Who knew my blog posts, and newsletters this year would be centred around being in lockdown and working through the challenges that we have all faced?
As we head towards December, along with Christmas, I have a big birthday coming up! (I’ll turn f***y – enter the letters of your choice…..!) And this is certainly not going to be the month of celebrations I had envisaged this time last year.
We keep reading the quote about how we are all in the same boat, sailing through different storms and all coping with it in our own ways – the longer this situation goes on, the wiser those words appear. We have all lost so much this year. Spending valuable time with our loved ones, to simply being able to pop to our local coffee shop to work for an hour.
But perhaps we should look at what we have achieved this year in these circumstances; celebrate finally doing that one small thing we kept putting off (I have a relatively tidy, decluttered loft) or applied for a grant that we never imagined we would get around to, and are hopeful that this one application might be THE ONE!
One of the things I am going to take away from this year is the amazing community I am part of, both personally and professionally. I am dedicated to Straight Forward Funding and to helping people access funding to help them achieve their purpose. I share lots of information for free and do so willingly, knowing that sometimes that little nugget of info, or that ‘top tip’ could be the difference between a grant being awarded and not.
My free Facebook group (do come along and join us if you haven’t already Straight Forward Funding Sources) shares funding sources on a regular basis, and I love the community that has been built within this group.
But sometimes, I like to share ideas and information that can be of benefit in other ways and at the moment, isn’t this little bit of kindness what we all need? The John Lewis Christmas advert certainly suggests that it is the case! (Rather than the Lidl advert – I’m pretty sure that is Kevin on that plate ☹ !!!!)
So here are a couple of things that have helped me to navigate my way through working in these strange times, but also helped me to adapt my working practices; and possibly make a difference to the way I will continue to work when we gain more of a sense of normality – and that time will come.
- Make your environment what you want it to be – do you wish you could work from the patio of a coffee shop, listening to the crashing waves from the sea in the background? Ambient mixer helps you make your environment what you want it to be – when you are fed up of listening to the hum of the fridge or the radio is just too loud, this gives the perfect escape.
- Insight Timer – these is complete escapism but sometimes that is what you need when you have been writing grant applications for 5 solid hours! Whether it be music, meditation or yoga, these free resources are worthwhile visiting.
- Yoga with Adrienne – thank you Adrienne, you got me through that first lockdown!
- OS Maps App – getting me through Lockdown 2. I just use the free version, to help me discover a new walk each day for me and my Shadow! (My beautiful black Labrador and walking buddy)