At my old firm, we had a strange fascination with the concept of "Lessons Learned". After a particular project or phase of work, enlightened managers would ask the more junior staff to gather together their thoughts on what had been successful, and what had, frankly, been a bit of a disaster. We would toddle off and produce an exhaustively peer-reviewed, smartly formatted document or "deck" (PowerPoint presentation to most mortals), deftly presented to our bosses and our bosses' bosses using terms such as "joined-up approach" and "enhanced collaboration". Copies would be distributed to the team, efficiently filed in a detailed folder structure on a shared network drive, and we would pass serenely on to the next phase of work.
And we would make the same mistakes again.
I'm perhaps slightly over-dramatising for effect, but the core concept holds true. The world turns at such a terrific rate of knots that we have neither the time nor the inclination to reflect on what we have achieved - or to use Covey's analogy, we continue to labour through our wood-cutting without resting to sharpen our saw. These "Lessons Learned" dossiers were a good start, if overly formal and sanitised, and I only wish that on my particular project we took that process further.
So as the beautiful sunshine London has enjoyed this week makes way for torrential downpours, and as I realise I have reached the quarter-way mark of my allotted period of freedom, I feel I should act on my own advice. So, what do I feel I have achieved since I woke up on Monday 25th July and foolishly set out for that first run?
- Blog: You may have gathered that I love writing, and the desire to keep posting interesting and thoughtful entries has motivated some of the activities I've been undertaking these last few days. I'm extremely grateful for the comments I've received so far, and for those who have taken the time to read this - thanks for your interest!
- Gym: I wouldn't want to bore my readership with tales of squats and lat pull-downs, but I've rather bizarrely enjoyed rejoining a gym and dedicating time each day to put myself through pain and misery on various torture devices.
- Travel: I've been out and about more than I thought I would when I was first dreaming of my freedom a few days before I resigned - Durham, Wimbledon, the O2, the Proms, plus that brief but fulfilling visit to South Bank. I have more exploration planned, as I persist in believing that only through widening horizons can you hope to understand yourself and others.
And what has not gone so well?
- Piano: I stated in my first post that I want to take my Grade 8 exam in November, but these first few days I have done barely anything to make that ambition reality. I've braved some of the easier scales, and looked at some of the pieces, but if I took the exam tomorrow I'd be laughed out of the room. Must. Try. Harder.
- Spanish: I also wanted to start learning a new language. No progress on that front either, although I'm starting to think that with my new-found enthusiasm for the gym, and the piano exam looming, I may be biting off more than I can chew. Still, half an hour day is surely achievable, especially if the rain continues to pour.
- Cooking: My girlfriend will certainly testify to the fact that I have not spent enough time sharpening my culinary saw (a kinfe?). The Chelsea Splodge aside, I resolve this week to push on with this - I'm no Heston Blumenthal but I'm sure I can make a curry.
Those are my 'lessons learned' for the first ten days of my freedom. But overall, I'm enjoying every minute of being away from work and I'm in no hurry to return - that at least goes some way to validate that decision to "strike the board and cry, 'No more!'"
