Category Archives: In the Thick of It

Life doesn’t come with neat chapters – neither does this.
Productivity tips? Sure – but the ones that still work when you’ve had three hours’ sleep, the house is upside down, and you’re juggling client calls with cooking dinner. This is the messy middle where most of us live: overwhelm, odd wins, half-finished thoughts, and the occasional breakthrough. Read on if you’re navigating the juggle too.

The Beautiful, Exhausting Chaos of a Full House

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My eldest foster lad is back from uni. The “quiet life” I’d almost convinced myself I was enjoying has packed its bags. Good riddance, honestly.


He’s been struggling. After a lot of soul-searching, he made the call to come home. If I’m being straight with you, I have my own thoughts about the decision. I’m not entirely sure it’s the right one. But I’m completely, unconditionally on board with him. He weighed it up, he decided what his head needed, and he came home. That took more courage than staying would have. That’s all I need to know.


So. My house is upside down. My kitchen is a permanent disaster zone. And I’ve regained an additional loveable twat whose apparent life purpose is to torment me at every available opportunity. The cheek is relentless.

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The Twixtmas Trap and the Myth of the Fresh Start

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Because frankly, “New Year, New You” is a total shit idea.

The annual circus has arrived. Right on cue, we’ve hit that “Twixtmas” stage—that weird, blurry week between Christmas and the New Year where the “New Year, New You” industrial complex kicks into high gear.


I can’t look at a screen without being bombarded by adverts for PureGym memberships or “life-changing” masterclasses. My social feed is a toxic sludge of Dry January manifestos and, recently, people shouting about military calisthenics in the freezing cold. Even the supermarkets have swapped the mince pies for those “low-fat” rice cakes—which, for anyone watching their blood sugar, are basically flavoured cardboard disks that spike your levels if you even look at them sideways.


It’s a collective fever dream of performative productivity, and frankly, it’s a shit idea.


1. The Myth of the “Fresh Start”
The idea that you need a specific square on a calendar to change your life is the ultimate form of procrastination. If you’ve been sitting on your arse waiting for January 1st to “start” something, you’re not just behind—you’re probably going to quit.

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When the Coos Come Home: My Christmas Out of Office Manifesto

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If you remember my summer OOO, you’ll know the Highland Coos had the right idea: stand in a field, look majestic, and ignore everyone. Well, I’ve officially taken their lead for the Christmas break. My pasture has simply moved indoors for the winter.

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The Holiday Hustle: Your 2025 Guide to Not Losing It

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Christmas. The most wonderful time of the year, they say. Whoever “they” are clearly didn’t have to coordinate school nativity costumes, work deadlines, Secret Santa for seventeen different groups, and the small matter of keeping tiny humans fed, entertained, and vaguely civilised throughout a two-week break.

For working parents, December isn’t magical—it’s a full-contact sport. Self-employed? Add that delightful 24/7 mindset where your brain never quite switches off and you’ve got yourself a proper festive nightmare wrapped in tinsel.

Here’s what I’ve learned: you can actually enjoy Christmas with kids. Not the Instagram version with matching pyjamas and elaborate Elf on the Shelf scenarios. The real version, where you’re occasionally horizontal, sometimes laughing, and definitely not white-knuckling your way through every moment.

The trick? Lower your standards, raise your boundaries, and remember that rest isn’t selfish—it’s strategic. When you drag yourself back to work in January running on fumes and Quality Street, you’re no good to anyone.

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🚨 A Quick Update: Apologies for the Missing Post

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You’ll have to forgive me, but the Friday post for the “Stop Being Stupid” mini-series is currently absent. Normal service will be resumed soon, I promise.


Frankly, I’ve just spent six hours in A&E with my eldest son, who is 23. He’s been absolutely felled by the mother of all flu strains, which is bad enough, but here is the fun part: almost all of his symptoms were those of carbon monoxide poisoning. The doctor this morning thought they were too similar, which had me terrified, especially because of a mini-disaster at his work the day before where he had the potential to be exposed.

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🏰 The Carlisle Crawl: When Enjoyment Becomes Exercise

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I have absolutely no one to blame but myself. And yet, I reserve the right to have a jolly good moan about it.


Right now, my lower back feels like a rusty hinge desperately begging for WD-40, and the ache is so deep it might be touching my soul. I’ve swallowed enough paracetamol to sedate a small pony, just to take the vicious edge off. Why the internal rebellion? Because I had the audacity to enjoy myself yesterday.

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Article 2: Beyond the Boardroom: Three Key Lessons Learned from My Leap to Self-Employment

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Read time: 5 minutes

Part 2 of 3: The Lessons

This is the second in a three-part series. In Part 1, I shared the story of my leap into self-employment. Here, I break down the key lessons I learned—and offer a personal exercise to help you map your own safety nets before making a big change.

The Foundations of a Bold Career Move

In my previous article, I detailed the intense personal circumstances that led me to take the terrifying leap into self-employment. The ultimate decision was an emotional reckoning, but the journey that followed taught me profound, practical lessons that apply to anyone facing a critical career or life transition.

Here are the three most important insights I gained—the ones I wish I’d learnt much sooner.

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Article 1: The Toughest Decision I Ever Had to Make: Taking the Leap into Self-Employment

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Read time: 7 minutes

Part 1 of 3: The Story

This is the first in a three-part series about taking the leap into self-employment and what it taught me about resilience, support systems, and leading through uncertainty. In this piece, I share the deeply personal story of how I made the toughest decision of my life.

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🤦When Good Intentions Go Massively Tits-Up

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Right, settle in. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? That moment you try to be incredibly helpful and, instead, you look like a prize pilchard. I’m talking about my latest spectacular self-sabotage, an act of sheer, well-meaning idiocy involving one of my brilliant clients.

My Helpful Default Mode

For those who don’t know, my two birth-children are technically adults now. They are both brilliantly capable, but they still manage to drive me insane and do spectacularly stupid things. They are also severely dyslexic. I’ve lived the struggle, and I know that sometimes, a great, big wall of text is the absolute worst. A quick voice note? Brilliant. A chat? Even better. It’s my default setting for communicating anything important to them.

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The Fiery Gift: Watching Nature’s Drama Unfold Before the Hustle

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There is nothing quite like those first few moments of the day.


While the rest of the world (and the rest of the house!) is still tucked away in sleep, I find my quiet corner, settle in with my first cup of coffee, and simply watch. And today, I was treated to a true masterpiece.

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