“If you care about what you do and work hard at it, there isn’t anything you can’t do if you want to.”
― Jim Henson, It’s Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider
Another weekend after another busy week, kittens. I ran an event on Wednesday that, while relatively small compared to others I’ve managed, still had the usual affect of events which is to banish all my other To Dos into the void and laugh at my feeble protests.
I am still finding the balance of work with the new role. Behind the scenes, which I don’t talk about much here but perhaps I shall do more of in the future, a lot of what I’m doing is helping my company build some new systems and procedures to either replace out of date ones, or fill some gaps. It’s expansive work, fantastic experience, and I enjoy it because I’m a stereotypical type A. But it’s also uphill almost every step of the way to build infrastructure on the go. Throw in multiple 15-hour days to prep for and execute an event and by Friday I am fried.
On the plus side, despite individual hectic weeks, an overall healthier work/life balance is being restored for both myself and Jeff. Which is a slightly more chipper way of saying he’s forcing my butt back to the gym and we’re both grudgingly recommitted to trying to eat less like slobs. There are downsides, you see.
Here are your links and tell me how your work/life balance is these days. Also, what are your opinions on the phrase “work/life balance,” as I actually dislike it but haven’t found a better term for it than “actual life?”
In recent Mormon news, there has been good and badly needed reporting on the Honor Code at Brigham Young University and how it can be and has been misapplied against victims of sexual crime. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…
Shakespeare anniversaries and installation art. SDS catnip.
Speaking of Shakespeare, SDS nation road trip? The George is seriously about 15 minutes away from where I sit typing this…
Also SDS catnip, archaeology and forensic fashion–with a heaping topping of espionage no less!
Stephen Fry, the king of tech-loving nerds everywhere, posted a piece about people leaving platforms, spaces, and even the whole internet. Worth a read.
CPG Grey also posted a podcast about his own experience of “dialing down” his internet input. It expands on this blog post as well. Clearly I’ve got a topic on my mind.
The rise and fall (and rise, and fall…) of Sex and the City’s narrative: why it mattered, why it failed in the end.
Words I intend to live by after this week: “Sustained exhaustion is not a rite of passage. It’s a mark of stupidity.”
Another detox read after a carb and sugar heavy week (for me at least). Hi, my name is C. and at this moment I suffer from sugar face.
Full disclosure, I found this week’s notable Instagram feed thanks to the fine folks of Pop Culture Happy Hour. I’ve been mesmerized ever since.
And finally, stand back and get in formation: the queen is walking.
Small Dog Syndrome 
Congratulations on your new role! 🙂 I hope you’re enjoying the holiday weekend, with some opportunities for relaxing and unwinding from your hectic schedule. Your job sounds busy!
Re: alternatives to work/life balance — the social psychologist and Harvard professor Ellen Langer has written some interesting stuff about why she thinks “work/life integration” is a better, more holistic concept. Here’s an article about it. I’m interested to hear your thoughts.
Interesting pieces about people leaving the internet, by the way. I imagine that’s going to become a widespread trend. I know more and more people who are leaving or decreasing social media usage (including myself — I’m actually bored by Facebook).
And I was listening to an On Being podcast the other day which talked about whether we’re reaching a tipping point — the fact that we’re collectively becoming so saturated by online and digital content that we choose to retreat from it. Lots of food for thought there…
Thank you, lovely! And we definitely listened to the same podcast episode!
I’m torn over facebook, as I too am completed bored by it. But as a globetrotter, it serves a genuinely useful function of helping people keep in touch with me and vice versa…but with that comes the inevitable question of how much I’d be in contact with these friends and acquaintances without it. I’m intrigued by people who manage to “unplug” to whatever extent they choose, their reasons for it, and their methodology in accomplishing it.
Thank you for the link–very keen to read it!
Yes, Facebook is definitely useful for keeping in contact with people that we don’t have the opportunity to see regularly. That’s one of the things that stops me deactivating my account. I am trying to be more purposeful about how I use my time on the internet though.