In a world where we’re always available, how do you separate your personal time from your work time?
Before having children I used to find this near impossible – not necessarily because of inability to manage, but more just a love of what I do and being happy to engage, look and respond at all hours. I often think this is important in the early days (only early, I should add) of getting a business going. But when family comes along and priorities shift, it becomes easy to disengage and focus on being present and fully focused on the now most important thing in your life. So, it’s a routine of ‘shutting down’ work at the end of the day, then turning to the brilliance (and mania) that is family life.
What’s one thing you do after the work day to help you unwind?
A long walk along the Thames towpath with my British bulldog Nellie, once my daughters have gone to bed and hush has descended on my house.
What activity do you do in your time away from the office that helps you relax and recentre after a stressful week?
I’m interested in all forms of mediation and try and build it into my week, but still the activity that seems to help me recentre the most is exercise, whether it be in the gym or running through local streets. But being disconnected is key so no shouty classes for me, rather it’s headphones on and zoning out during the workout. The happines that comes post-workout is still one of the best feelings for me.
What’s something you’ve read, listened to or seen in your spare time that’s helped you at work?
Many business books have shaped my thinking and continue to. Barry Schwartz’s The Paradox of Choice had a massive effect on me and, in recent years, I’ve tried to implement a fair bit of the thinking in Cal Newport’s Deep Work. I also read pretty much everything that Matthew Syed and Malcolm Gladwell write. So many learnings and such brilliant writers.
I also devour any great storytelling podcast. So much of travel is about crafting stories that people get to experience or take away, and how you shape them is all about creating compelling narratives. So, whilst the subject matter may not always be relevant, I love podcast companies that have perfected the art of storytelling. Tortoise Media is doing amazing things (check out Pig Iron and Hoaxed as examples) and Wondery is a treasure trove of great stories.
After home and the office, where’s your favourite third space?
Richmond Park. My eldest daughter’s school is right on Richmond Park so, when I can, I will drop her off then walk for an hour through the park at the start of the day (taking work calls if I need to, of course). It feels like you are deep in the country despite only being a few miles from the bustle of central London and it’s absolutely beautiful. Walks on misty mornings there are very special.
On Sunday night, how do you prepare yourself for the week ahead?
Honestly? By trying not to think about the week ahead. Just enjoy the chatter of dinner time with the family then the calm as you sift through the papers and maybe watch a movie. Sure, if there are things on your mind then write them down in your notes on your iPhone (I do this a lot) and take a cursory glance at the diary, but if you find yourself thinking ahead all the time then you never get to enjoy the moment. I read a great quote by Friedrich Salomon Perls that said the definition of anxiety is the gap between now and later and I truly subscribe to that now. I didn’t always do this, but focusing on being present does erode a lot of the regularly occurring stresses in life. At least for me anyway.
Best reason you've had to turn your Out of Office on recently?
It was a privilege to go on a very special trip a few months ago to Chilean Patagonia, which is a place that had been on my mind for a while. Along with some of Black Tomato’s South America travel experts, we were joined by a wonderful Senior Features Editor from Conde Nast Traveler, for an in-depth report on going behind-the-scenes of a Black Tomato research and development trip. To have a CNT editor embedded with one of their top travel specialists, to authentically go under the bonnet of what we do, marked a travel industry first and a milestone for Black Tomato. The writer, Rebecca Misner, wrote an amazing first-person piece eloquently capturing the very essence of what we feel makes BT special.
