The 30 minutes of my week that *never* drops

If you're reading this, welcome... and thanks for taking the time. It's been quite a while since I've 'blogged' anything, so I hope you find this useful.

(If you do (or don't), please let me know).

TL; dr:

• This post is about reflection and personal development
• If you've got hints and tips, please feel free to share

Back in my mid-teens, like many, I was working out what I wanted to do with my life. I knew what I was good at and, importantly, the areas that made me happiest. I knew that I wanted to take on a career where it didn't really feel like work all the time, but more a series of passion-projects which aligned with my own wants, needs and interests.

Fast-forward through the college (and drinking...) years and I can safely say, I've maintained that vision - but one thing that I've recently rediscovered - and you've probably inferred it from this post's image - is my passion to getting thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams down on paper.

After University (in my journalist days), I found blogging cathartic. I'd spend hours and hours crafting the right words, in a way I thought would resonate with my growing audience.

Usually, it would surround the very latest in news or sport and be aimed towards at current events or the latest fixture, managerial appointment, or controversial transfer signing. Little did I point that focus onto myself.

As Big Ben tolled into 2022, I'd realised it had been about ten years since I'd really taken the time to reflect, put myself down onto a sheet of paper and really understand what was going on under the hood.

It was the first thing that I decided could be deprioritised each week, given the weight of work responsibilities, home-life and all the other trials and tribulations of navigating a post-pandemic, recession-hit world.

So here I was. January 2022.

I'm the kind of person that struggles with routine, and maintaining a regular cadence of activity (ironic, given the four children who all run off their own schedules!). But I knew it was important, not just to me, but those around me too.

So, I started, small, but I started. Just the simple task of 30 minutes each week, writing down on paper, what was in my head. But it wasn't a list of things I'd achieved that week, lists ticked-off or moving focus from what I hadn't finished one week and pushing it into the next.

I focused on impact.

Arguably, the hardest thing to measure but one of the most important to keep front of mind.

My weekly jot consists of two headings: where I feel I've had a positive impact at home, work, or elsewhere, and where I feel my impact could've been more useful to the receiver.

Naturally you can't just write it down and hope for the best. Getting it down on paper was just one step of the process for me. The next - and probably the hardest bit - was then approaching those whom I was referencing to check-in, and make sure their view matched up with how I perceived it to be.

Narrator: "Dan found that, whilst usually spot-on, there were times where things weren't as they seemed".

Reflection only works if you're willing to look into the mirror and see what's there. 18 months in, and that 30-minute block is still the most valuable time of my week, and the non-negotiable entry in the calendar which nothing beats.

So, what's next?

By writing a little, it's sparked me to write a lot. Not just 30-minute bullet points, but longer pieces, really brain-dumping the good, bad, and ugly from the week. Unpacking the mental suitcase, hanging it up in the metaphorical brain wardrobe, so things just feel a bit tidier (and leaving the mind feeling less like arriving home after a great two-week holiday).

You can expect more from me, too. You never know how something you write will help someone else - and that's my aim here. If my little brain-dumps are a force for good, well, it was worth it, right?

Until next time.