I’ve just come out of a busy few weeks of work. It is very easy in those times to wish away the days and weeks in search of a more balanced way of being. But life is rarely the balanced nirvana that we dream of. Whilst there were a few moments where I wished I had more hours in the day, I also noticed a few wonderful things about this period: My wordle scores improved with a huge spate of 2s – perhaps there was something about me being in the zone and focussed and needing to get it done quickly! I still managed to swim a lot. We say we are too busy to fit things in, but can often find time for the important stuff. Perhaps some of what we can’t fit in isn’t right for us? I was more aware of what I needed each week to connect with myself and others. Being busy made me prioritise what I wanted and needed and that meant that those moments of connection were very meaningful I scaled back social commitments to allow myself time to recharge but occasionally realised I needed that connection – this led to some impromptu meet ups and the joy in deciding to meet someone on the day is just lovely I enjoyed the adrenalin rush and the sense of achievement – good stress can be a helpful thing in giving you the impetus to get things done I was able to identify the areas of work where I particularly thrive. In moments of high stress, it is good to reflect on the things that are going well  Life is a constant journey and rarely quite goes the way we might expect so if we can welcome the waves, we might just find moments of energy, joy and clarity as we ride them.

I have recently returned from a wonderful time in New York with friends that I have known for 30 years. Because of our daily songlist and constant chat, I feel more connected to this group than ever before, despite our disparate locations of Ballarat, Glasgow, Paris and London. And what made the trip so magical was that we could delve into deeper enriching conversations without having to waste time on catching up on what we’ve all been doing for the past few years. It made me think about the challenges on building a culture in a hybrid world. A team might get together once a week and that time might be spent catching up and rebuilding the connection that is not there constantly. Or conversely everyone comes into the office and sits on Zoom calls all day so there isn’t much of an opportunity to connect with others. How do we constantly connect to our colleagues and maintain that connection? There’s not a magic bullet and it’s different for everyone but there are some things that you can think about: Think about touch points that you can create with colleagues, particularly those that don’t happen so naturally when people are working virtually. This could be drop in lunchtime open teams calls where people can say hello and chat or working with teams open so that you have colleagues to brainstorm with or use as a sounding board Ensure that there are enough check-in points for people to see how they are, not just to go through their workload Get to know colleagues and know their interests, hobbies so that you can connect on a personal level Be vulnerable and share highs and lows with colleagues Communicate more and particularly think about how you can support newer members of staff with their induction and learning. It can feel very daunting to have to constantly call your boss to ask questions on Teams so pre-empt this with more regular communication Think about how you can get the most value from being in-person and ensure you schedule activities that will continue to build a strong culture  Above all, talk to people and find out the best way to support them and stay connected to them. We don’t have to be mind readers, but we do need to communicate, listen and show empathy to forge those stronger connections