Weeknotes

The week that started 15th July

Written by LiLi Kathleen Bright on .

How to say goodbye

This week was the last week of my job. I’d been there for 3 years – the longest I’ve worked anywhere. I find it difficult to leave people, places, things. Yet, I did it.

excitedly: do it! do it! do it!

So many folks asked me about my plans, and I’ve struggled to create a compelling narrative because I’ve not had the headspace to prioritise and plan what comes next.

Hello sabbatical!

At the same time, I know that writing and trees are important for me right now. Plus, looking after myself and creating great habits to nurture me through the work that follows. So, yeah, that’s broadly my plan.

  1. Writing
  2. Creating home
  3. Connecting with trees
  4. Looking after myself, establishing great habits & routine

And, actually, writing these weeknotes helped me to clarify this a little. And using my bullet journal helped me clarify this a lot.

So, hurrah.

In conclusion: Why, yes, it is sabbatical time now.

Endings.

I used Grief Walking on my own as a retrospective for my time at Novoda. Grief Walking is a Liberating Structure in development in which you respond to these invitations:

  • Yes, it is true that…
  • It is hard because…
  • I will never forget… I will always remember…
  • If I could let go, it would be possible to…

How can this loss serve me? Where does it point my work?

Julia Cameron: The Artist’s Way, Week 8 – Recovering a Sense of Strength

I’m organising my sabbatical into sprints. In other words, each week starts with planning and ends with reviewing & reflecting. And, in between, I do stuff that’s important to me.

🎬 Action: Each week, write down what I learned & what impact I had

📚 Learned: Children’s books & young adult fiction are what to read when I’m low (energy or mood). Also, if I took lessons on negotiating from my friend’s 3 year old, I’d be winning right now. 😂

🙌🏿 Impact: Helped friends with job applications, which meant they weren’t alone navigating stressful & significant events.

Art is the act of structuring time.

Julia Cameron: The Artist’s Way, Week 8 – Recovering a Sense of Strength

And, beginnings…

Towards the end of this week, I got back to reading The Artist’s Way. 🙌🏿

I skipped a couple of chapters whilst I’ve been overwhelmed by other things.

Once again, what Julia Cameron offers is so relevant to my life. And this quote from this week’s chapter resonated with me:

I asked ‘How?’ instead of ‘Why me?’

Julia Cameron: The Artist’s Way, Week 8 – Recovering a Sense of Strength

So poignant for someone who gets stuck with finding waypower.

Making waypower

Willpower = the extent to which you have the will to shape your future
Waypower = the extent to which you see a way to shape your future

We are often told that: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” But this phrase can be turned around to say: “Where there’s a way, there’s a will.” If a person sees a way forward, they are more likely to develop the will to make it happen.

W is for Will power and Way power

I have 2 friends who are amazing at coming up with ideas and options. When it comes to the Options part of the GROW model, they’re on fire. So, I get a lot of suggestions and support from them when I’m stuck.

Consequently, I’ve started researching waypower and pathways.

• Make several pathways for each of your goals, create options by discussing with someone
• Which pathway is most likely to succeed…take that one first
• Each journey starts with a first step…take one today
• If a path gets blocked consider your other options…are these now the easiest option
• Look to those who have already made the journey and seek advice and guidance for your journey

Hope theory and goals at work, emphasis mine

Finding a way home

I found a collection of mood boards I made for creating my own home. So I’m poring over them in between learning about mortgages. The beautiful images are helping me persevere with wrapping my head around the complexity.

Did you know that I mentor new & aspiring Scrum Masters?

I’m a regular member of Black Scrum Masters London.

This week we talked about the characteristics, traits and requirements of a Scrum Master. It got pretty lively. I still affirm that Barry Overeem’s 8 Stances of a Scrum Master white paper (pdf) has pretty much got it covered. Also, available in video form.

For more recommendations inspired by the meetup, check out Agile & Scrum Mastery.

I offer Career Advice on LinkedIn. Get in touch with me if you’re a new or aspiring Scrum Master and want to chat. Love catching up with established Scrum Masters too.

Also, I enjoy helping friends with CVs, regardless of role.

What I’m learning & playing with

I’ve started breaking tasks down into 15 minute chunks, and it’s really helping me get started with things, even when tired or overwhelmed.

  • The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll (audiobook & ebook)
  • The Hidden Lives of Trees – What They Feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben (paperback)
  • Dark Sky app for hyperlocal weather info – will it / won’t it rain within the hour where I am? Now I know!
  • I’d like to explore summer gardens in London 🌳
oh happy day!

One more thing…

Today, I am grateful for resting with words and plants. Listening to The Bullet Journal Method, surrounded by houseplants, typing out weeknotes.

I’m grateful…

  • this week, for the gift of Sincerity by Carol Ann Duffy, from a friend
  • this month, for bullet journalling and writing workshops
  • this year, for making the right decisions for myself, even when it was hard