It is a strange time of year. The build-up and excitement of Christmas is over, and we are stuck waiting for New Year’s Eve and the start of 2026.

For many of us it is a busy time, visiting friends, family and relatives. For others it can be a lull, a change of pace from the frenetic run-up in December.

For me, this year, it is undoubtedly the latter.

For some reason December seemed particularly busy this year, so much so it felt like a giant inbox exercise having to prioritise to get everything in. Which by default meant some things did just not get done in time.

• Sending cards on Christmas Eve – check
• Use festive greetings in emails – rather than action-orientated “Many thanks” – 23 Dec (sorry about this one!)
• Watching a Christmas movies – not even started!

The only thing that I did seem to be successful at was munching through a significant number of boxes of mince pies. A strategy which in hindsight was not a wise move either for my waistline or blood sugar level!

But with all this activity, the post-Christmas doldrums have now arrived.

Now, I have not been anywhere and some days not even ventured out, but I seem to have gradually evolved to a very strange sleeping pattern.

Awake at 5am, and then by the end of the day, so tired, so off to bed at 9. It is as if I have moved to the Middle East or somewhere, but without the sunny weather, warmth and food. It is a very strange effect – Christmas Jet Lag.

I mean, it has been useful: setting 2026 goals, reviewing 2025, writing blogs and of course answering that RFP that always comes out just before the break!

But this is not what the holidays are for. They are for resting, relaxing and most importantly, sleeping in a bit.

Of course, these doldrums are not new, and have been seen as a good time for that more relaxed engagement that can be fun too. Think of all the year end reviews and roundups that frequent at this time… my favourite being Saxo banks outrageous predictions… (RO-AR’s version to follow 🙂 ).

This year with with AI, they seem to be getting even more personalised and sophisticated too. It seems I have…

• Had a reflective year (ChatGPT)
• Have had an affinity with rollercoaster videos (YouTube)
• Demystifyed regulation and tech (LinkedIn) (secretly pleased with this one – lol)
• All whilst listening to alternative rock (apparently – Spotify)…
• …. and spending disturbing amounts at my local Pret and Starbucks (Bank) (not quite so happy with this !)

Interesting yes… disturbingly accurate… most likely… reflection for change in some areas.. definitely!

So with a few days left before we all return to the office, a focus on trying to relax, reset the bodyclock to holiday time… and get in the zone for 2026

Now I just need to mow the lawn and put away the garden furniture first!

Have a good year end everyone!

Some advice… don’t watch ‘Race Across the World’ and then go for a pint down the pub with a friend. It can result in many laughs, a challenge and was precisely the reason I spent last weekend on a bus in the middle of the night, rolling across Europe.

Honestly, the last time I did it, I was 20. You know the younger, more adventurous and definitely slimmer version of myself. But, if they can get halfway across Europe for less than the price of an airfare on TV, what could possibly go wrong in real life?

So rucksack in hand, on a normal Thursday, it was time to head down to London to catch the bus to make the 3 am ferry… to France!

Travelling is not always easy; sometimes it is hard… and those 3 am crossings are never the easiest… but what these trips are is refreshing, and travelling by land even more so.

Now, as many will know, I am no stranger to the airport, but despite my fondness for airline pretzels and a glass of (so fizzy it goes up your nose) cola, the aeroplane does always feel a bit like the magic tube.

I mean, we all sit cramped for a couple of hours, relieved at having fended off temptation to buy yet more sweets at the airport, only to arrive blinking in a different country where suddenly everything feels different.

It is, it seems, the closest thing we have to teleportation.

But, travelling by land, sea and by bus is different.

You get on at your local stop, having bought snacks (but importantly not egg sandwiches) from the Sainsbury’s Express and then slowly (very slowly) trundle to Dover, before travelling through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and on to your final destination.

Things change, but things change gradually. The countryside, the language, the food, you can see it all morph, how we are all connected and in many ways not far away from each other.

Of course, it is not all plain sailing. After about 6 hours, your bum has become numb and the seat has become strangely very uncomfortable… but this point is never the main concern.

Despite a strategy of desiccation, my biggest fear is the phrase… “the bus toilet is now full”. Seriously, what was everyone drinking before they got on the bus.

So sitting there, prune like, uncomfortable, in the dark, in a bus, there was the darkest hour… clearly requiring Jedi-like levels of mind control to not be the grumpy old man in seat 12a. (I failed)

However, buses also, it seems, thrive on organised chaos. This chaos is in a manner you just don’t get on the plane or the train. Delays, short connections, long connections, and only finding your bus by deciphering scribbled notes taped to a wall are all part of the adventure… and it does seem to work… plus every so often this results in a gem.

On one bus leg, a group, who did politely ask first, burst into song, and were surprisingly good. Where did that come from! It seems some people can turn their hand to having fun anywhere and was the lesson the man in 12a needed.

And I suppose that was the take away on returning to the office (albeit a bit broken from the 20 hour trip home!).

It is that we are all connected, more closely than we think, and every so often, we probably all need to have a little discomfort in our lives to find new gems and adventure.

It is, after all, sometimes the journey, not the destination, that is important.

Have a good week everyone.

It has been back to the mill this week. Torrential rains, back to school, and back to work – summer is well and truly over.

Now, with a long list of things to do and deadlines to juggle, it really got me thinking about how to manage it all.

Admittedly, it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming… and by counting up all the tasks that need to be done, estimating the time needed, and adjusting for deadlines… it just doesn’t seem to help. I mean, no matter how I add it up, I can never seem to get 2+2 to equal 3.

This can be the same at home too: a long list of tasks you need to get done, some you want to get done, and only the two days over the weekend to do it.

Yet somehow, by writing a list, focusing on the next task, and working away, time seems to extend like magic. The list gets done, and there is even some time for a cup of tea and a sit down.

I am not quite sure why this is.

My prime suspect is probably the brain’s tendency to overestimate the actual time you need to get something done. It seems like we always err on the side of caution.

This behaviour is, of course, the sibling to the brain’s other predisposition — grossly underestimating the time for someone else to do something… now, I didn’t say the brain was logical!

Of course, looking at actual data can help working out what is reality… but most of the time I am not measuring how long it takes to unstack the dishwasher or put out the bins (I know you shicking isn’t it), so I just have to rely on gut instinct.

The same is, of course, true at work. The time you think you need is often much more than the time you are given… pressing deadlines, anyone? With a building to-do list, anxiety can quickly build.

But, it is good to remember at this point that the mind can play tricks, and many times, by writing a list and plugging away, you can pull it off. It is not the time gods or magic, although can feel like it… it is however, repeatable.

Now, this is no reason to throw caution to the wind and be silly – there are limits (the repaving the patio in the evening can wait!).

However, as we start to pick up speed through the second half of the year, this can be a source of comfort… we can actually get it all done.

And it’s a good thing too – with all the rain, the grass will now start growing again, so that is another thing on the list now too.

Have a good week, all.