The scent of sharpened pencils

Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

The scent of sharpened pencils hangs heavy in the air at this time of year. But still the lingering tug of summer. 

Summer can feel like an unravelling; a welcome undoing of the tight knots of routine. Although for those with school age children, it might have left you feeling more like a ball of wool that has lost its identity being passed hand to hand. I am lucky enough to work with the brilliant 64 Million artists on their academic leadership programmes. Their approach to summer working is a great example of how implementing a working pattern that at first seems radical turns out to be common sense (along with jobsharing, hybrid working and the rest..). See Jo Hunter’s (64m CEO) Guardian article for more.  

I find the move into September often feels welcome. It brings a sharpening of focus, an energy of wanting to get things done before winter, but tempered by the recent memory of summer relaxation. 

At this point in the cycle of the year, a question I’m playing with - and asking my clients -  is - “if your life was a novel, what would be the title of your next chapter?” It is eliciting great reflections: focus for intention setting, but with space for serendipity and life to unfold. No hard September reset.

So if your attention is starting to swing towards metaphorical (or real) new pencil cases, I invite you to take some time to think: 

What is the title of your next chapter?