Another lighter post this time around. Partly because its nice to have a break every now and again, and partly because its nice to remind others and be reminded yourself that you are human and you deserve downtime after working hard on yourself and on your goals.
I've explored one of my hobbies so far (and there's plenty more baking that I've been doing lately!), so I'd like to explore another hobby that I've been indulging in much more during the last 3 months of lockdown.
With the lovely weather that we've been having recently, barring a week or so of rain at the beginning of June, it has been motivation enough for me to get out into the garden and grow some fruits and vegetables. I loved doing it a few years ago in and around work and when I had the time to do it, but I sadly lapsed in the last year or so because of not having a lot of time or energy to do much outside of work, study and looking after myself. But whilst we're in lockdown and working from home, this has been a great time for me to reinvest in this hobby.
I've been growing spinach, courgettes, French beans and strawberries. At the time of writing this, its been 3 weeks since the initial sowing date for the vegetables, and they're coming along quite nicely. Most are ready to be planted out into a larger pot or a planting bed, some are starting to bear fruit.
So here my courgettes are starting to bear...
My French beans are standing proud and giving the first glimpse of harvestable beans ...
My spinach is just starting to bear actual leaves in amongst the sprout leaves ......
And my strawberries are really treating me and my family right now. Look at them! Aren't they brilliant!
Again you may be wondering why I'm posting about this?
The answer is quite simple!
Hobbies are important, especially in a demanding industry such as law. They give us a release, a chance to unwind and the opportunity to do something for no other reason other than it brings us joy. If you can link it to work and the skills required then that's a bonus, but its important to remember that you can do things just for the sake of doing them!
Remember Mental Health Awareness Week? The theme was kindness, and its important to remember that it means you have to be kind to yourself also. Honestly, I believe that the best way to be kind to yourself is to indulge in things that you enjoy and that allow you the chance to rest, relax and be happy with yourself and give yourself a break. Self-care isn't selfish at all; its necessary to maintain good overall health.
Another bonus I can take away from here is that I can enjoy the fruits of my labour ......... fruits, geddit? Because ........ strawberries ......... I'll get my coat!
Let's break this down then, shall we? What skills and traits can we take away from this that would be useful in work?
1) Patience - there are often a lot of "long games" at work, particularly in law. There are tasks that can take weeks to complete, some may take even longer.
I recall one matter at one of my workplaces took 2 years to complete - it was started, I believe, 2 employees ago before it arrived in my work stack and after bring stonewalled for longer than I was patient for, I decided enough was enough and that another colleague and I were going to get this matter over the line so that a customer can finally see the desired end result.
Another example is dispute resolution (litigation). It is often a long-drawn-out process that can take months to get from start to finish, and that's not even counting enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration order!
Now let's take my gardening hobby. Growing fruits and vegetables is a long game and it requires patience and the willingness to put the effort and investment in over the weeks and months of the season. You can see from the photos above how the vegetables look after 3 weeks - still moving from the young stage to the adolescent stage where they'll start to show the first signs of their fruits, and then a couple of weeks or so after that I'll be able to pick my first courgettes, beans and spinach leaves. So that's at least 2 months or so until I'll be able to start harvesting - good thing we've still got access to supermarkets in the meantime! It isn't a hobby for anyone who wants a quick result after a day or two. You need to be patient if you want this to work well.
2) Commitment to a goal - for me, my journey to qualification as a solicitor is still ongoing. At least another 2 years will be needed. If you can relate to this in that you have a goal that's a good couple of years off, then you'll agree that you need to be absolutely sure that this is what you want to pursue, regardless of what it is. Architecture, I remember from an old uni mate that she needed to study for 7 years or so. Medicine, its not uncommon for aspiring surgeons to have to spend years in study, shadowing and supervised practice. Law, if you remember a previous blog I wrote, it can be at least 6 years of study and training until you're fully qualified.
Here, growing fruits and vegetables is a long term hobby because if you look after them well, they'll keep growing and keep bearing fruit. If you look at my beans and spinach and courgettes, that's the result of 3 weeks of attention and care. If I had not bothered, then they wouldn't have grown and they would have simply died without sunlight and water.
3) Learn a new skill - ok this one isn't exactly new but I'm a few years removed and so I treated it like I was learning it all over again. So go with me on this one, ok? Cool!
As we've seen by the heavy usage of the hashtag #learninginlockdown, lockdown is a great time for learning, whether its a new subject, new skill, new method, you name it. We're embracing the time whilst at home staying safe to better ourselves in whatever form that takes.
I had to relearn all the prep that was needed in order to start growing again. The seed packets had instructions on them so that made it easier, but it was still a case of relearning a process that had lapsed.
4) Get stuck in - this is a great one here. Showing that you're willing and eager to give things a try is great to see, whether you're in work or not. If you can show this at work, then bonus points for you as you'll be seen as someone willing to branch out, learn even more, be a greater team player, perhaps even take on more responsibilities later down the line. Being able to do new things shows that you are willing to grow and learn, thereby putting you over as a more complete worker.
5) You're human - you are allowed to have downtime and you are allowed to indulge in things that aren't work-related - you're not a Terminator!
Workplaces should be encouraging a good work-life balance as they should be aware that we cannot work all day every day and physically need to rest and recover, and our workplaces need us to want to come into work each working day. If we're exhausted and burned out and stressed out, we won't want to and we won't be able to do out best.
So whilst its great to be able to keep busy and keep on top of our learning and development during this time, it is important to remember to indulge in the things that make us happy too. We owe it to ourselves and those around us to look after our own mental and physical health.
One way to look at it is like a phone battery. We use it and the battery drains. The more we use it, the more it drains. There comes a point where you have to charge it in order to carry on using it.
This is a metaphor for ourselves if you think about it. We work, and we use up our internal battery. We work hard at multiple things in our lives, and we use up our internal battery even quicker. Eventually, we run out of juice - we're exhausted, we burn out, and we're no use to anyone. We need to recharge, and that's what our downtime and our hobbies are for!
So whatever you do for fun, enjoy it and make the most of it, regardless of whether you can find any work-related skills from it. Its your downtime, and you owe it to yourself to use it for your own good!
Be safe and be well! :)
Credit: cover image photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
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