Tortoise Knows Best

A Cup of Sugar?

Written by Matt Caulfield on November 13, 2008

Morning,

Isn’t the news cheery today. BBC is reporting the highest unemployment in 11 years. The Telegraph is running with “UK in Recession for Most of Next Year”

I don’t know why I bother with the news at times. Can’t we have a nice story. Like “Hoodie Helped Old Lady Across the Road”?

Why is it so fashionable to be dour and cynical and aggressive and negative?

Something that was illustrated quite neatly on my disastrous appearance (is it really an appearance if you are on the radio?) with Stephen Nolan and Charlie Mullins (of Pimlico Plumbers, lest you forget!) on Radio Five Live (and I just noticed, with all the excitement, I totally forgot to celebrate Saint Monday. Damn!)

Because, to get through this we are going to have to work together, get a sense of community and co-operation, rather than selfishness and competition. That is the way the world used to be. Popping round the neighbours for a cup of sugar, that. Nowadays who even knows their neighbours name?

That is one of the (many?) unfortunately side effects of the age of abundance we have just been living through, because we were in a position to get what we wanted by ourselves (food from the supermarket etc), that we have become less reliant on others and therefore that sense of community that used to hold us together has diminished.

Even if it is just for support, or to have a bit of a moan about our current situation, a peer group is very important (in fact a recent study suggested that one of the keys to happiness is to have a group of 10 close friends).

So go on. Go and introduce yourself to your neighbour, take some cakes (they don’t need to be homemade…)

Categories: Uncategorized - Tags: Charlie Mullins, community, cooperation, Cup of sugar, Stephen Nolan, the economy

What is Slow?

Written by Matt Caulfield on November 11, 2008

The people at BBC Radio Berkshire are much nicer than Stephen Nolan. They were actually interested in what I had to say and listened. I think I may have gabbled a little bit (I was so excited that they were actually interested!) and probably sound out of breath as seconds before I went on air, my 2 dogs started barking at random things (Jack Russell’s eh?), so I had to shoo them downstairs and shut the door!

But any way, they allowed me to talk much more about how it is easier to balance your life and there are some very effective strategies to cope with this downturn that are certainly not patronising. But can even be fun and more enjoyable than your old fast life. If you give it a chance.

But it does take quite an effort to change your perspective.

Which is my job really. Often I get asked “Do I really need someone to tell me to slow down?” and my answer is always “No, but you probably need help actually slowing down. It is not that easy (if it were we would all do it and the economy and planet wouldn’t be in the mess that is it would it?).

Anyway after my savaging by Stephen Nolan and Charlie Mullins (did you know he owns Pimlico Plumbers? Do you think he mentioned it enough in the Five Live thing? Do you get the impression, like me, that he was only there to plug his company? As he certainly had nothing useful, interesting, or even factual to add to the discussion).

Incidentally, before I go on, I would like to point I have done plenty of media work before including radio and (pre-recorded and live) TV, so I am not some media virgin, moaning about my ill treatment at the hands of the mean radio people. It is just the first time (well second actually, I had a rather…“cold” half an hour once in the company of Ed Doolan on BBC WM!), that I felt I had been stitched right up!

So, back to the point, after my somewhat bad reception I was thinking of ways to explain what I do simply and succinctly. So, when someone asks me what I do (as people always do – why do we define people by what they do for a living?).

So I have prepared this:

You know…

You feel life is running away, with you and you feeling like you are always rushing to keep up, you are always tired and stressed and never really seem to have the time to appreciate what you have got or do the things you want to do. You crave things that you don’t really want ad feel you SHOULD do a lot of things you don’t want to?

Well what I do is…

Well what I do is help you slow down, take control of your life and really start appreciating what you have and find the time and energy to do what you really want.

AS a work in progress…

Categories: Uncategorized - Tags: BBC Five Live, BBC Radio Berkshire, Charlie Mullins, Pimlico Plumbers, Slow, slow movement, Stephen Nolan, What do you do

Well, That was fun.

Written by Matt Caulfield on November 10, 2008

Did you get the joys of listening to me being savaged on the radio show on Saturday night by Stephen Nolan and Charlie Mullins of Pimlico Plumbers?

If not you can listen to the gory details here on BBC iplayer (it should be there until the 15th November, I will try and get a copy to post the audio here, when it expires. UK listeners only I am afraid), it is at 2hr 23minutes-ish.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00fcm29/Stephen_Nolan_08112008/

I have to say I felt somewhat ambushed! I was invited on to discuss workaholism and work/life balance. So, I prepare for a discussion about how people need to and can develop that balance and how the “slow” principles can help you achieve more in less time, reduce your stress levels an attain a bit of balance in your life (especially in these difficult times).

But that is not what happened.

From Stephen’s opening response “I am astonished by this…” and accusing me of being patronising, to Charlie’s consistently self centred (and, to be honest, horribly naïve and ill informed) rhetoric about how the economy is making us all work harder (and if you are not you are obviously a lazy slacker) and seeming refusal to listen to anything I had to say. It was obvious I had just been wheeled out as some whipping boy for them to pick on (for daring to suggest there is something more to life than work and there are people out there who want to balance their lives!)

Anyway, sadly I don’t have time to write a full report on it today, so I will be expanding on my reflection of the show and what I actually wanted to discuss in the blogs throughout this week.

Incidentally I will on BBC Radio Berkshire at 8:45am tomorrow, hopefully they will be a little more open minded and a little less aggressive!

Categories: Uncategorized - Tags: Charlie Mullins, mean, Pimlico Plumbers, Radio five live, savaged, Stephen Nolan, work life balance, workaholism