Redesign Your Work Day at Leigh-on-sea’s Workshop

It was a special evening at my Redesign Your Work Day session last night. One, because people came along open-minded and ready to contribute, so we had some brilliant discussions. Two, it was in the intimate surroundings of our local The Workshop club, the first time I’d run this session in-person (for the last twelve months I've been running Redesign Your Work Day as a regular online class for Simon Sinek’s Optimism Company). And three, because it was my first time back in-person since I was diagnosed with cancer - so for me, it got a bit emotional, especially at the end when I told my lake story, about making the right choices in life.

I’m always banging the drum about being curious; it was one of my ten tips last night. And I guess being curious was why people came along. It was good to hear their diverse experiences in the world of work: of the pressures of a full-on day working for yourself where breaks are few and far between; of the difficulties of starting out in a corporate environment feeling ‘othered’ in some way; of how to carve up the day while juggling a demanding workload. It was encouraging too to go around the room and find out the practical steps everyone's already taking towards better work days.

Ryan told us of an old favourite work habit, taking the Thames river bus to his office in Soho, and how he’s now going to walk around the block before he starts work at home. Kate finds moments of peace early in the morning before anyone else is up. Will takes ice baths. Russell was going to restart using a calendar to mark off achievements to become more ‘habity.’ Nadra shared how working out of multiple spaces drives her energy and productivity.

The trick is being intentional about it - I announced ‘intentional’ being the word of the evening! None of this is revelationary, but small simple changes can make big differences. And it’s not about shoehorning more things into an already busy day. But it’s about being curious about trying something new, being playful, experimenting. Is there one thing could you try and do differently, to make your day go better?

At the end of the session, the group split into pairs to discuss their three things: one thing they’re going to continue doing; one thing they will change; and one thing they will try.

Thank you to everyone for a memorable evening. I look forward to hearing how you get on with creating positive change in your work life.