A group of tortoises is a creep . . . Perhaps not the best name.
I shared your post on 1% with a colleague who used is as one of our workplace wellness Wednesday ideas. It was interesting to see people try this. We had people share adding daily practices of 15 minutes and people sharing doing 1% more than they currently are.
This has been such a relevant episode for me today. I work in hospitality in a tourist town and for about 5 weeks in wet season I did manage to wrangle a 4 day work week on the agreement that I would work 10-11hr shifts on my 4 working days. It ended up being almost the same hours as a 5 day week and I used the day off to build healthy habits and work on my values so I could create space for working out what my hobbies are (I think they might be getting into gardening and "backyard adventuring" after being inspired by Beau Miles). I've since been forced back to 5 days by a rostering manager who is against 4 day weeks coming into peak season (and hating it) but I'm determined to get his boss on board with it and go back to 4 days.
Great food for thought. My hobbies are pretty casual - I have no Interest in monetizing. Growing flowers and playing the guitar( I suck), making jewelry for myself.
Brooke and Ben I’m so happy to have you back in my ears again! I love the new format - feels kind of like a hostful plus. I may miss the pogpast but the plodcast is an excellent new adventure!
The hardest thing I find as a teacher is that it never feels like you’re doing enough to meet all the needs, but if I try to do as much as I know I could to do the best job at work, there is no time left for the rest of my life. This year I’ve had to spend less time at work at the end of the day because I have a dog, and I’ve felt behind essentially all year 🤷. It’s something I’m working on for sure, so I’m excited to see how the experiment goes for you folks.
I'm inspired by your conversations about the 1%, I'd never thought of applying it in the way you do and I now find myself pondering how it might fit in with and improve my own life. I also appreciated your conversation about hobbies. This is something I've been pondering myself a lot lately, thinking about how I spend the free moments I have (mindless consumption generally) and what could I do that would be high quality and satisfying leisure for me. I know that leisure time is missing from my life and one of the primary reasons is that I don't really have a hobby to fill that time. My issue is not that I think spending time on a hobby is selfish or that I believe that I can't spend money on something that doesn't bring money in, it's that I'm very outcome focused and don't really know how to enjoy the process. When I consider something like drawing or knitting for example, a big barrier is what I would do with the thing I create? If I create a lot and do nothing with the product my mind thinks it will add pointless clutter to my house or be bad for the environment.
Hi Brooke and Ben, great first bodcast/plodcast/podcast. This topic was so relevant for me right now. I told my employer that I wanted to go to a four day work week when I turned 50, it took me until 52 to achieve it and I'm now 53. Luckily my employer and my financial situation allowed me to do so, as I had to take a pay cut. I wanted my day off to be time for me, to do nothing, to sit and read a book, get into crafts etc but I've found these days have been spent with obligations - doctors appts/dentist appts etc and I feel like I should always be still doing something productive around the house - cleaning the shower/weeding the garden/tidying the pantry etc. and then I get annoyed that I'm not using my day wisely for what it was intended. I think I need to try doing a few of those things the 1% and enjoy the rest of my day off knowing that I have done some of those tasks on my mental to do list. As for hobbies, I've recently dabbled into bird photography. I bought an expensive camera and have found some great local bird places. I do feel like I'm getting better at it and would like to get even better but it makes me happy as I'm out in nature (one of my values) and it's such a thrill when I manage to photograph and identify a bird I've never seen before. Well it's my day off today, and so far I've taken time out to listen to your podcast and now I'm going to do some yoga then do my 1%. PS Loved the bird noises in the background, I had sulphur crested cockatooos outside my window too as I listened to you.
I was thinking about the part of your conversation where Ben said on average people work less hours than they used to, but we feel so burned out and you were trying to work out why that might be. I wondered if it could be because there are so many more two-income families - like, there used to be one paid job and one unpaid job, but now households have to wrangle two (or more) paid jobs and there's still all that unpaid labor to do. That obviously doesn't apply to everyone's situation, but it was a thought I had.
Such a great first episode! Thank you Brooke and Ben! I think I may finally get my partner hooked on your great content:) it was overwhelming for him to catch up on the Slow home podcast (RIP) because of the vast number of episodes, but a brand new iteration?! That has got his attention;) Thanks again for your great work 🤍
I thought I was like Ben and loved the beginner mindset, but after working on my values, I realised what I loved was problem-solving, figuring out how to do something. It links all my varied hobbies together. For example I love trying a new crochet pattern and figuring out how it all goes together, but get bored if I have to make the same thing twice.
I also relate to the surfing article. I have restarted rollerblading and gymnastics. I have the same level of skill I had as a kid and am unlikely to get much better, but I still have a great time doing it! I think it is more about a sense of play than trying to improve.
I really enjoyed listening to this. Love everything about your new plodcast. My company, a B Corp, is in the process of moving to a 4-day workweek. We're doing it very slowly in order to work out the kinks. For 4 months, we only took 1 day a month (everyone signed up for either a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday). Now we are in Phase 2: 2 days a month, if all goes well we will move to 3 days a month in a few months - and ultimately, fingers crossed, to once a week. One thing I really love is that the owner of the company has made it clear that this day is for restoring ourselves, NOT running a side hustle, etc. I've been loving it but was surprised that a few people balked at the idea (at least at first).
Such a relaxing yet fresh listen, especially after being out of the country for a couple of weeks, I feel like I’ve definitely come home after listening to your informative yet playfully candid chatter. 😊 Naomi
Your discussion about hobbies and monetizing them (or not) reminded me of something that author Patrick Rothfuss said. He was talking about having writing for a hobby and how friends would always ask him about when he would get published. But as he noted, that isn't normal for other hobbies: you don't ask someone who loves to garden how they are going to take it to the next level, etc. It's ok to do something just for fun!
Ben mentioned that he would spend the 5th day of his 4 day work week on up skilling. Tbh, that sounds like a 5 day work week. :-) I get that it isn't work for pay, but it is still in service of his work life. Don't sell that time short!
Such a lovely episode and your almost rants about capitalism mirror my own thoughts about my current work in philanthropy, which is shifting (in the US) but also not really shifting in response to calls for racial equity and operationalizing equity, and our specific focus on healing justice and people power. Too much to get into here!
In an attempt for balance and wellness, we currently work a modified 9/80 schedule which means I have every other Friday off, along with the rest of the organization. But it does make other days a bit longer, and not everyone stops working that day so occasionally Mondays are more catch up, and of course our collaborators are still working. I’m grateful to be hybrid but mostly remote and have a short commute on the one-ish day per week I’m in office. It also means that the flexibility of my 9 hour at home days give me more breaks and micro breaks and opportunities for active rest like picking some peas in the garden or pulling some weeds between meetings.
As for hobbies, there’s never enough time! I don’t understand how people get bored. Mostly I spend my free time/create space for knitting, spinning, reading, listening to podcasts, taking walks, cooking, baking, hiking, camping, gardening, swing dancing, cardio dance classes at the community gym, yoga, playing board games, doing puzzles... I try to do something creative every day, which usually ends up spinning or knitting, sometimes sashiko mending; on the worst days cooking is my only creative outlet and it feels more functional because I have to feed myself. Some new hobbies I’m thinking about but don’t know how I’ll carve time out for are rowing/dragon boat racing, aerial silks/trapeze, and stand up paddle (which would likely be seasonal).
Soooo good to hear you guys again! Loved this episode, so thought provoking. Tried to do a new review on the podcast app for The Tortoise as requested, but as I already did one on the Slow Home podcast, I wasn’t able to add a new one, only edit the old one, which doesn’t appear to update to todays date? Sorry, let me know if there is any other way to give you another so deserved 5 star review that helps spread the word of The Tortoise? Xxx
A group of tortoises is a creep . . . Perhaps not the best name.
I shared your post on 1% with a colleague who used is as one of our workplace wellness Wednesday ideas. It was interesting to see people try this. We had people share adding daily practices of 15 minutes and people sharing doing 1% more than they currently are.
Thanks for helping us all reflect and grow 💚
This has been such a relevant episode for me today. I work in hospitality in a tourist town and for about 5 weeks in wet season I did manage to wrangle a 4 day work week on the agreement that I would work 10-11hr shifts on my 4 working days. It ended up being almost the same hours as a 5 day week and I used the day off to build healthy habits and work on my values so I could create space for working out what my hobbies are (I think they might be getting into gardening and "backyard adventuring" after being inspired by Beau Miles). I've since been forced back to 5 days by a rostering manager who is against 4 day weeks coming into peak season (and hating it) but I'm determined to get his boss on board with it and go back to 4 days.
Great food for thought. My hobbies are pretty casual - I have no Interest in monetizing. Growing flowers and playing the guitar( I suck), making jewelry for myself.
I loved listening to you two banter on and LAUGH.
Brooke and Ben I’m so happy to have you back in my ears again! I love the new format - feels kind of like a hostful plus. I may miss the pogpast but the plodcast is an excellent new adventure!
The hardest thing I find as a teacher is that it never feels like you’re doing enough to meet all the needs, but if I try to do as much as I know I could to do the best job at work, there is no time left for the rest of my life. This year I’ve had to spend less time at work at the end of the day because I have a dog, and I’ve felt behind essentially all year 🤷. It’s something I’m working on for sure, so I’m excited to see how the experiment goes for you folks.
I'm inspired by your conversations about the 1%, I'd never thought of applying it in the way you do and I now find myself pondering how it might fit in with and improve my own life. I also appreciated your conversation about hobbies. This is something I've been pondering myself a lot lately, thinking about how I spend the free moments I have (mindless consumption generally) and what could I do that would be high quality and satisfying leisure for me. I know that leisure time is missing from my life and one of the primary reasons is that I don't really have a hobby to fill that time. My issue is not that I think spending time on a hobby is selfish or that I believe that I can't spend money on something that doesn't bring money in, it's that I'm very outcome focused and don't really know how to enjoy the process. When I consider something like drawing or knitting for example, a big barrier is what I would do with the thing I create? If I create a lot and do nothing with the product my mind thinks it will add pointless clutter to my house or be bad for the environment.
Hi Brooke and Ben, great first bodcast/plodcast/podcast. This topic was so relevant for me right now. I told my employer that I wanted to go to a four day work week when I turned 50, it took me until 52 to achieve it and I'm now 53. Luckily my employer and my financial situation allowed me to do so, as I had to take a pay cut. I wanted my day off to be time for me, to do nothing, to sit and read a book, get into crafts etc but I've found these days have been spent with obligations - doctors appts/dentist appts etc and I feel like I should always be still doing something productive around the house - cleaning the shower/weeding the garden/tidying the pantry etc. and then I get annoyed that I'm not using my day wisely for what it was intended. I think I need to try doing a few of those things the 1% and enjoy the rest of my day off knowing that I have done some of those tasks on my mental to do list. As for hobbies, I've recently dabbled into bird photography. I bought an expensive camera and have found some great local bird places. I do feel like I'm getting better at it and would like to get even better but it makes me happy as I'm out in nature (one of my values) and it's such a thrill when I manage to photograph and identify a bird I've never seen before. Well it's my day off today, and so far I've taken time out to listen to your podcast and now I'm going to do some yoga then do my 1%. PS Loved the bird noises in the background, I had sulphur crested cockatooos outside my window too as I listened to you.
I was thinking about the part of your conversation where Ben said on average people work less hours than they used to, but we feel so burned out and you were trying to work out why that might be. I wondered if it could be because there are so many more two-income families - like, there used to be one paid job and one unpaid job, but now households have to wrangle two (or more) paid jobs and there's still all that unpaid labor to do. That obviously doesn't apply to everyone's situation, but it was a thought I had.
Such a great first episode! Thank you Brooke and Ben! I think I may finally get my partner hooked on your great content:) it was overwhelming for him to catch up on the Slow home podcast (RIP) because of the vast number of episodes, but a brand new iteration?! That has got his attention;) Thanks again for your great work 🤍
I thought I was like Ben and loved the beginner mindset, but after working on my values, I realised what I loved was problem-solving, figuring out how to do something. It links all my varied hobbies together. For example I love trying a new crochet pattern and figuring out how it all goes together, but get bored if I have to make the same thing twice.
I also relate to the surfing article. I have restarted rollerblading and gymnastics. I have the same level of skill I had as a kid and am unlikely to get much better, but I still have a great time doing it! I think it is more about a sense of play than trying to improve.
I really enjoyed listening to this. Love everything about your new plodcast. My company, a B Corp, is in the process of moving to a 4-day workweek. We're doing it very slowly in order to work out the kinks. For 4 months, we only took 1 day a month (everyone signed up for either a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday). Now we are in Phase 2: 2 days a month, if all goes well we will move to 3 days a month in a few months - and ultimately, fingers crossed, to once a week. One thing I really love is that the owner of the company has made it clear that this day is for restoring ourselves, NOT running a side hustle, etc. I've been loving it but was surprised that a few people balked at the idea (at least at first).
Such a relaxing yet fresh listen, especially after being out of the country for a couple of weeks, I feel like I’ve definitely come home after listening to your informative yet playfully candid chatter. 😊 Naomi
Your discussion about hobbies and monetizing them (or not) reminded me of something that author Patrick Rothfuss said. He was talking about having writing for a hobby and how friends would always ask him about when he would get published. But as he noted, that isn't normal for other hobbies: you don't ask someone who loves to garden how they are going to take it to the next level, etc. It's ok to do something just for fun!
Ben mentioned that he would spend the 5th day of his 4 day work week on up skilling. Tbh, that sounds like a 5 day work week. :-) I get that it isn't work for pay, but it is still in service of his work life. Don't sell that time short!
Such a lovely episode and your almost rants about capitalism mirror my own thoughts about my current work in philanthropy, which is shifting (in the US) but also not really shifting in response to calls for racial equity and operationalizing equity, and our specific focus on healing justice and people power. Too much to get into here!
In an attempt for balance and wellness, we currently work a modified 9/80 schedule which means I have every other Friday off, along with the rest of the organization. But it does make other days a bit longer, and not everyone stops working that day so occasionally Mondays are more catch up, and of course our collaborators are still working. I’m grateful to be hybrid but mostly remote and have a short commute on the one-ish day per week I’m in office. It also means that the flexibility of my 9 hour at home days give me more breaks and micro breaks and opportunities for active rest like picking some peas in the garden or pulling some weeds between meetings.
As for hobbies, there’s never enough time! I don’t understand how people get bored. Mostly I spend my free time/create space for knitting, spinning, reading, listening to podcasts, taking walks, cooking, baking, hiking, camping, gardening, swing dancing, cardio dance classes at the community gym, yoga, playing board games, doing puzzles... I try to do something creative every day, which usually ends up spinning or knitting, sometimes sashiko mending; on the worst days cooking is my only creative outlet and it feels more functional because I have to feed myself. Some new hobbies I’m thinking about but don’t know how I’ll carve time out for are rowing/dragon boat racing, aerial silks/trapeze, and stand up paddle (which would likely be seasonal).
Soooo good to hear you guys again! Loved this episode, so thought provoking. Tried to do a new review on the podcast app for The Tortoise as requested, but as I already did one on the Slow Home podcast, I wasn’t able to add a new one, only edit the old one, which doesn’t appear to update to todays date? Sorry, let me know if there is any other way to give you another so deserved 5 star review that helps spread the word of The Tortoise? Xxx