The Reward is the Journey

How we work is, I am regularly reminded, a crucial component of the satisfaction we derive from our occupation.  Whilst it has been a while since I was office based, hot-desking is a reality for many that I am well familiar with. As is the heat it seems to generate...  The number of office environments that now feature some version of hot-desking is ever increasing, alongside escalating rental values for commercial property.   What I am struck by is the impact that is, perhaps, less well planned that the layout constellation of the office furniture.  Each week I hear tales which highlight to me the angst experienced by individuals for whom the desking arrangements have simply become too hot. In a world where we face a great many unknowns each and every hour, I wonder whether the additional stress caused by not knowing on arrival at your place of work where it is that you will be sitting is, at some level, counter productive for most office workers. ...

Our relationships with the work we do are a subject to enter the therapy room with great regularity.  For many of us, how we are doing in our work has a significant bearing on how we are doing overall.  Hardly surprising, given the emphasis placed on work as a facet of our identities and the inescapable fact that, due to the fact we have bills that need paying, most of us tend to spend the majority of our waking hours at our places of work.   I am fascinated by the impact that how we employ our time has on us, and remain committed to exploring ways in which we can reduce stress, promote resilience and enhance creativity.  This deep-seated interest is something I hold as something more than an academic curiosity:  I am constantly thinking about wellbeing as a holistic working concept, and hope to share my observations and learnings as widely as possible, as often as I can.   I do this in my therapy practice, and in my mindfulness consultancy teach...