Everyone at With Associates gets one month of Free Fridays each year. Months are randomly picked from a hat, and our respective consecutive four Fridays are put firmly in to the holiday calendar at no cost to anyone’s holiday allowance (hence ‘free’ Fridays).
The ‘free’ philosophy that goes with these days is the encouragement to keep them free, and not book them into long weekends or plan too much that requires reliance on other people. Booking holiday is for those things. Free Fridays are for guilt free indulgence, life admin, lazing or just trying and doing things you normally don’t have time for.
We’ve done this for 6 or 7 years now and it’s become oddly essential, to the extent that I can’t imagine how other people and companies manage without it. All year I save up tasks and look forward to my chance to do nothing without it costing me anything.
It’s a bit mindfulnessy really, but prescheduled for you with a little help from fate. Or a little like a long train journeys used to be, before mobile singal was good enough to keep you connected and distracted from just looking out of the window and watching the world go by (whilst productively making your way from A to B).
If you run a company then, I’d suggest giving this chance to your employees. If you’re employed by a company, then I’d suggest asking for it. If you already do it and you’re on one now like me, what you up to? Me? Today, life admin, writing and eating. And it’s ace.
8 August 2014. 1.30pm. Little Georiga 87 Goldsmith’s Row. London E2 8QR. Accompanied by a Scrambled Eggs and ‘Snazzy Beans’ (5/10) an apple juice (8/10) and another flat white (5/10).
Documenteering 