Assess how feeling career stuck is impacting you across ten areas of life - in 30 minutes. Then, decide what you want to do about it.
-
Imagine waking up tomorrow with 30 extra minutes gifted to you every single day—for the rest of your life. No one else knows, no one else can see it, and you can’t tell a soul. How would you use it?
Most of us would let work creep into that sacred time—another email, another task, another meeting. And just like that, the golden gift would disappear. But what if, instead, you protected that time for joy, connection, and meaning?
Transcripts
Speaker:
You're busy, yeah?
Speaker:
There's never enough time to focus on your future work happiness, but
Speaker:
if you don't focus on it, things just stay the same, don't they?
Speaker:
In these short episodes, I want to give you some tiny ideas, some mini experiments
Speaker:
to try out this week to either dial down a pain point for you at work or
Speaker:
dial up your potential for joy at work.
Speaker:
Let's dive in.
Speaker:
Come with me on a thought experiment.
Speaker:
Tonight, you go to bed as usual.
Speaker:
Nothing seems different.
Speaker:
But before your alarm goes off tomorrow morning, before you even open your
Speaker:
eyes, you sense something has shifted.
Speaker:
You take a deep breath.
Speaker:
Your eyes are still closed, but you know you're still you and yet
Speaker:
something in the world has changed.
Speaker:
You stretch across your pillow.
Speaker:
And find a small golden padded envelope.
Speaker:
It's beautifully wrapped, not in the usual neat, efficient,
Speaker:
British style, but in a French way.
Speaker:
Too many ribbons, too much charm, too jougey, decadent.
Speaker:
But you open it, and inside the golden envelope, in beautifully inked
Speaker:
calligraphy, it says, You've been gifted.
Speaker:
Not fame, not money, not a promotion.
Speaker:
You've been gifted 30 extra minutes every single day for as long as you live.
Speaker:
From this moment on, your day is no longer 24 hours in length.
Speaker:
It's 24 and a half hours.
Speaker:
What's the catch?
Speaker:
I hear you say.
Speaker:
The catch is you cannot tell anyone or the gift disappears.
Speaker:
Oddly, you're not even a bit sceptical.
Speaker:
You just know this is real.
Speaker:
So what do you want to do with it?
Speaker:
If you're like most people, you'll probably let work
Speaker:
creep into that half hour.
Speaker:
Answer another email.
Speaker:
Cram in another meeting.
Speaker:
Tidy up that must do list.
Speaker:
Make yourself just a little bit more productive.
Speaker:
And just like that, your golden gift, this tiny slice of heaven, turns to dust.
Speaker:
Instead of asking, what would you do?
Speaker:
Ask, what could you do?
Speaker:
Because here's the truth.
Speaker:
We are machines built for joy, not just worker bees.
Speaker:
We are not meant to live with our heads down, bums up, constantly
Speaker:
checking tasks off a list.
Speaker:
We are vessels of potential, waiting to be used in ways that bring us
Speaker:
meaning, wonder, and connection.
Speaker:
What if, instead, you used your 30 minutes to, here's some ideas.
Speaker:
Strike up a conversation with someone you pass every day.
Speaker:
A barista, a neighbor, a bin collector, a stranger at the bus stop.
Speaker:
Ask their name, learn their story, or move your beautiful body.
Speaker:
Walk, stretch, dance, breathe fresh air, touch a leaf, really
Speaker:
look at it, wonder at it.
Speaker:
Or sit in a coffee shop without rushing.
Speaker:
Observe the world.
Speaker:
Listen, or pick up a book from that pile you've been meaning to read.
Speaker:
Not because you should, but because it feels right.
Speaker:
Or ask someone a meaningful question.
Speaker:
What's your favourite novel?
Speaker:
What's the best autobiography you've ever read?
Speaker:
If you had enough money and no responsibility, what
Speaker:
would you prioritise in life?
Speaker:
Or do something just for you.
Speaker:
Run a bath.
Speaker:
Doodle.
Speaker:
Play music.
Speaker:
Stare at the sky.
Speaker:
Name a star.
Speaker:
Get naked in your back garden.
Speaker:
Or solve a problem that actually matters.
Speaker:
With kids.
Speaker:
With friends.
Speaker:
With strangers.
Speaker:
Show someone you love that you give a giant damn about them.
Speaker:
This week, play with this idea.
Speaker:
Write a list of ten things you might do.
Speaker:
If you were gifted an extra half hour every day, not for work, not
Speaker:
for obligations, just for you.
Speaker:
Because here's the thing, you already have this time.
Speaker:
Maybe not in one magical block, maybe not tied up in a golden ribbon, but it's there
Speaker:
Waiting to be claimed and next week I'll show you some ways you can actually create
Speaker:
your own golden gift of 30 minutes No magic required But for now the question is
Speaker:
yours, what might you do with your gift?
Speaker:
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my Life Satisfaction Assessment.
Speaker:
It's a 30 minute program where I guide you through a deep dive into 10 areas
Speaker:
of your life to assess what's bringing you joy and what's bringing you down.
Speaker:
I call it Derailed.
Speaker:
It's a fabulous place to begin a joy at work redesign.
