Are you using your smartphone too much?
Photo credit where due, it’s not mine. I have been thinking about my phone. A lot. Too much. I’ve been thinking and touching it so much that before our family holiday I’m seeking to get things back in proportion. In this post I’m sharing possible solutions to my imbalance because I know many other bright, capable people are thinking too much about theirs too. Come to think of it, it’s not the phone element of the phone is it? It’s the apps. It’s the software... Read More
The science of optimism
In this post I’m exploring optimism – the benefits and how to get them. My daughter reeled off a string of things that have gone well for her recently and it got me thinking about the genetic and learned aspects of optimism. The work of psychologist Martin Seligman and others have shown an optimistic thinking style can be learned, although it requires long-term sustained effort. My daughter could equally have been the stimulus for a post on gratitude, something I’ve covered... Read More
Personality at Work
Nicky Dulieu (CEO of Hobbs) has called on women to be more authentic at work. Market research by her business found that one in three women prefer a male to a female boss because women ‘lack personality.’ I read it with a balanced view of humanity and thought ‘yes, yes, we must let our personality shine’ on the one hand and on the other, ‘oh no, that’ll be some poor so and so’s downfall!’ No matter how ballsy you are I expect there have been times you’ve stuffed... Read More
Working Mothers Holiday Enid Blyton Style
We’ve been a long time in Noddy Land in our house (no really, this is a literary reference not me berating myself for a series of school girl errors of late ha ha!) and have recently moved on to Enid Blyton’s The famous Five. We’ve started with Five on a Treasure Island which is the first of Blyton’s much loved middle class, isn’t-life-wonderful, childhood adventure stories of five little poppets doing wholesome things together on holiday. By page two I decide this is... Read More
Holiday Psychology
Do you know how to have a great holiday? I thought I did but given the number of letdowns we’ve had, our friends know there’s a fair chance they can bob round the day before we’re due back and be welcomed in for tea and cake – which makes me think I’ve definitely got a bit to learn. A number of psychologists have set about answering the question “are holidays worth it?” and this month I’m bringing you their top three findings to help you maximise yours. Holiday... Read More
Family Flourishing
It seems like the advertising world beat me to ‘my’ great idea four years before I had it. Whilst I’ve been writing my book (Mothers Work! Published by Hay House, June 2011) I’ve been thinking up ways to drum up interest in my work as coach and author. It’s not enough to have a NEW book these days, you’ve got to have side issues that make for interesting stories in glossie mags and newspapers in their own right before you’ll get a plug.... Read More
