Don’t overthink it

Today I’m trying something new. After seeing so many of my excellent colleagues at dxw regularly publish their weeknotes and monthnotes (I'm looking at you Chanelle Pal Morrighan Humpleby Michelle Szaraz Varveris Kira Dhaliwal Gaz Aston ). And after a not so subtle nudge from Poss Apostolou , I’m going to give it a go.

It’s tough times for our industry at the moment. It’s put me in quite a reflective state of mind, so I thought I’d share some of these reflections over the last few weeks:

1. Find power in the small things - imposter syndrome means I will always think I can do better, or that someone else is better, or that I am simply not good enough to be where I am today. But I’ve had a few moments recently where I’ve seen the value I bring to my projects and teams. I’m going to try harder to hold onto these little moments of clarity, so that these positive messages get louder and harder to ignore.
2. “Off days” are not the end of the world - I’m so lucky to work amongst such a caring bunch. As a mum of 2 young kids, I’ve been sleep deprived for the best part of 6 years now. I hit a real low point earlier in the year. I knew I wasn’t at my best. Being a millennial, this was obviously The Worst Thing Ever And I Should Try Harder. Working with such great colleagues made it easy to take a back seat for a while. I gave 100% of what I had, and that was enough.
3. Prioritise your health - I feel pressure to do all the things. I do not have the energy for all the things. My mental and physical health are important. Work can wait 30 minutes so you can get some exercise or a screen break. I’m working harder on holding those boundaries and putting my health first. Even a couple weeks of this and I feel more energetic, switched on and motivated (see, I’m even writing weeknotes!)
4. Just say the thing - I often hold myself back from contributing to more public discussions because I worry how I’ll be perceived, or if I might inadvertently offend, or I might look stupid, naive, ignorant… Particularly around hard, complex and emotional topics. I’ve come to realise, this really doesn’t help anyone in the long run. So often I hear others talk, or read what they’re writing and feel so validated. People do value your perspective, even if it differs from their own. If I want to have more impact, I need to put my fears aside and speak up.
5. Assume positive intent - This mantra is something I first picked up when I joined dxw a few years ago and I’ve carried it with me. We are all humans, and no-one is perfect. Now more than ever, when tensions are high, and people are stressed, I’m going to be bringing this one out. Let’s cut each other some slack, we’re all doing the best we can.