In May 2014, Guardian writer Oliver Burkeman wrote an excellent article titled Everyone is totally just winging it, all the time. It was a very reassuring piece for anyone who suffers from a touch of imposter syndrome from time to time: We're all mini-New York Timeses or White Houses, energetically projecting an image of calm proficiency, while … Continue reading *everyone* really is totally just winging it, all the time
In last week’s Radio Times (which is nearly as good as The Sun for a pulse of the nation type snapshot) Radio 4’s Today presenter Justin Webb wrote in his column about how his children will have a limited need to know actual facts, what with the world’s knowledge being there at their digital fingertips. … Continue reading we’re going to need considerably more Investigators of Interesting
Slightly off topic for this blog but there’s been a lot about feminism in the news recently, mostly connected to the 100th anniversary of the death of suffragette Emily Davison, killed while she was trying to tie a ‘votes for women’ scarf to the King’s horse during the Epsom Derby. I suppose I am a … Continue reading not sure if all these leotards are letting the feminist side down
Have you had a play with the BBC’s new class calculator yet? Looking at the categories, most of the Planners I’ve met would slot neatly into the Technical Middle Class box: But when I tried with my own data, I came out as Established Middle Class, probably because thanks to my horsey friends I could … Continue reading the new BBC class calculator doesn’t get full marks from me
I’ve encountered a few people recently for whom Confidence is so much not a problem…that it actually is. pic from here I think overconfidence is a trait we don’t consider enough. Because it can lead to all kinds of problems. It’s the ‘how hard can it be?’ attitude that leads people to have accidents. Or … Continue reading considering overconfidence
I’ve had a bee in my bonnet for a while about what I see as the broad perception among the health, diet and fitness profession that being fit & healthy = going to the gym. Apart from the super fit fitness fans and some of my Dad’s 60+ mates (who seem to use the gym … Continue reading why isn’t anybrand saying that the gym isn’t always the answer?
I own a pair of shoes, specifically purchased ‘for work’, that I can barely walk in. This wouldn’t have happened to me when I started work twelve plus years ago. Back then, Smart Work Shoes for Women could be divided neatly up into four categories: Flats – in the pre ballet shoe era, we’re mainly … Continue reading Does heel height need a rethink?
I’m becoming increasingly interested in not so much what we think about other people/places/things – but how we see ourselves. pic by Paurian on flickr, CC applies My Dad’s friends (in their 60s and 70s) are constantly telling him (and me) that they can’t possibly be as old as the other people their age look. … Continue reading It’s all about how you see *yourself*
I stumbled across some interesting stuff about, well, Stuff recently while I was working on a project. It seems that Stuff can be a key barrier to making decisions and taking action. Having too much Stuff literally overwhelms our ability to make logical, considered decisions. House full of decades of clutter? Moving house becomes a … Continue reading some interesting stuff about Stuff
There’s a great piece in yesterday’s Sunday Times (paywall I’m afraid) about Swiss bank UBS’s new and extremely comprehensive 43 page dress code guide, which reportedly covers everything from recommendations on heel height and makeup to appropriate underwear and socks. At first I was muttering darkly about UBS’s well paid professionals presumably being bright enough … Continue reading If the shoe fits, check the dress code guide first
