Because I’m committed to self improvement and planning, I spend a lot of time reflecting on what could have gone better. I’m a perfectionist, and the ‘action replay’ part of my brain is well developed and sometimes hard to shut down.

I think a lot of what’s out there, whether harmless Pinterest quotes or fitness guru insta live chats, portrays self improvement or development as needing relentless toughness. We’re told to leave our comfort zones, leave the couch, leave that second helping of Brie (ok, that last one is legit advice…). The fluffier side of all of this is the millennial concept of self care. Pyjamas, face masks, meditation – whatever this looks like, it’s a lot cosier than 20! Burpees! A day! 

Especially at work, too much extreme toughness can burn us out, but no-one wants to seem like they are coasting, either – so finding a happy medium here is really important.

The advice I give my team members is to seek a good balance. What that means in practice is individual, but what it looks like for me is to spend more time reflecting on what a realistic set of goals is, work, fitness or otherwise, saying no to things more, and of course, some more time focussing on switching off the action replay part of my brain.

It’s a total work in progress but as ever, the planning and BuJo process is a great way to set goals for every week and then track them. And scheduling a pyjama evening is not a bad starting point for the balance part, zzzz…