#Weeknotes 62 (26 Jan)—Co-working day, proper date, and micro-acts of joy
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Work wise:
My highlight this week is a co-working day with my colleague, Nicola, who’s also on the same project. Before the pandemic, I went into the office to work every day from 9 to 5. The work days feel long and with the added commute, there never seems to be enough time to do anything outside of work except on weekends. Now that remote working has proven to work, I rejoice not needing to commute to the polluted central city air and having a bit more time back that can be used more effectively.
I still go in here and there but not nearly as frequently.
As a mom of a 2yo who’s in nursery, I’m incentivised to work from home as much as possible in case of emergencies or child sickness. I do miss working in an office setting, the spontaneous conversations and the connection of being in the same physical space that remote working cannot replicate.
What made this co-working day so great was the fact that the location was in the comfort of my own home. Nicola came over in the morning, and we worked together in the living room using the dining table as our work desk. Not bad for a temporary work set-up. I’d move if we have separate meetings at the same time and we’d come together when we have the same meetings.
It was really nice. We even managed to squeeze in a quick local nature walk, have lunch and catch up on project work and life.
It felt like a very balanced day.
We both agreed that the co-working day was a success and we hope to do it again maybe even once a month moving forward. It works well when our day isn’t packed with meetings and I get it’s difficult to plan too far ahead.
Life wise:
My partner and I had a very nice lunch date over the weekend. Having a young child and families residing outside of the UK meant we seldom had time alone to ourselves. We managed to get a staff from our child’s nursery to come and look after Layton outside nursery hours. It was a practical decision as they have the credentials and know our child. We don’t have to work to build trust as it’s already established.
This first 4-hour session was a success. We managed to do a nice park walk and ended the date with a delicious lunch at a Korean restaurant where we ordered 4 people portions worth of food for the just two of us. The celebratory mood might have influenced our ordering decision. #noRegrets
The session went so well that we now aim to do this once a month. I’m already looking forward to my next date. =D
Things I came across:
I enjoy trying new things especially when it comes to food and drinks. This week, I tried a beetroot latte from my local cafe. It tastes just like how it sounds. I will continue to enjoy beetroot and Lattes separately.
A colleague shared this article where the writer shared her experience doing ‘micro-acts of joy’. I love little nudges we can adopt to make our lives just a bit happier.
I may just take up this ‘Big Joy’ challenge at some point. Maybe get a friend onboard to ensure I stick to it!
