2014 dawning after disconnection

And I’m finally back at my desk after the best part of three weeks away from work. Taking serious time off as an independent consultant is a nerve-wracking thing – if you’re not working, you’re not earning. But this time it was vital. No only did my wife need the time, but I also needed the break. The last two years have been hectic, and I’ve barely paused for breath over that period.

The disconnected time over Christmas and New Year did my stress levels and creativity a great deal of good. I feel relaxed (if a little pressured by the in-box ahead of me…) and I have plenty of new ideas for things I want to invest my time and energy into over the coming year. And, if I can sort out a pesky flight to New York, I’m in the happy position of being essentially fully booked work-wise until the middle of April.

(Of course, if you have something big happening in the spring you think I can help with, or smaller projects before that, drop me a line)

Most importantly, I think, that disconnected time gave me some distance from the bubbles I live in. I’ve spent precious little time thinking about the worlds of journalism, social media and tech over the past few weeks, and that allows me to come back to them with an amount of distance – which is incredibly useful when you’re trying to do some cogent critical analysis on them.

As a result, I’m looking forwards to blogging up a storm in the weeks to come, before teaching kicks back in at City University…

I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year.