Head & Heart – December 2015

I can’t quite believe it’s time for another post. Where did December go?

What I’ve been doing

• Two new Women Talk Work podcast episodes recorded. One edited and released (with digital marketer and self-described super-nerd, Sarah Moran), and another (with startup entrepreneur Mik Jade) coming soon.
• Walking. With the CBR100 Challenge just over 2 months away I’ve been trying to increase the frequency and duration of my walks. I also did my first parkrun.

  

• Developing content for and facilitating two She Leads Diploma sessions. Learning lots, but exhausting at the same time!
• I’ve set up a Now page (inspired by Derek Sivers’ NowNowNow project).
• Doing an annual purge of iPhone apps and email subscriptions to try to limit the distraction and information clutter.
• Travelling to Adelaide for Christmas with my family.

I’m grateful for

• Supportive colleagues and ‘work friends’.
• Family who delight in looking after (and tiring-out) E so that I can do things like take afternoon naps!

I’ve been thinking about

• Reducing distraction, consuming less and producing more. Several things I’ve listened to/read recently seem to be sending me this message – Your Smart Phone is Costing You (seanwes), Lena Dunham’s chat with author Zadie Smith on the Women of the Hour podcast (Episode 4: Work), and Tim Ferriss’s 2015 wrap-up podcast where he spoke about ingestion (of information) as a form of procrastination.
• Saying no to more, so that I can say yes to the things that really matter.

I’m excited for

• 2016! The new year is a great psychological cleaning of the slate! I’m excited about what’s in store both personally and professionally this year.

I’ve been reading

• Pleased to have finished 4 books in December – Jessica Rowe’s Love. Wisdom. Motherhood., Joe Cinque’s Consolation by Helen Garner, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson, and Just Between Us (a collection of fiction and non-fiction stories on female friendship). This takes my yearly total to 29 books read.

I’ve been listening to/watching

• Lots of podcasts this month:
  • Alec Baldwin’s conversation with Amy Schumer on Here’s The Thing
  • Osher Gunsberg’s interviews with Waleed Aly and Ryan O’Kane
  • Chat 10 Looks 3
  • The Women of the Hour episode on ‘work’
  • James Altucher’s interview with author Judy Blume
  • Tim Ferriss’s interview with Derek Sivers (this was one of the best things I’ve listened to in ages) as well as his 2015 wrap up podcast
  • Richard Fidler’s conversation with Amanda Keller as well as the ‘Live Stories’ episode on Faking It
• I’ve been harbouring a desire to get into film production for a while, so at my brothers’ recommendation I’ve started watching Project Greenlight (starting with Season 1). Loving it so far and learning lots!

My monthly Head & Heart posts were inspired by Helen @ Lime Tree Bower. If you want to get involved, simply write your own version and please add a link to it in the comments as I’d love to read it!