by Dan Atkinson
If you live in the UK, you might have spotted a road sign with the above slogan. With far fewer cars on the road people find the temptation to zoom along the empty roads hard to resist. Whilst the traffic has changed, the speed limit hasn't.
As I walked past this sign, I reflected on the similarity with our current situation. In some ways it is a good description, but it isn't perfect. We need to recognise this imperfection to help keep in balance.
Pre-lockdown, many of us had a clear separation between work time and ‘life' time. You might think of this as our mental traffic. We travelled to work, spent time with colleagues and then went back home. The act of travelling provided a welcome buffer to separate the two. It gave us the opportunity (whether we took it or not) to have some quiet and refreshment of our minds.
However, we now find the two intermingled. For some there will be additional traffic in the form of childcare and home schooling. The volume of traffic may be different, but the way it's organised certainly has changed. Of course, there are people who are thriving in this new way of working and are more effective than ever.
I'm not saying that it is all bad, but we do need to recognise that it isn't quite business as usual.
We could think about our capacity as being our speed limit. We still have the same 24 hours in a day. Our brain is physically the same. Technology means that the people and information that we need are generally accessible too. Overall, one could argue that our speed limit hasn't changed.
But this isn't entirely true, is it? While our overall speed limit might not have changed, the situation we find ourselves in is more like a main road with lots of traffic lights or stop signs. The new style of traffic involves interruptions which break up our time. It takes time to refocus and get back into a task. We also find ourselves with potentially less rest time and a less separation between work and life.
I'm still working this through myself, but here are three things that I have found to be helpful. This applies to all aspects of our life - not just the work we do.
If we set ourselves free from the self-imposed burdens, we have the flexibility to achieve more. We can use the time we would have spent berating ourselves to manage the balance and achieve our goals. Setting targets that recognise the different circumstances can trigger a positive feedback loop.
It's quite early to tell if this is working, but initial signs are positive. I would encourage you to take some time to reflect and review how you are coping in the present circumstances. I hope that these thoughts help you navigate your new speed limit.
Dan's degree Music Technology degree helps him approach Financial Planning problems creatively. He is both a Chartered Financial Planner and a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society (PFS). Dan is an Accredited Paraplanner™ with CISI and is working towards the Certified Financial Planner™ certification. He is head of technical at Paradigm Norton and Chairman of the CISI Paraplanner Interest Group. Having won several awards in his field, Dan continues to work with CISI and other organisations to support others involved in this area of Financial Planning by writing articles, and hosting conferences and events. Outside of the office Dan is married to Hannah and has a young daughter who keeps him on his toes. He is also involved in his local Church in Hatfield. Follow him here.
