Digital Product Design & Innovation Consulting
Baby made her first component, declared it in NgModule and called it into the “app component” html file. Did I fully understand wtf I’m doing? Sort of but not enough. I guess I’ll get more used to it as I go.
Mistakes I made:
Today is winter solstice. Traditionally, this day marked the begging of Yule: a period celebrated with burning fires and getting as fat on good food and drink. In other words, the most “I’m down with that” festivity in the northern hemisphere.
Since most offices kind of frown upon burning fires and I do not live in a fancy enough apartment to have a fireplace, I put together a 4k video playlist of log fires for people with two monitors to enjoy and feel cosy while at work, or for putting on the smart tv while reading that ebook later. There’s 4k fireplace, a campfire on a mountain view, a fire near a running river with water and forest noises.
I’ve also got a 4k video playlist of nature-based scenes (aurora borealis, jellyfish tank, sun shining through autumn leaves) and ambient chill music, good for getting in the flow, getting out of a bad mood, blocking out distractions, or putting the day behind you.
“Hope yule enjoy it”. (I’m not even ashamed of my dad jokes)
xxx
An inconsequential thing happened a while ago that kept playing in my mind. I’m an analyst at heart, so it intrigues me when something trivial gets a reaction out of me.
This post is about women in tech and our problems in the workplace.
We talk a lot about men, harassment, and discrimination and reporting misconduct at work.
But what I’m going to talk about has been a bigger issue for me.
Even though, #metoo.
And the problem is, it’s still hard to even describe the problem.
I also don’t have any insight on to why this thing happens, or how to stop it. I can avoid going for one-on-one drinks with a colleague or client. I can say there’s no reason to walk me to my cab, and I tend to pre-plan ways to back out of a situation I feel is unsafe. None of this guarantees anything, but in general, I feel like I have some things I can do to stay safer.
This is something I am helpless to prevent. And if I report it, I come out sounding crazy.
You’ll see. You’ll think it too.
There’s something I do at the end of the week, each Friday, that helps me stay focused all week long.
I woke up this morning with my head racing. I’m due to invoice a biggish bill and the client has requested the last bill of this size be re-issued so he could pay most of it after he has public funding for the project in a months time. I anticipated the same would apply for this months bill.
I’m also due to be married in three days, so delaying two months pay checks isn’t working for the kinds of expenses that are accumulating.
When you panic, you make shitty decisions. Come to shitty conclusions.
This is when you need to break the thought patterns and get back to your centre: the place where all the good ideas come from, and the place those gut instincts and insights come from.
The best way to break a “thinking” pattern is by starting a “doing” pattern. Something you can do right now, alone. Something you’ve done a thousand times or more, through all seasons and stages.
Something with a pre-set end time, because it’s too easy to use an activity you find absorbing, interesting or enjoyable to procrastinate.
It’s the ritual that rewires your brain to recall that yes, you did exactly this before that time when you thought all was about to fall apart, and did it? No, you sailed through it. And that you did exactly this before that other time, when things fell through and you found something better.
It’s the tiny ritual that reminds us that our thoughts and feelings are fleeting, but our core values, outlooks and skills will always see us though and to trust in that.
For me, it was the ritual of making my coffee- grinding the beans, heating and then frothing the milk manually, filling it into my favourite cappuccino mug and topping the result with cinnamon then powdered cocoa- that reset my brain.
I will always be a person who cares about how my clients are doing overall, not just chase a check. That doesn’t make me an imposter or bad at what I do.
But that it tells me that this is a core value to me, and to align what I do around that going forwards, so theres no conflict with what I want for myself.