January 2025 - FIVE good things

despite the judder

It’s been a juddery January for me. Very stop - start, so much so I don't feel like I’ve even got into the starting blocks yet. I’m still warming up on the edge of the track looking a bit worried!

My son went to school for the first two days of the new term and then some serious flakes fell from the sky and we were completely snowed in. This was the highlight of the month. All obligations were suddenly lifted and we had three whole days of sledging and snowball fights. It was one of the best starts to the year I could’ve wished for but I still couldn’t shake the nagging sense that I would ‘pay’ for this time off further down the line. The snow thawed, he went back to school and then we all got ill, not so fun and even more time off school / work.

So somehow it’s now the 31st January and it feels to me like it may as well be the 31st December. But around the swirl of snow and illness, I have managed to fit in a fair amount of recordings, editing and admin, as well as a 10k run, which is pretty good considering I started from ‘couch level’ in November.

Obviously The Traitors has helped a lot but here are 5 other things that have eased me through the month…

1. Year Compass

My friend Stacey introduced me to this. It’s a booklet that helps you reflect on the year and plan the next one, with a set of carefully selected questions and exercises.

I’m only in my second year but I find it an incredibly useful and soothing way to start January when my head is often buzzing with ideas and to dos. You do need to set aside some quiet time to think and reflect but it’s a completely free resource:

https://yearcompass.com

2. Minimalising my phone

I’ve been trying to reduce my idle phone scrolling time for a while but bad habits kept creeping back in so I’ve gone nuclear. I’ve changed the screen saver to a simple black and white design, the background to black, deleted the vast majority of my apps and shoved any I can’t live without into one folder where I have to go and find them. Admittedly doing all that took me a lot of screen time. However since then, without putting ANY extra effort in, my screen time is going down and down each week. I hope it lasts!

3. New diary

I love nothing more than filling out a fresh new diary. I am an absolute diehard devotee to Leuchtturm 1917: Weekly Planner & Notebook (A5 softcover if you want to be exact!). I’ve been using them for YEARS and they really work for me. This year I’ve gone for the lobster red…

4. Skunk Anansie - An Artist Is An Artist

   I’m a 90s indie kid at heart and so I was very intrigued to hear a new Skunk Anansie tune on the radio. Turns out I LOVE it!

5. Brassic

   I’m late to the party but this comedy-drama series is so good. I love the characters, the writing, the fact that most episodes are like a mini-heist movie. I don’t know how it passed me by before. Hard recommend!

   Apart from some bonus material below 😉 that’s my round-up of January 2025 done. I hope you enjoyed reading Read the Room Reflections and that something here makes next month a little bit easier for you.

   Meet me again, same place at the end of February!

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   BONUS! I posted about these podcasts on Instagram but I’m not sure if anyone saw it so here they are again in case you missed it…

TAPE LETTERS
I love an oral history project and that’s how this beautiful podcast series started. Tape Letters shines light on the practice of recording and sending messages of cassette tapes as an unorthodox method of communication by Pakistanis who migrated and settled in the UK.

Winner of the Arts & Culture category at the Indie Podcast Awards 2024.

I particularly enjoyed Episode 6 but the whole series is well worth a listen. I can’t wait to hear Series 2 now!

THE TELEPATHY TAPES
In a world that often dismisses the extraordinary as mere fantasy, The Telepathy Tapes dares to explore the profound abilities of non-speakers with autism—individuals who have long been misunderstood and underestimated.

Absolutely fascinating! I’ve only heard the first episode but will definitely listen to more.

Creator & writer: Ky Dickens
Mix & music: Jen Murdza

THE FIELD
Intriguing and unique. Loved the monologue about tea!
This is an audio mystery set in the small Welsh town of Llanantwm. The story unfolds during a unique moment in the town's history, and while we would all like a neat, ordered understanding of what took place during these times, this is not what happened. Collected from various sources, The Field is an opportunity to dive deep into the world and make the story from the fragments that exist. Listen, decide and create.

The Field is written by Hefin Robinson, produced by Yello Brick and is a collaboration between Alison John, Julian Sykes and Hefin Robinson.

HOW TO FAIL: Stephen Merchant
I really enjoyed this episode. A fun insight into his life and the rollercoaster of doing stand-up comedy.