Bookmarking 2.0

A friend mentioned del.icio.us the other day and I remembered it.. Truth is I’ve been more into bookmarking real books this year. Via Mocoloco blog comes this simple device..

As seen on mocoloco.com - Bookmark II by Propaganda

In the spirit of my emerging Make, do and mend strategy I might just scribe an ‘X’ on a rubber band however..

Freedom manifesto: guidance for taking a few days off

Ah bliss. The sun’s out. The garden’s politely asking for some love and care.

Freedom manifesto: guidance for taking a few days off

Originally uploaded by jamesbyford.

The Onion on latest US childcare solution

This tickled me having just put the girls to bed.  

 

Reflection time

An alternative title for this post might have been acknowledging personal limits.

I’ve had a rest. Blimey I needed it. We all deal with things in different ways. With a family, a marriage and friendships to evolve, home and work responsibilities and lots of change to deal with, I’ve forced myself to pause for the last couple of weeks to establish a new basis for what I believe will allow for a more harmonious arrangement.

I push myself pretty hard a lot of the time. Sometimes without taking to time to observe, I over do it. Then I need a rest. During the recent rest I’ve had some great conversations that have helped me share and learn much. Since the turn of the year I’ve had a lot going on. At home we’ve embarked upon a new family situation with both parents working full-time. This is a decision that’s caused us a lot of stress. We live within our means. Neither of us has ever really been motivated materially and so we’ve lived. Having children opens up a wonderful new world that presents new challenges and as I’ve learned, needs a different type of commitment to that required by work. Aligning or balancing all the relationships and responsibilities together is tough, but thankfully we’ve had a lot of support and are making sound progress.

I’ve experienced stress. There – it’s written. Stress is a strange thing – a lot of people experience it and yet it’s got a bit of a taboo around it, as if it’s perceived as a weakness. I’ve caused myself to be in stressful situations. That’s something that I’m seeking to change. I’ve thought about it enough, relaxed, conversed and resolved to deal with it.

Looking up a definition of stress on Wikipedia returned some interesting results. I suspected that engineering and medicine would offer a definition but wondered how it would be defined in relation to people or individuals – on a more holistic, humane basis. Stress management has a link otherwise to

’stress (medical) medical or psychological stress; types of medical stress include:

• Chronic stress
• Eustress’

I’ve chosen to seek psychological theories for definitions for stress as I’m not convinced that I’d rather seek medical explanations. I haven’t looked, but I’m sure there’s mention of chemical imbalances etc.. which leave me cold. I’ve been reading about psychology and have found the person-centred approaches of many theorists/practitioners such as Carl Rogers, Fritz and Laura Perls and others chime with approaches I’ve discovered and experienced in design (user-centred design, participatory design, service design) and many other areas of my life that depend upon positive communication. So perhaps Wikipedia needs a definition of ‘personal stress’.

For me, personal stress is a feeling of being under inappropriate pressure which can result in worrying too much. I might feel qualified to offer a better definition in the future. I intend to make understanding of and the alleviation of conditions conducive to stress a focus of what I do. I know that relaxation and loss of worry is possible through the expression of creativity, practising yoga, listening to music, playing an instrument, enyoying my own and the company of family, friends, and colleagues.

I’ve also learned that listening and reflecting is very important. Over the years I’ve found that various forms of people-centred support such as mentoring, coaching and counselling to be very effective in re-establishing a more harmonious existence. With this learning I’m charting my work adventures along a path that makes use of communication as a concept to help personal and organisational growth. On a personal level, my most enriching and satisfying work experiences have been defined by personal growth, both in myself and in others. Having been a leader, mentor, catalyst and doer I’ve encountered a stack of different relationships. I’ve always enjoyed getting to know people. On an organisational level I’m really interested in cultures and how they form and evolve which is I guess is a next step – individuals getting to know each other in the form of a community.

To make something out of this I’ve resolved to seek greater congruence in my life and work.

Here’s some things I am aiming to do:

• to take myself less seriously – a light and relaxed perspective is important
• to give myself a break – I shall be booking holidays and doing yoga on a thursday evening
• to give myself time for creative expression – I am trading my mandolin for an easier to learn and play instrument, the Ukulele
• to learn about people-centred approaches in theory and practise – by undertaking a course at the Wealden Psychology Institute. It’s an introduction to counselling which I believe will help me and everyone I work with.
• to clarify and manage the scope of my work – I am now heading up some really exciting new opportunities at Spannerworks at a time of great change. I’m excited about this and in particular am looking forward to:

• continuing to work with one of my most valued friends and collatorators Antony Mayfield
• leading the establishment of a Design and Development team
• growing the role of Client Partner.

Observing your own behaviour is hard some times, as is being patient with yourself under a certain amount of inevitablepressure. It’s something I’m working on and hopefully, my aims will be true.

Bonus: Best track I’ve heard recently – Free Stress Test by Professor Murder.

The joy of a natural birth at home

One year ago today, in fact within the hour, at the time of writing, I experienced one of the moments of joy that will never leave me. My youngest daughter Harriet (Hattie) was born at home after a relatively short labour for my wife Sarah.

Labour commenced around 4.30pm and the community midwife arrived shortly after. We ate pizza, had a glass of wine and generally relaxed at home, with a playlist created for the occasion. When Hattie emerged, a track from Mercury Rev’s Deserter’s Songs was playing which seemed fitting in many ways as it was the album of our honeymoon in Umbria, seven years previously.

Compared to the complications and stress involved in giving birth at the local hospital, The Sussex County, Sarah was in her own bed, with our new bundle of joy, around midnight. The sun shone the following morning, and I, as a father, experienced a new sense of purpose. I felt more connected with nature than ever before, particularly as our 14 year old cat Betty, had managed to get into the centre of proceedings whilst Sarah was at the latter stages of labour. Climbing onto the side of the birthing pool, Betty stroked Sarah whilst she was literally giving birth. Remarkably and ever since, Betty has been like an aunty to Hattie and Flo, never scratching or lashing out as she often did with Flo, Hattie’s big sister.

So I’m glad to hear that the government is encouraging home births. It’s not for everyone and the team at the Sussex County and their genuine care is our overriding memory of the birth of our eldest daughter. We wanted a home birth the first time round and didn’t consider it a risk at all. Second time round we were fortunate to have wonderful support and treasured memories.

Now showing: The Charity Shop DJ Picture Show

Oh the joy of finding a long lost friend!  I once found an original 12″ of Grandmaster Flash’s The Message in the most unlikely of places.. A charity shop in Surrey Quays shopping centre. In great condition and only a £1.

Andy Jupp has been capturing the magical moments when people, famous and not-so-famous, find a vinyl treasure in a charity shop.  He’s also been DJing in charity shops since 2001.

The lastest episode for a wonderful project to unearth a slice of cultural history takes the form of the Charity Shop DJ Picture Show at the Boris Baggs Gallery, Paddington, London between 26 April and 5 May.

Link: Charity Shop DJ

Spring in my step

Bluebells in Stanmer Park, Brighton, UK

Originally uploaded by jamesbyford.

I love spring. Catching sight of the bluebells in Stanmer Park this weekend was a joy to behold. Lots more on Flickr.

Designs of the Time reporting to parliament

John Thackara, a true 21st century design visionary reported to parliament recently on the positive actions being taken by people as social innovators in the north-east of England.

An inspiring vision of the future being played out now. Particularly inspiring is this:

The lesson we have learned in Dott 07 is that creativity and innovation are all around us. People are busy – dealing innovatively with daily life – in all manner of creative ways. Everywhere we look.

Our approach in Dott is not to design solutions outside-in, top-down, or from scratch.

We use design, instead, to enhance, connect and accelerate existing grass roots innovation.

Link:

http://www.doorsofperception.com/archives/2007/03/dott_goes_to_pa.php

Malteser Blow Football Championships

How to entertain a young child on a rainy day? In response to an old friend who tracked me down via this blog, asking me to liven it up (sarcastic wit hasn’t gone away Mr Farnsworth!), here’s a slice of Byford family life.

Idle generosity

My favourite guide to loafing the good life, The Idler, is giving away copies of the 35th edition, “The War on Work”.

In summary:

The issue is a great introduction to the Idler and features an interview with Situationist philosopher Raoul Vaneigem, wild man Keith Allen’s A to Z of Life, Folk Art by artist Jeremy Deller, Terry Hall’s Idler Questionnaire, plus articles by Adam Buxton, Rowley Leigh, Nicholas Blincoe, Pat Kane, Chris Yates, Pete Doherty and many more. AND there’s Dan Kieran’s indispensable guide to the Idle Life. All you have to pay is two pounds for postage and packing

I ordered mine over a week ago.. it’ll turn up when it’s good and ready.