1. I’m loving working with Hackney Council. Not just for the opportunity to do good work that will help their officers provide better and most sustainable services to their residents – But because I used to live there and so care a lot for the area. In working with them I also care for the people. Everyone I’ve met at Hackney Council has the best intentions. It’s a proper joy to work with such good people.
2. From my reading list, I finally read this post, written technically about the company that I decided to join, 2 months before I actually joined it. This bit suck out.
“Being a small private sector consultancy in the public sector is ferociously hard. Most die in five years. Income and growth is critical, so the classic product and consultancy model of creating client reliance is appealing. But counter to Futuregov philosophy. We needed to leave with our clients in a stronger place than when we arrived.”
3. Amy Hupe writes like I wish I could write. But this post just blows me away. So well observed, reflected, written and honestly shared.
4. Thing I’ve enjoyed most this weeks: Taking time to recognise when colleagues and clients and team members do great work. Taking time to recognise how I’d be worse off without their input feels great. It also opens the opportunity to realise how enjoyable it is to see the progression of those in junior roles. Find time to delight in realising that there are people that will be better than you one day. Let go of ego and see how you can help others to progress.
5. A dear old friend recommended this video in the context of what used to be brilliant about YouTube. ‘They don’t make ‘um like this any more’. Thankfully they do. So well done, with so few views. I’m so impressed and appreciative of creators like this.
6. In closing: shout out to those that get a kick from quantifying themselves with random metrics. I recently upgraded to an Apple Watch (after many years of questioning the value) from the cheapest Fitbit I could find 3 years ago. I loved getting a sleep score each morning with the Fitbit. But hated the fact that Google were seemingly so actively preventing sharing MY sleep data with MY Apple Health app.
I read the latest Apple Watch was the best yet with sleep tracking and a few other things so finally made the switch.
Sadly, this means the Fitbit sleep score is gone. I didn’t realise how much I liked that little data point each morning. And have been feeling regret and loss for missing it. Thankfully, I have bradycardia (a naturally low hart rate that’s nothing to do with fitness) and do my new favourite quantified self morning metric is waking up to see if my heart rate dipped below 40bpm.
It did so twice last night. Best yet. Hoping for another low tonight.
🤞
Documenteering 