Back in March 2020 and one week ahead of the official lockdown in the UK, I launched the first edition of the Twist newsletter, ‘Change for the Better’. It’s been shared on the third Thursday of every month at 3pm (or as near as we can to 3pm) since then.
That monthly drumbeat of taking time to consider what’s important to clients, friends and the wider world has been one of the routines that have helped me stay on track when there’s been so much uncertainty. It’s been a brilliant opportunity to create a pause and reflect back on what’s been happening and work through what to take forward, every month.
Image: Brett Jordan, Unsplash
As we reach a new month, I’ve spent some time pondering - what have I learned from sharing a newsletter (and weekly blog posts) over the last year and what am I looking forward to next?
To kick off, here are my three big learnings…
People
Like so many of us, I’ve spent a lot of time talking and listening over the last 12 months – mostly through my little square screen. I’ve learned so much about people I thought I knew – and those I didn’t know at all before all ‘this’ started. The whole experience we’ve all been through has made me even more aware of the impact that big change has on people, so I’ve been seeking out and sharing more content, ideas and thinking around this. It’s one thing I’ll be taking forward in the work in Twist Consultants, without a doubt.
The small things
One thing that’s stayed consistent over the last year, alongside sharing a newsletter, has been taking a daily photo (mostly of nature) on our walks. That whole process has helped create a ‘slow down’ and the opportunity to notice the small things which we didn’t have time to spot when life was so busy.
That has been reflected in the subjects and content covered in the newsletter, considering ideas from different perspectives and exploring some of the small stuff in more detail.
Routine
Back in March 2020, I posted an article about concentration and distraction. This has turned out to be one of the most popular blogs I’ve shared.
Having a focus, each week and each month, to sit down and work out which ideas would be most useful for the newsletter, has been a fabulous routine to help maintain focus and reduce distraction.
With all that in mind, here’s what I’m looking forward to next (and you’ll see reflected in future articles and newsletters from Twist Consultants)…
More trust
In the midst of all the big change we’ve seen in the last 12 months, a spotlight has been thrown on inequality and a general drop in trust in many of our authority figures, which could make anyone despondent. But, I’m actually looking forward to greater trust between us as human beings, in organisations and across communities. There are fabulous people out there, doing some extraordinary things – let’s put more trust in them.
More focus
Continuing to stay focused is key. Building on the experience and learning from ‘slowing down and noticing more’ will help. It doesn’t mean things will be less busy – far from it – but with greater focus, more gets achieved. It means saying yes to the things that will really make a difference and something I’m keen to encourage others to do too.
More bravery
Change is a fact of life and each time we have to go through it, we learn and build our bank of resilience just a little more. In all this uncertainty we’ve had to create new things and test and learn more than ever before.
Being brave is one of those things we often think is for someone else, but we can all be braver and a bit more courageous each time we have to face big change*.
Life has always been uncertain but the big changes we’ve all experienced over the last 12 months has thrown this into sharp relief. Taking some time to reflect on what you’ve learned during this period of huge upheaval might throw up some fabulous insights and unexpectedly useful things you might want to keep.
Let me know how you get on.
If you’re a woman and you’d like to be more courageous, check out the Be Braver Collective.
They’re doing fabulous things.