Hello! I'm Tim from Make Work Work Better, and welcome to my brilliantly-named newsletter, The Make Work Work Letter.
Make Work Work Better exists to transform Workplace Wellbeing, by focussing on the working practices and processes that lead to stress and burnout. I'll be using the newsletter to compile thoughts, material and links around this mission as well as recommendations and tips on working and living smarter, not harder.
Stephen Fry once descibed the difference between US and UK comedy through this scene in Animal House where John Belushi smashes a folk singer's guitar. "The American comic hero," Fry explains, "would want to play the John Belushi part. The British comedian would play the folk singer". Whether the cultural divide can really be summed up that simply, it's certainly true that schadenfreude is a central element of much comedy. Empathy not so much.
Which is why I was overjoyed by the start of Season Two of Ted Lasso last week. This show and the remarkable Schitt's Creek are bizarre outliers: genuinely, side-holdingly funny shows that are also kind, and enlightened, and curious, and empathic. They're shows that hold up hope and growth as desirable traits to be applauded, not idealistic fantasies to be crushed. They're shows about human connection, and we all know how much we've needed that this year. What's more, I have a sneaking suspicion that the line where Jason Sudeikis stops and Ted Lasso starts is very slim indeed. 🎩
In ISO 45003 news, I launched the Well-Working Index, a tool for organisations to get an initial read on how they're doing across potential areas of psychosocial risk. I'm offering it for free to organisations of up to 30 employees. My ISO45003 video series has fallen a bit behind thanks to building work next door, a ridiculous heatwave and a sickness bug rampaging through my family, but I'm hoping it'll be back on track by the next newsletter.
As I am the father of a 7-year-old who is discovering gaming, I'm trying to get my head around how to keep him safe whilst still giving him a degree of freedom. In trying to learn more about Roblox, I stumbled across this fascinating site about Dark Patterns in Gaming - the tricks that game designers use to manipulate you into plating more and more often that you intend. This led me down a bit of a wikipedia hole around the concept of Dark Patterns in general, which fascinated and appalled me in equal measure. I clearly need to re-write my talk on Distraction to take into account how much of the modern world is specifically designed to hijack our attention.
It's an unpopular opinion amongst 'proper' cricket fans, but so far I quite like The Hundred, the even-shorter cricket format designed to appeal to new fans. Stripping away some of the jargon and tradition really demonstrates how utterly impenetrable the sport is to newcomers. And having cricket back on terrestrial TV is a lovely thing.
Do Yourself A Favour... with Alice Lyons
The guest on Episode 3 of our sister podcast was the badass Alice Lyons of Dark Coffee
What do you wish you'd learned sooner?
That no-one else knows what they're doing either
What book made a difference to the way you thought about life?
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl. I go back to it every few years.
What tool or tools do you use every day?
Calendly changed the game for me. Everything makes more sense with Calendly Canva has really helped make producing content enjoyable and fun. I do all of my social media and presentations in Canva now. I use Do Not Disturb on my phone more of the day than not now. i realised how bad interruptions are for your wellbeing and your workflow.
What was the last really useful thing you bought or acquired?
Preventative Maintenance! Some health tests for something I've been putting off for 6 years. I really wish I'd done it sooner.
Complete the sentence: Do yourself a favour and...?
Stop being a dick to yourself. So many of us are ruthlessly, ridiculously dickheaded and mean to ourselves, often without realising we're doing it.
Do Yourself A Favour Podcast - ...And Stop Being a D!ck to Yourself (with Alice Lyons) | Free Listening on Podbean App
The badass Alice Lyons of Dark Coffee joined Tim to talk about assuming everyone else has it figured out, the importance of Purpose, and how exhausting it is trying to be a grown-up. Show notes for the episode can be found at https://doyourselfafavour.notion.site
Digging In The Shelves
chosen at random by Alice Lyons
Deadguy - Screaming with the Deadguy Quintet
In a classic case of judging a record by its cover, I bought this expecting it to fall comfortably in with the quiffrock I was mainlining at the time. It didn't - it's actually metal. That was in 1996 and I don't think I've actually given it a second listen until just now. It's heavy: big riffage, grunty screaming and double-kick-drum assaults. Vaguely reminiscent of Napalm Death in places. I enjoyed it more than I was expecting and I'm going to give it another spin now.
More in a few weeks, and don't forget to check the podcast in the meantime!
Cheerio
Tim