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Thursday 21/1. ‘Lived in my mailbox for far too long’

6:22 Wake-up call in a Greek hotel, the type that in the summer is overloaded with tourists with blue bracelets that allow them to quickly order drinks at the pool bar. 6:45 Taxi ride to Athens airport. Thanks to the mindfulness course, I resist the temptation to answer some emails quickly. I experience the ride to the fullest, look at landscape and culture. 8:30 Take-off for a flight of just under 4 hours. First moment of work today. I take my PC and use the time to look back on the three days in Athens. I worked hard with colleagues from Europe and the Middle East, but also had a lot of good conversations during the breaks. Great enthusiasm about the session in which we shared our best practices – a formula I had proposed. Half of the people were older than me, real seniors, and some called it the best session in years. Phew. 11:40 I walk on the tarmac and put on my headphones for a shot of Studio Brussels – music is one of my great sources of energy. While waiting for my luggage, I open my mailbox for the first time. I spend little time in my emails, I’ve lived in my mailbox for far too long. As a result, I sometimes miss an email, but irrevocable dramas have not yet happened because of it. I put very little energy into emails where a few dozen people are cc’d. We have an agreement with my regular group: don’t cc me, but get me into the conversation if I need to take action. 17:00 I go home on time, because I have an appointment with a friend to help me develop Visual Studio. I want to develop another tool to refresh my reports more easily. Learning something in good company and with an excellent bottle of red wine: a strong recipe for a successful evening.

Monday 25/1. ‘Working doesn’t have to hinder the atmosphere in the house’

7:30 Breakfast is a sacred moment in our family, but today it is exceptionally less extensive, because S. has an early meeting. 7:50 A. seizes his opportunity to prepare his pirate boat for a surprise attack on the island tonight. I check which history I need for my first meeting. 17:30 I can pick up A. at the after-school care – I almost always do that when I’m not abroad. He already tells us in the car that he would like to do some Bingel exercises on the computer. That’s good, because I’ll be spending a few more hours in my office at home. 19:05 I retreat to my desk to go through my slides for the 5 choices training one last time – tomorrow is the big day. It is a bit strange to have to rehearse the material that I have been applying myself for a year in order to be able to convey it to colleagues. At the same time, it is probably the appropriate uncertainty to be able to distance myself again and get the theory so clear that I can explain it to people who do not yet know the concepts. The reason I make time for this, and that in the month of January that is always insane at Microsoft, is because I myself have benefited a lot from the 5 choices training – both for my professional life and for my private life. A. joins me fifteen minutes later and practices bingel on his computer. A great feeling: I still work a bit and yet I am close to my son. He regularly asks me something and I’m fine with that. What’s more, I’m glad that he doesn’t feel inhibited because dad is still concentrating on his work. A sign that work does not have to hinder the good atmosphere at home.

Tuesday 26/1. ‘If it’s crazy enough, you’ll have my attention’

5:45 Spontaneously awake from the adrenaline. D-day, the day on which we, the group of enthusiasts who already followed the 5 choices training last year, can share our experiences with our colleagues, and help them to find a balance in everything they do and want to do. 6:15 I go through the slides and double-check whether the videos and music are ready for the breaks. 7:00 The alarm clocks are ringing. A. has a fever of 39.2 degrees. Just when my schedule is stuck for two days with the training. Usually I can move my agenda around more easily than S., unless I’m abroad. Normally, in emergencies like this, I switch from face-to-face meetings to Skype-for-Business, so that I can work perfectly from home. This time it is S. who arranges with a few text messages that she can stay at home. Whew. 12:00 The first participants arrive to have a healthy lunch together. 13:30 Erik van FranklinCovey, who leads the training, starts in the common room. The enthusiasm does not immediately drip off the sixty participants. I don’t blame them; At the time, I also left for the course with the Testgorep only moderately motivated. I remember well when I made the click: when Erik said you can rewire your brain. As long as it’s crazy enough, then you have my attention.

Woensdag 27/1. Brain break: een djembé-sessie 

6:30 Adrenaline. Day two of the training. 17:00 Course is over; The reactions of colleagues are gratifying. Despite their critical attitude, most of them seem to have benefited from it, and appreciate the fact that it was a colleague who trained them – they thought that was good for credibility and applicability. As a brain break, another session of playing djembe follows. Everyone is drumming and waving samba balls. Perfect end to two inspiring days. 19:00 After a short drink with a few stickers back home. A. and S have already eaten. A.’s appetite is back, there is only a small piece of schnitzel left for me. No problem, son, I’m glad you liked it. 19:45 S. leaves for her weekly sports. 19:58 A goes to sleep. He still coughs a little. Tomorrow he can probably go back to school. I read from Jommeke. He chooses an album from the library, where we always borrow Jommekes & CDs together. The stranded pen bag is the title, and who plays the leading role? Gilles Bates, big boss of a computer giant and one of the richest people in the world. Great: the circle is complete again! 20:50 Exceptional hour to shut down my computer, but tomorrow I have to get up at 5.10 am & the two-day training has crawled into my clothes.

Thursday 28/1. Candycrush, a serious time-waster

5:05 The first alarm clock does its job. First, because I always set two alarm clocks when I have to catch a flight. 8:49 From the taxi to the hotel where the conference is taking place, I text my colleague asking which room they are in so as not to lose any time. 9:15 I arrive in the room, where the presentations have already started. I knew that in advance, but spending the night in the hotel to be there from the beginning was not an option for me. I really needed a few quality moments with A. and S after the busy days with the 5 choices training. 19:05 In the taxi to the airport, I call S with all my heart. She asks if she will stay awake. I say it’s very sweet, but it will be midnight when I arrive. I promise her that she has a hug to do. 21:30 On the plane I play candy crush for a while: trying to pass level 109 in a wonderfully almost brain-dead way. I admit it: an absolutely serious time-waster, the kind that you have to eradicate according to the ‘5 choices’. I have 3 places to myself, I would better take a nap. 23:50 The garden lights are still on. At the sight of it alone, I feel the warm glow of home coming over me. My golden two are already asleep. I give them both a kiss. And remember: January was hectic, you can set your clock on that at Microsoft. But I survived unscathed. My good home base certainly helped with that. And without a healthy sense of perspective, it would not have succeeded.

Thursday 4/2. Inspiring contacts

6:05 Oh my God, that alarm clock. 6:50 I’m already on the train to Bern. It only takes an hour, the drive from Zurich to Bern. Ideal to briefly deal with some emails. 8:05 First meeting with my client. An hour of discussion about how we can best train their partners to increase success. 9:00 Management meeting, in which we align their draft long-term strategy with our objectives. This is the type of meetings that gives me the most energy. 10:15 Back on the train to Zurich. 11:45 Just in time to finish the sales training with a motivational speech. The salespeople have had a whole morning of training and as a supplier I can take the last word. A great way to round off my morning. 12:00 Lunch with the sales crew in a small cozy restaurant just next to a canal in Zurich. A beautiful view, good food, and motivated company, which presents me with a lot of interesting questions. 13:30 Meeting with the new manager of the department that leads Swisscom’s major customers. A man with a clear vision, that will be a good sparring partner. 14:00 Meeting with the product manager. We go back several years and our meetings are always enlightening. He knows the business, comes up with concrete new questions. He regularly tells me things I haven’t come across yet. Inspiring. 15:35 I take the train from Zurich to the airport. A place whose place name is not worthy of making it into the newspaper. 16:00 While I am screaming through customs, I call in on a call with American colleagues and a customer. 16:50 Rest. I plop down in the comfortable seats of the lounge with a piece of cake and a small glass of prosecco. Usually this lounge moment is a real moment of rest, but this time there are still some urgent matters that require my attention. 18:00 Take off. After a game of candy crush, I close my eyes for a moment. The cheese sandwich passes me by.

Zaterdag 6/2. Out of office !

For a week, without work, without mail. Nothing but family, friends, mountains.