In the dog days of 2024 I set out some ambitions for 2025 and as is my tradition I am just doing a bit of a check-in to see how things are going.

My main goal was to make some strides towards improving my health.

This has unfortunately been a bit of a mixed bag. I’ve been good diet wise, moving to a really low carbohydrate diet supported by Green Chef recipe boxes (and if I’m honest some improved low carb substitutes from a couple of Deliveroo restaurants!), totally dropping sugar – apart from the occasional Jelly Baby due to low blood sugar and, as of writing this on March 23rd, not having a single alcoholic beverage this year (I do intend to break this next week for my birthday though).

I did visit a gym but I just hated the vibe so that didn’t happen. Though I have been doing some press-ups and light dumb-bell workouts. Not enough but at least it is something.

I’ve lost more than 10kg in weight since the start of the year and look pretty healthy I think.

This is a trick of the light though as honestly I’ve been mainly feeling rubbish for months now. My regular checkup with the Diabetes nurse at the end of January was all bad news and I was given even more medications (plus one of those wearable sensors to track my blood sugar) and the side effects have been an exhausting roller coaster of symptoms – which hasn’t done wonders for my anxiety either. Fingers crossed my next appointment will be more positive.

My second goal was to lower my online volume and I think this is going okay. I’ve not done any weeknotes and only blogged at all a couple of times. I am on Bluesky quite a bit but nowhere near peak Twitter days. I gave a talk at ProductTank Cardiff in January which went down well and I’ve done a couple of online Q&As but that is it. 

I’m working on my Camp Digital talk – which is coming together (slowly) – and the jobs newsletter continues to do fine. I’ve been doing more extra editions I think because I’ve had headspace without the blogging but also because June will be 10 years of doing some version of JukesieJobs so it felt like I should go big.

We are having a late start for Product for the People this year but London is in a couple of weeks and Birmingham is in June so that remains a going concern. Steve has lined up some amazing speakers for London as well.

My travel ambitions have been a bit curtailed. I’ve postponed my InterRail adventure due to the aforementioned issues with my meds but I am going to Amsterdam for a week in early April – including attending the User Needs First conference (and the STRAAT Museum of course.)

No progress at all on the calligraphy etc ~ I have just totally lost my creative mojo.

Changed my mind about the suit. My weight is still fluctuating far too much for that and truth be told I know I’d never wear it.

I have not bought any jeans, hoodies or cardigans but a couple of t-shirts have been purchased and yesterday I caved and ordered my first new pair of trainers of 2025.

As for work? Well I am all but finished at GDS – just need to pop to Whitechapel and return the Macbook. I’m still a bit unsure of my next steps to be honest. I had started to lean towards a desire to return in-house and probably try and get back into the Civil Service and this is probably the medium to long term idea….but then I read the latest narrative from the Government about their plans for the Civil Service and I wonder just how much fun that would be! I suspect Digital type roles will escape relatively unscathed but it is going to be a difficult environment.  

For the time being I am going to continue to remain independent and try and get something short term (but interesting) while I see what perm prospects emerge.

Honestly it has been a tough start to the year and the constant barrage of crappy news from every corner of the world has not helped in the slightest….but it is Spring and my birthday in just a few days and I am going to see if I can shake a positive approach out of my weary bones!