Mabel by her side, she looked wistfully at her friend. How, she wondered, would she ever get a jumper like this?!
That night, long after Posey had fallen asleep, exhausted from all the excitement, Mabel stayed up and had a long think. Only as the first rays of sunlight tinged the horizon in pink the following morning, did she finally close her eyes to sleep. She had made a plan, and first thing in the morning, she would… , well, what precisely Mabel did have planned, Posey wouldn’t find out until the 12th December.
The morning of the big day dawned bright and sparkly. The sky went from pink to gold to blue and all the roofs were covered in a thick layer of frost. It was so cold that even the window panes were covered in ice. Posey woke up excitedly, looking forward to breakfast and to her first walk of the day. As she ran out of the kitchen an unfamiliar sight stopped her in her tracks. She skidded to a complete stop in the hallway, gazing up with big round eyes.
A Hallway filled with Christmas Jumpers.
What she saw was her very own, small Christmas miracle: the whole hallway was filled with Christmas Jumpers!
Hanging on a long, red and white rope, all the way from the bottom of the stairs to the first floor was a colourful row of jumpers! There was a Christmas Jumper for each of the humans, one red and blue jumper with robins and holly, a tiny jumper for Mable, a bright green one with a sparkly purple letter “M” on it, one for Gladys, a sleeveless one with sequins and tassels at the bottom, and also one for Giraffe-y, Teilo’s favourite toy, in a bright sunny yellow to match her tennis ball feet. There was even one for Teilo, a beautiful Christmas tree green with a sporty white trim, to match his sleek black fur.
And at the very top of the stairs, there was one more jumper, the most beautiful of all of them and it was for Posey!
Made of a soft festive red wool, it was trimmed with little white snowflakes and covered in stars of every colour. It had candy-cane stripes and a jolly reindeer with a squashy red nose, and it even had her name, P-O-S-E-Y, embroidered on the side. On the other side it had a little pocket to carry treats and a loop to put a water bottle for long walks! It was, without a doubt, the most wonderful jumper that Posey had ever seen!
Of course, such an outfit needs to be taken out for a walk immediately, and so everyone, even Mabel, got dressed in their Christmas Jumpers, wrapped up warm with scarves and wooly hats, and headed out for a morning walk in the wintery woods.
Posey’s Christmas Jumper
There was coffee for the humans picked up on the way, and much cheer and waving as everyone saw them pass through the village. Posey ran ahead of everyone the whole way, skipping with joy, her ears flying and her tail going faster than a propeller, proudly showing everyone her Christmas Jumper.
Mabel, safely tucked into a big human coat pocket, smiled happily to herself. She had done it! Mabel had saved the (Christmas Jumper) day.
The End.
P.S. The real Posey prefers being covered in mud to wearing jumpers.
Der Weihnachts-Pullover-Tag (deutsche Version)
Inspiriert durch meine Hündin Posey, habe ich diese kleine Geschichte zum „Christmas Jumper Day 2024“ geschrieben. Jedes Jahr im Dezember wird dieser Tage in Großbritannien fur einen guten Zweck gefeiert – und Spass ist natürlich auch dabei..
Posey’s Großer Tag der Weihnachts-Pullover
Der erste Dezember war bitterkalt. Der Himmel grau und ein eiskalter Wind fegte von Norden her. Posey, eingekuschelt in ihrem Körbchen schaute sich die Welt an. Von hier oben, im ersten Stock, im gemütlichen Studierzimmer, konnte sie das ganze Haus überschauen, derweil „ihr Mensch“ am Schreibtisch eifrig am Computer tippte.
Gleich nebenan schlummerte Teilo, Posey’s älterer Hunde-Bruder in seinem Lieblingsstuhl und sie hörte, wie er versucht, Traum-Tennisbälle zu fangen.
Vielversprechende Düfte zogen von unten aus der Küche durch das Haus – Düfte, mit der Aussicht auf eine Scheibe Toast?
Dicht neben Posey’s weichem, braunen Fell saß Gladys, Posey’s Lieblings-Spielzeug vom ersten Stock – dieser Hinweis ist wichtig, denn… Posey’s Lieblings-Spielzeug vom ganzen Haus ist natürlich Mabel. Von Mabel erfahrt ihr später mehr…
Gladys, eine große Flamingo-Dame, immer sehr flamboyant in rosa und hellblau. Oftmals, während der langen Nachmittage die Menschen im Haus schwer arbeiten, haben Gladys und Posey lange, geheime Gespräche. Und so war es auch Gladys, welche zuerst von den Weihnachts-Pullovern erzählte:
„Weihnachts-Pullover sind ganz besondere Pullover, warm, kuschelig, fröhlich, bunt und werden nur im Dezember getragen. Und einmal im Jahr – dieses Jahr am 12. Dezember – trägt jeder seinen Weihnachts-Pullover und feiert die Weihnachtszeit“.
Posey’s Augen wurden groß und rund, aufgeregt hörte sie zu wie Gladys diesen Pullover beschrieb: „warm und weich, mit großen Rentieren mit roten Nasen, glitzernden Sternen und einer Fülle von Schneeflocken“.
An den Dezember -Tagen sieht Posey tatsächlich überall Hunde, die voller Stolz festliche Pullover und Mäntelchen trugen.
Hunde-Bruder Teilo, zuerst kaum interessiert, denn er war zu Recht sehr stolz auf sein glänzendes, schwarzes Fell. Doch Posey, fasziniert durch all diese festlichen Eindrücke, hielt weiterhin eifrig Ausschau. Sie mochte ihr schönes braunes Fell ebenso,vor allem, wenn es frisch gebürstet war, fand jedoch all die bunten Pullover der anderen Hunde lustig und begehrenswert.
Und selbst Teilo, bisher ohne großes Interesse, beobachtete auf dem Feld einen Hund, welcher mit einem kunterbunten Regenbogen-Mantel durch die Landschaft stolzierte.
Eine Woche später, als immer mehr Hunde in der Nachbarschaft mit bunten Weihnachts-Pullis spazieren gingen, hielt Posey zu Mitternacht mit ihrer besten Freundin Mabel eine Küchen-Konferenz ab.
Nun kommen wir zu Mabel, Posey’s Haus-Lieblings-Spielzeug.. Mabel, ein gestreiftes Nilpferd, welches jede Nacht mit Posey in der warmen Küche in Posey’s Körbchen schläft und während alle anderen Hausbewohner längst friedlich schlafen, sind beide oft lange noch am flüstern.
Mabel ging normalerweise nie mit auf die Spaziergänge, denn Matsch und Pfützen, bei Hunden sehr beliebt, sind für Mabel’s weichen Stoff jedoch ungeeignet. Und so wusste Mabel nichts von den herrlichen Weihnachts-Pullovern, welche Posey und Teilo täglich in Wald und Feld gesehen haben. Posey erzählte nun ihrer treuen Freundin Mabel von diesen herrlich bunten Pullovern, Mabel hörte geduldig zu, sie war eine gute Zuhörerin. Posey wurde immer aufgeregter, um Mabel genauestens über diese bunten Pullis zu informieren und auch, was ihr am besten gefallen hat – die fröhlich-bunten Streifen, die lustigen Renntiere, die warmen wolligen Krägen.
Und da gab es einen Pullover, bei welchem Posey gar nicht mehr wegsehen konnte: ein festlich-roter Pulli mit weißen Schneeflocken, ein großes Rentier mit roter Nase und tausend kleine glitzernde Sternchen. Posey’s Entzücken beim Beschreiben dieses wahrhaft himmlischen Pullis brachten ihre Augen zum Strahlen, ihre Ohren wedelten hin und her und ihr Schwanz ging so schnell im Kreis wie ein Propeller. Als es endlich Zeit war zum Schlafen, Posey sich in ihr Körbchen gekuschelt mit einem sehnsüchtigen Ausdruck im Gesicht. Mit großen traurigen Augen schaute sie Mabel an und überlegte, ob sie wohl jemals auch zu so einem wundervollen Weihnachts-Pullover kommen würde?
In dieser Nacht, lange, nachdem Posey endlich vor Erschöpfung eingeschlafen war, war es Mabel, die munter blieb und sich die Sache ernsthaft überlegte. Viele Stunden hat sie sich die müden Augen gerieben, Pläne geschmiedet.
Es war schon fast Morgengrauen, die ersten blassen rosa Wolken zeigten sich am Horizont, als Mabel sich endlich zum wohlverdienten Schlaf zusammen ringeln konnte. Zufrieden mit ihrem geheimnisvollen planen ist Mabel eingeschlummert. Was Mabel genau geplant hatte, konnte Posey am 12. Dezember bestaunen.
Der Morgen des 12.Dezember war klar und sonnig. Der Himmel wurde erst rosa, dann goldfarben, dann hellblau, die Dächer überzogen mit dickem Frost, die Fenster mit filigranen Eisblumen verziert.
Posey wurde wir gewöhnlich früh munter und begann fröhlich ihren Tag. Schließlich war jetzt die Zeit für Frühstück und Spaziergang! Schnell lief sie aus der Küche in den Flur und… was sie dort mit großen Augen sah, ließ ihre Pfoten auf der Stelle verharren.
Ein Weihnachtswunder war geschehen – nur für sie. Die Diele, festlich geschmückt und am weißen Treppengeländer entlang hing eine prachtvolle Parade von Weihnachts-Pullovern.
Von oben bis unten, die ganz Treppe, bestückt mit Pullovern – und was für welche!!
Zuerst die beiden großen für die Menschen im Haus – einer in rot und.. einer in blau mit einem Adventskranz und einem kleinen Rotkehlchen.
Dann kam ein ganz kleiner, tiefgrüner Pullover für Mabel, verziert mit einem großen, glitzernden „M“.
Für Gladys, ein Pulli ohne Ärmel, bestickt mit bunten Pailletten und Schleifen.
Dann gab es da noch einen Pullover, perfekt für Giraffe’y, Teilos Lieblings-Spielzeug, eine kleine Giraffe mit Tennisball-Füßen.
Und nun, ein grüner Pullover, schön wie ein Weihnachtsbaum – für Teilo – bestückt mit einem samtigen, weißen Kragen, welcher herrlich zu seinem schönen schwarzen Fell passt.
Jedoch, ganz oben an der obersten Treppenstufe, hing der allerschönste Weihnachts-Pullover, den Posey je gesehen hatte – und dieser Pullover war speziell nur für sie.
Die tiefrote, warme weiche Wolle sah so festlich aus, kleine Schneeflocken am glitzernden Kragen, bunte Sterne, aufgestickt über den ganzen Pullover und.. in grüner Schrift ihr Name: Posey . Vorne zu sehen ein Rentier mit roter Nase, an der Seite eine kleine Tasche für Leckerlis, sogar eine Schlaufe für eine kleine Wasser-Trinkflasche. (bei langen Spaziergängen sehr hilfreich)
Ganz ohne Zweifel war dies der allerschönste Pullover den Posey je gesehen hatte und natürlich musste dieser ganz wunderbare Pullover sofort mit auf den Spaziergang.
Und so haben wir uns alle winterlich angezogen, warme Schals um den Hals, Mützen auf, Hunde und Spielzeuge mit ihren Weihnachts-Pullovern und los ging es, in den Wald – mit Weihnachtsgefühl.
Auf dem Weg gab es warmen Kaffee für die Menschen, Nachbarn und Dorf-Bewohner winkten uns voller Freude zu beim Anblick der vielen bunten und fröhlichen Weihnachts-Pullover.
Posey, voller Stolz ihren Weihnachts-Pullover allen zu zeigen, lief aufgeregt voraus mit großen Sprüngen, fliegenden Ohren und der Schwanz wedelte wieder wie ein Propeller.
Sogar Mabel war heute mit dabei, eingepackt in einer Manteltasche, schaute sie sich voller Freude die ganze Parade an. Sie war sehr stolz, wie viel Freude ihre geheimen Pläne gebracht hatten.
Es war ein toller Weihnachts-Pullover-Tag und… seitdem feiern wir ihn jedes Jahr!
Every now and then I take a month and celebrate a small win every day. When I blogged about this a couple of years ago, the motivation came from a time of being overstretched, a period during which it felt like no matter how much I did I never achieved enough.
This time round my motivation is different, and more aligned to my desire to practice gratitude and to make the most of a busy, but precious time in my life – when many things pull my focus in different directions both personally and professionally.
Gratitude journalling is a practice that I like and I have tried previously, and yet it doesn’t feel like quite the right fit for what I want to achieve this month. This celebration of small things is more about slowing down and paying attention, to be more present.
The list of small things I have celebrated so far
Day 1: Make a fire and be warm all evening Day 2: Go for a 2 mile run Day 3: Get flu vaccination Day 4: Received a letter with the best stamp. Ever. Day 5: Went to the beach! Day 6: Plant care hour Day 7: – Day 8: Time out and a nice coffee at my local cafe Day 9: got a huge box of pumpkins and squash Day 10: Went to the Theatre Day 11: Completed the last run in a training phase Day 12: Decorated the house with a garland which was a gift Day 13: Tea in bed Day 14: Went for a run although I didn’t feel like it Day 15: Signed up for a charity run
I’ll be adding more as the month continues. Definitely looking for the bright spots in these times.
Day 16: Went to the beach Day 17: Listened to vinyl Day 18: Had a good walk with the dogs Day 19: Finished a work project Day 20: Got beautiful flowers Day 21: Went on an autumn ramble Day 22: Had a quiet, restful day
This week took an unexpected turn: first, I decided at the weekend to (finally) dive into building a book nook. I received the kit (Sunshine Town) to create this a while ago and loved the idea, but until now it didn’t feel like a good moment to get started.
But thanks to my new enormous sit stand desk, I felt in the right place to start unboxing and get building. Plus, I also had amazing inspiration from one of my colleagues at Reclaim, Meredith, who recently completed a similar kit and the result was absolutely amazing. So at the weekend I was happily building away, surrounded by a sea of small pieces, glue and paint. Audiobook on, tea at the ready. It was bliss.
What I didn’t know then was that less than 24 hours later my office would move rooms… in a spontaneous effort to create a better space for the postgrad student in our home. Although shifting things around to make a new study space wouldn’t have necessarily meant moving my office, it was a great opportunity to get things arranged in a way that made the most sense given who is using which space when and how. Also, there was a chance to have a floor in the house on which every room has it’s own record player, and who could pass up such an opportunity 😉
Cue a day of shifting book cases and wardrobes, dogs ‘helping’ and me not so secretly regretting the amount of vinyl records that seem to have accumulated on the first floor. Thankfully we have a lot of practice moving things (me being a fan of re-arranging my office…) and moving things around the same floor mercifully avoids lugging things up and down stairs. Needless to say, it was maybe not the ideal time to have trays of drying, tiny pieces of model kits around.
A day later and a relative calm has descended. Hold my calls… I’m blogging… at my newly cleared desk and in my new office space (which I love). Posey the dog has settled in her new nook, surrounded by cuddly blanket and toys. The plants are gently adjusting to the changes in light and position, settling into their new home, too. My yoga mat is stowed in its new corner, ready for a calmer start to the day tomorrow.
Even though so much of my work happens in the digital realm, with collaborators and clients who are continents away, it’s the books, records and stationary that make up the analogue foundation of my practice. And when that foundation is in disarray, I feel it across the whole spectrum of my work. So here’s to making this new space home, so that I can get back to finishing my book nook 😉
At the moment I am working on a new short bio to put on my social profiles. It’s not a task I relish because I do a lot of different things and work with a number of communities, so whatever I put will alienate some and attract others. It’s one thing I miss about being a CEO, as at least those three letters took up very little of the character count 😉 . Now that I am my own boss, I am not quite sure what to write. I also work increasingly with folk in digital and workplace wellbeing outside of academia, and to them the title ‘Dr’ is more likely to translate into the assumption that I am a GP or Psychotherapist… which sometimes leads to interesting conversations… .
So I am trying to transform:
I work with edu orgs + non profits as an independent consultant & coach. Author, speaker, podcast host, houseplant enthusiast, runner, dog person.
into something a little more, well, something I like better.
Which brings us to the final few words in the current bio, namely that I am a dog person. I don’t describe myself as a dog parent, but I certainly love the two canine companions that live with us, and I view them as very much part of the family.
I mention being a dog person in my bio to share something real about myself, something that’s a big interest and part of my life. Having a dog was a childhood dream of mine and when I was little I begged and borrowed dogs from kind families on holiday, which I proudly walked around the camp sites.
Now that my dream has become a reality, I am so glad to have the fun that dogs bring in my life. I love waking up in the morning and witness the bouncy morning joy that comes with two labradors who can’t wait to have breakfast, share morning tea and cuddles. Our dogs are definitely morning people.
As a home and hybrid based professional, I also appreciate the extra motivation that dogs bring to my work/life balance. From getting in a couple of miles of walking each day to getting up from my desk regularly to check in with them, open the garden door and so on. Together we attend online conferences… meetings… and get through long, productive days at my desk.
In that sense, mentioning being a dog person in my bio and posting the occasional pictures of them on my blog is a useful shorthand for folk who don’t know me and can provide an easy topic of conversation, too.
So, where does that leave my bio? Here’s my current best draft:
Meticulously informal coaching & courses for established and emerging leaders. Education and adjacent spaces, hybrid working, digital wellbeing, unconventional career paths. Author, podcast host, fan of writing letters, dog person.
