Double figures

I have been at Poached for ten weeks now, and I have learnt a quite startling amount. I forget that sometimes. That’s why it’s important to take stock every so often. Otherwise, I lose track of the progress I’ve made, and don’t appreciate my achievements in the way I should.

A bit of perspective is needed

For instance, right now I’m worried the Camden Calling newsletter doesn’t look as good as it would do if I knew more about HTML and understood all the features of 1-2-3 hosting. Not so long ago, I‘d never even written for a newsletter, let alone designed and edited one. So when I put my problems in to perspective, they’re really not problems at all. I’m trying to look at them as inevitable, every-day, conquerable obstacles which come with responsibility. Or to put it another way – I’m trying to lighten up and be grateful.

Key skills

It’s not just work-related progress that has been made. Poached has helped me in many other ways – my self-discipline, organisation, and structure have all improved dramatically. These are essential, transferrable skills that come in very handy when doing more or less anything. The whole Poached experience has given me a real purpose and helped me figure out what I want to do in life.

Not just filling time

I am more fortunate than some others. To fill the gap between leaving rehab and working full-time, many people take volunteer jobs just for something to do. I am very lucky to have found something that is thought-provoking and interesting – and has more perks than just filling up space on a CV. I probably shouldn’t say all that out loud tomorrow though – I have a rehab reunion!

My latest new skill

A portion of today was spent learning how to create surveys using Survey Monkey. The first thing that struck me about the site was how ridiculously easy it is to use. Maybe it’s because last night I actually got an amount of sleep verging on sensible – a new record – but it seemed very user friendly.

The survey I created will be used to find out Camden Calling members’ opinions and tastes, and will hopefully be a useful piece of market research. There are a few questions on peoples’ opinion of my newsletter as well, so I’m bracing myself for that.

Normal to be a bit nervous

After a hard day at Poached, I usually try to take things easy on a Friday.
However, the aforementioned rehab reunion means I’m a little bit stressed. It will be good to see some old faces though, and I think that, in me, the staff will see a definite change for the better. Hopefully it will turn out to be one of those things that – like your Mum always promised - you enjoy when you get there.