All work and no play… makes the year disappear!

Where on earth has the year gone?  I’ve either blinked too often and missed it or monumentally overslept.  Which is a distinct possibility…  Seriously though, the most logical conclusion, of course, is that it’s been busy.  I mean REALLY busy.

At work: four trade shows, new ranges, new products, new brochures, new stands, new websites, new kitchen… A whole lotta NEW!  Outside work: fixing up the house, running, Yoga class, Zumba class, ballet class (I maybe take too many classes…) weddings, holidays, more parties and family dos than I can remember (sometimes 3 a day) and then everyone’s favourite – shopping, cleaning, gardening, cooking and washing just to make absolutely certain there’s no chance of fitting in a tiny bit of ‘relaxing’.  And I don’t have kids.  I don’t even want to imagine what it’s like with kids.

And tired.  Who do you talk to anymore that isn’t ‘tired’?  Proper ‘I could fall asleep standing up if I had half-a-chance’ tired.  I can’t think of anyone.

So, I know I’m not alone.  Almost daily I hear people remembering this time last year ‘like it was yesterday’ or remarking that ‘it doesn’t seem five minutes ago since…’  Well, that’s why we’re tired.  We’ve overstretched.  Spread ourselves too thin.  Been far too busy and forgotten to slow down. Or in fact, HOW to slow down.  I only realised this when I had to check my diary for a half-hour window to dye my hair and do a face pack (multi-tasking, naturally) and realised there wasn’t a space for two weeks. Nooooo! Not when I have roooooooots!  How did this happen?!!

Well, this is a sad state of affairs and it has got to stop.  So I’ve decided, baby steps are the way forward.  Inject a bit of calm into everyday life – a bit of fun where you least expect it.  Nothing major.  Just subtle changes to start with and maybe the rest will follow.  Treat myself to a ‘proper’ coffee and a sit down after work.  One less run a week won’t hurt, really.   Agreeing to ‘do nothing’ at the weekend, and actually sticking to it.  Having a ‘play day’ at work.  What do you mean – that’s not subtle?  Actually, it is.  Toys are a part of our new range so technically, it is work.

At Autumn Fair trade show at the NEC a couple of weeks ago, we all spent a great deal of time – well – playing.  Setting out the Dominoes with our new Domino Train; adding a few obstacles; knocking them down; setting them up again.

We had to.  It was for demonstration purposes.  Obviously.  Not because we enjoyed it.  Well we did, actually, and probably a bit too much.  It was fab!  And so did the buyers – I mean lots of buyers – who were drawn-in just to see what would happen when we knocked them down. How does it work? Would they fall too soon?  Can I knock them down? Can I!?’ Just like when we were kids.  (Click on the following Post to see our ultimate Domino Rally!)  Post.

Was this ‘playing’ a cunning plan then, purely designed to attract buyers to our stand?  Because that’s what it did.  Like moths to a flame. I’d like to say a whole-hearted ‘yes’ but in reality, we had no idea it would have quite the effect it did.  And not just on the buyers.  Even our reps – me included – turned into little kids who wanted ‘just one more go’.  Enjoyment seemed to be infectious.

It’s funny really how little reason we need to stop, take a moment, engage our curiosity and have little fun – even in the most unexpected places.  I’ve heard, you know that ‘space-time exists only in the existence of consciousness’ (don’t ask me how that works!) but if that’s the case, perhaps we’re all speeding time up simply by ‘not noticing’.  Maybe if we were more concious, took more time to notice small things, engage with others and have a little fun – without having to schedule it in weeks in advance – time would stop rushing by.

It’s not a very scientific theory – but it might work!