I used to joke that I didn’t have a work Christmas party because the boss wouldn’t let me. I’m self-employed. A few thoughts on permission, rest and the rules we carry about work.
Jen Waller
26 posts
You know what you need to do, and yet you’re still putting it off. What if “I can’t get on with it” isn’t really about the thing you need to do?
A fiddly necklace, a hotel mirror, and a quiet thought. Sometimes the answer only seems obvious once you’ve seen it, and there’s nothing wrong with us for not seeing it sooner.
Part of a series about the secret questions we ask ourselves, often without saying them out loud. Why didn’t I trust my gut? Perhaps you’ve asked yourself this afterwards. You look back and think you knew. There was something you noticed. A feeling you had. Something that didn’t quite sit […]
Part of a series about the secret questions we ask ourselves, often without saying them out loud. When do I get to just live my life? Perhaps you’ve wondered this. Maybe not out loud. Maybe it’s appeared as a fleeting thought while you’re driving, in the shower, lying awake at […]
I recently took a family member to a hospital appointment. It was one of the first appointments of the day and, because the traffic had been light, we arrived earlier than expected. The computerised check-in wouldn’t let us check in, so I assumed we’d simply got there too early. Off […]
Part of a series about the secret questions we ask ourselves, often without saying them out loud. Why am I secretly relieved when plans get cancelled? You know that little flicker of relief. You were going to go. You’d said yes. Maybe you were even looking forward to it. And […]
“Are we nearly there yet?” That childhood question that could test a grown-up’s patience to the limit. Usually followed by, “How much longer?” or “Is it much further?” and, not long after, perhaps the slightly exasperated, “I don’t know!” I was reminded of this recently while thinking about what happens […]
It’s a question that can turn up in all sorts of places. Someone else seems to have more confidence, more energy, more freedom. Their business looks like it’s flowing, their relationships look happy, their life somehow seems to require less effort than yours. And before you know it, you’re looking […]
You’ve probably seen the video. The one where you’re asked to watch a group of basketball players and count how many times the team wearing white passes the ball. If you haven’t, I’ll pop the link here. If you want to watch it before I spoil the result, I’ll wait. […]