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Want to make changes this year? What I’m learning about behaviour change and building habits that stick!
Review of The Atomic Habits Workbook by James Clear (2025, 320 pages) ‘The trajectory of your life bends in the direction of your habits. Whatever you repeat, you reinforce.’ (James Clear, The Atomic Habits Workbook, p.2) As one year ends and another begins, I like to take the opportunity to look back over the past year, taking stock of what I have achieved, the goals I haven’t yet reached and the intentions I want to set for the year ahead. When it comes to goals for my physical health, it’s been a pretty good year. I’ve committed to getting regular exercise and remained consistent in going to the gym, which is…
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Is perfectionism plaguing you? Discover the root causes of perfectionism and how to overcome it!
Review of How to be Enough by Dr Ellen Hendriksen (2025, 320 pages) Looking back, perfectionism has been the driving force behind so many of my actions! During my time at college and university, I would stay up into the early hours, meticulously refining every sentence in my assignment, poring over the copious notes I had compiled from textbooks, and making numerous revisions in an attempt to get everything ‘just right’. At work, it would often take me longer than necessary to get tasks done, because I would double and triple-check every detail, terrified of making the smallest mistake. It even affected the way I presented myself to others. I…
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Deepen your connection with yourself and others
Review of Super Psyched by Dr Adam Dorsay (2024, 296 pages) Ever felt like you are living a life that no longer aligns with who you are or the person you want to be? Do you sometimes feel like you are drifting apart from your friends and loved ones? When was the last time you felt truly excited about life? I can clearly remember times in my life when I have felt deeply disconnected. These have been really difficult periods, marked by restlessness and a sense of feeling completely out of alignment. One such time was early in my career, when I felt unfulfilled in my role and began to…
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How to have a calm Christmas
Review of Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (2019, 227 pages) As much as I love celebrating Christmas with my nearest and dearest, it can be a really stressful time of year! It is easy to get caught up in the preparations, trying to meet expectations, and frantically attempting to create the ‘picture perfect’ Christmas that you see on social media, all while juggling work commitments and the numerous events that begin to fill up the school calendar. You might find that after ‘the big day’ you are feeling worn out, fatigued and promising yourself that next year will be different. In Calm Christmas and a…
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Uncovering your strengths
Review of StrengthsFinder 2.0: Discover Your CliftonStrengths by Gallup (2021, Gallup Press, 172 pages) Think of a positive outcome that you have achieved recently. How did you achieve it? What skills or qualities did you use? As we go about our busy lives, jumping from one task to the next, and wading through our never-ending ‘To Do’ lists, it can be all too easy to overlook the many qualities and skills that we possess and rely upon to help us to achieve our goals. It is good to bring our strengths to mind so that we can give ourselves some credit where it is due, recognise the strategies and approaches…
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Unearth your creativity (and discover yourself in the process!)
Review of The Artist’s Way* by Julia Cameron The ability to be creative is not just reserved for the artists of this world, it is within us all and can be expressed in a multitude of ways in our lives. Personally, I have always craved some kind of creative outlet but found that I had dropped many of the creative activities that I enjoyed in my younger years while continuing my education, getting a ‘proper job’, and raising my family. When my children came along, exploring my creative side mainly meant running around and engaging in imaginary play with them and doing the odd bit of Playdoh or finger painting!…
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How can thinking like a monk improve your life and career?
Review of Think Like a Monk: Train your mind for peace and purpose every day by Jay Shetty (2020, Thorsons, 352 pages) As I have been aiming to create more ‘zen’ in my life through daily meditation and mindfulness, I have become increasingly curious about the underlying philosophy behind such practices. This is why I was initially drawn to Jay Shetty’s book, Think Like a Monk*, which promises to teach us how to move away from the preoccupied, fearful and ego-driven ‘monkey mind’ and to step into the monk mindset which, in contrast, is calm, focused, purposeful and service-driven. *Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may…
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How to build a daily mindfulness practice
That special time of year is creeping upon us and while quality time with loved ones, showing our generosity, and having a good old knees-up is lovely it can also be a bit hectic as we prepare for the festivities, finish up work projects, and respond to all the requests from school which seem to multiply towards the end of the autumn term. Pass me the mulled wine and a few mince pies quick! Of course, it’s not only this time of year that can leave us feeling a bit frazzled. We can get so caught up in the everyday busyness of life: the daily stressors, running here and there…
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Discover what you really want from your career
Review of The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis and How to Find Fulfilling Work by Roman Krznaric and The School of Life Losing my job when the first lockdown hit not only made me feel like I had said goodbye to a part of my identity, as an employee of an organisation that I had worked at for just over a decade, it also left me with this lingering feeling of being seriously stuck. Sure, I had home schooling to keep me well and truly occupied but I knew that wouldn’t last forever (thank goodness…) and so my thoughts kept on returning to what I was going…
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What has Lego got to do with self-care?
Review of Build Yourself Happy by Abbie Headon (DK, 160 pages) When you think of mindful, relaxing activities that take you away from all the hustle and bustle of daily life, Lego building may not immediately come to mind… But then, as Abbie Headon points out right from the beginning of her book, Build Yourself Happy*, there is something joyful and liberating about allowing yourself to get lost in play even when you are all grown up! *Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. It certainly provides a much needed break from your everyday routine and…
