Day 243 | My first UX related thing in Swedish
August 30, 2012
Today I ran a breakfast seminar over at Bouvet Syd in Malmö and it was the first UX related thing I’ve done in Swedish.
Month: August 2012
On the positive benefits of exercise on the brain
August 30, 2012
If your employees want to take a longer lunch break to hit the gym, you should let them. You’ll be getting more than enough out of them in the afternoon to make up for the lost time. From the FastCompany post Working Out Doesn’t Just Make You Stronger, It Makes
Day 242 | Another trip back home
August 29, 2012
The last time I jumped on a plane to Sweden it was the early morning the day after the closing ceremony of London 2012 Olympics. Today, as the Paralympics Opening Ceremony was just about to start I boarded another plane back to Sweden.
Day 241 | Working collaboratively across disciplines
August 28, 2012
I’ve just started a new part time contract with an agency I’ve worked with before but with people whom I haven’t worked with prior to this. It’s a lovely team and we’re working together across disciplines already from the first stages of the project. Just the way I prefer to
Day 240 | Determining when to say ‘now’
August 27, 2012
Many decisions, big or small, rely and only happen when someone says ‘let’s do it’. It can be a small thing like determining that the price is ok for a flight and booking it, or bigger decisions like changing jobs, or following that dream.
Day 238 | Speaking Swedish
August 26, 2012
On Thursday I’m running a breakfast seminar in Malmö and it’s in Swedish. This makes me a little scared. Scared of not coming across professional and of being that person who can’t find the words and reverts to speaking Swenglish. Because the thing is, I don’t know UX related Swedish.
Day 237 | Seeing the bigger picture
August 26, 2012
Yesterday I watched the Closing Ceremony on iPlayer. Though I was there in person I wanted to see what it had looked like on TV. As I sat in the sofa and watched the zoomed out view of the stadium, it reminded me of the importance of balancing the bigger
Day 239 | Week 34 summary
August 26, 2012
This was the first week back from holiday and the start of working part time and giving more focus to byflock.
It’s what you do that matters
August 25, 2012
Recently I’ve come across a few people who have expressed concerns around what to call themselves and if what they do is right. They’ve looked to thought leaders and the general UX community for guidance but instead they’ve become insecure and scared.
Day 236 | Not too little, not too much but ‘lagom’
August 23, 2012
Working part time is new to me. It’s a fine balancing act not taking on too much work but also ensuring there is enough coming in. In swedish I would say that it’s about finding a ‘lagom’ workload.
On how to spend your first hour & tackling the day ahead
August 23, 2012
…if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, you’ve got it behind you for the rest of the day, and nothing else looks so bad. From the FastCompany article What Successful People Do With The First Hour Of Their Work Day Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/frank_wuestefeld/4306107546
Day 235 | It’s good to be back
August 22, 2012
I’m back in London and with more control of my time. Not only the days but the evenings as well and it feels good. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like and am adjusting, in a good way.
On taking risks and how most of our decisions aren’t forever
August 22, 2012
So go ahead and act as if your decisions are temporary. Because they are. Be bold, make mistakes, learn a lesson and fix what doesn’t work. Seth Godin in Tatoo thinking Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/aftab/3475219722/in/photostream
Day 234 | The start of something new
August 21, 2012
Today was the first day back at work, half a day working on my own things from home and half a day in the office. It feels a little unreal that I’m actually doing this. But I am.
Day 233 | Cleaning out the closet
August 21, 2012
Today was the first day back from holiday and I’ve spent most of the day sorting out personal and business admin stuff. On Tuesday my next part time freelance contract starts and parallel to that – lots of byflock time.
Day 232 | A fantastic holiday & excitement around what’s to come
August 20, 2012
As I write this I’m sat on the plane back to London. From the map I can see that we’re somewhere over Holland. The sun is shining, just like it always is, and the clouds are that perfect level of fluffiness that makes you want to open the door and
Day 231 | To go offline or not
August 20, 2012
There is a lot of talk and opinions around going offline when you’re on holiday. Some say you have to. Some say they need to and some say they don’t want to. What ever stand you’re in there seems to be an opinion about it.
Day 230 | Re-charing the batteries
August 20, 2012
During the last couple of days I’ve properly relaxed. I’ve slept, spent time with close ones and gone for lots of swims and I can feel the satisfactory tiredness comping over me that stems from slowing down and being out in the fresh air.
Day 229 | A tribute to friends & family back home
August 17, 2012
For the last 12 years my family and friends have had to put up with me visiting rather than being around for more spontaneous and dare I say normal socialising. I’ve missed a lot of special occasions due to living abroad and I’ve missed a lot of everyday life.
Day 228 | Some me time
August 16, 2012
One of the things that really gets to me when work is too busy is the lack of hours to allow for some me time. Today is the first time in what feels like ages that I’ve had some proper Anna time. And it’s been much needed.
Why you should write every day
You probably think you have nothing to write about but once you start it gets hard to stop. Honestly.
Writing is an incredibly important skill at all levels. By writing every day you reflect on things in a different and clearer way and you become better at expressing yourself. If you haven’t tried writing every day, give it a try for 30 days to begin with. I did it every day of 2012. Seth Godin has done it for years and swears by it.