I write these notes to reflect, remember (because I don't), compare scars with fellow digital pros, and for public accountability. Read more here.
This is it. The year I’ll turn 50.
Turns out I’m doing better than Michael Jackson, who by 50 was wearing a condom catheter to bed according to the Death of MJ TV doc I caught some of the other night. (I’m emphatically not a fan, but never tire of shows about his creepiness).
I’ve got until September to make my peace with the big five-oh, and figure out how to mark it.
My 2025 had some great stuff in it. First time riding Hyperia. First trips to Brussels and Iceland. Saw Adam Ant, Max Cooper and Weval live. Watched an epic recreation of the Battle of Waterloo with son 2. Partied with Tom Cruise. Got a Switch 2. Toured unis with son 1. Got tattoo 4 (a Black Rabbit of Inlé). Had two boardgame weekends away. Luxuriated in a spa for the wife’s 50th. More besides.
It was a tough year at work. Achieved good things, shipped an internal treatise on digital first, spoke at more events. But a cyber incident, some tricky HR bits and an exec reshuffle had me stuck on reactive mode for the most part. A bridging year, perhaps, between my first 3 BFI years and the next however-many.
I kept up the weeknoting here, blogged officially at work, but defaulted on my commitment to buy and blog about one thing from every shop in Crystal Palace. Will I ever resume that? Hmm, possibly.
2026 is off to a proactive, if tad overwhelming start.
There are some right gnarly items on my Q4 to-do list that could give me a serious case of January blues, but I’m staving the SAD off (just about), and rolling up my sleeves.
Three things are helping: the gym (annoyingly the fitness gurus are correct), a new productivity system, and exciting conversations about refining our strategy fuelled by financial imperatives.
My new productivity system is this.
Two simple pages.
1. A “daily log” (a new page per day) docked on my screen to capture notes as the day unfolds. It has 3 sections stacked in a single column: today’s focus, today’s log, new actions. This means I’ve always got my cursor right where I need it to type what’s happening now and what new things need doing.
2. A “master backlog” which I pull from in the morning for each day’s focus, sweep newly captured actions into at the close of the day, and occasionally titivate and reprioritise.
Honestly, it feels like I’ve nailed it. Caveat: I’ve felt this feeling before (with GTD, BuJo, Make Time…)
The tool is OneNote. Going with the corporate grain, and its “dock to desktop” feature prevents it disappearing behind other windows.
The key is to stick to it and not use anything else.
That said, Capacities looks tasty.
Resolutions seldom stick but mine for 2026 are…
Life: really go for it with health and fitness; get son 1 ready to live independently (😭); begin rekindling friendships in anticipation of an emptier nest; make a nutty notebook (more on this in a future post!)
Work: focus on my top team and goal-setting; dial up the digital-first imperative and bring it to life for colleagues; elevate our focus on design and tech standards; get closer to IT; shift gears on AI*.
Both: keep doing new/stretchy/meaningful stuff to fight the hedonic treadmill and savour life as it whizzes by.
*Although I fundamentally agree with this cartoon.
I got interviewed about early GDS, as a case study in Peter Thomas’s research on civil service reform.
It was so lovely to talk about it, and validating to know it’s still being studied as a beacon of transformation and better ways of working. It’s eight years since my eight years in GDS, and it’s easier to doubt the transferable relevance of its learnings the more distant it feels.
Peter reminded me mine was the longest tenure of the small group of pre-GDS architects who plotted the whole thing in pubs, and he’d heard how my sticking around giving all-staff pep talks helped other GDS folks keep the faith through the Kevin Cunnington years. I guess I did know that, but it was nice to hear it’s remembered.
The more videos I see of Falcon’s Flight at Six Flags the more my rollercoaster desire is overpowering my distaste for Saudi Arabia.
Son 1’s sixth form prizegiving had a surprising treat of an inspiring guest talk from alumnus Fred Afrifa, a recent contestant on The Apprentice, now a public speaking consultant.
My car broke down, badly and expensively. Another “first” though: a blowout and RAC callout. A coil spring had snapped, whatever one of those is.
I’ve been loving all the Bowie stuff. I can’t believe Blackstar and his death was 10 years ago. I can’t believe how fast my 40s went. I can’t believe the utter fucking state of world news. Too old for this shit. Did I mention I’m turning 50?
🔎 Found, interesting 🧐
Anna Shipman: The Engineer to Executive Translation Layer
Ash Mann: Making the Case – what leaders notice (and need) when everything’s competing for their time
Tash Wilcocks: Why leaders love giving answers (and why that often doesn’t work anymore)
GDS: Updates from GOV.UK AI Studio and Roadmap for modern digital government
Ayesha Moarif: Bring clarity to complex services (without service mapping)
Ofcom research: Exploring audience journeys on connected TV devices
John Cutler: The Dotwork Discovery Playbook
Vaughn Tan: Boring tiny tools
Jen Briselli: Head Up, Feet Moving
Harry Metcalfe: Realism, antirealism and the middle way
Claire Hughez: How we can retain civil servants in digital teams
Rod McLaren: 3 reasons to start with words
The session grid and notes from this year’s UKGovCamp
👀 Cultural highlights
[This list is not exhaustive]
🎬 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sick and boldly original, while also owing a lot to A Clockwork Orange and Ridley Walker.
🎬 Withnail & I ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A treat to see this on 35mm in a packed screening, with a candid Q&A between Will Arnett and Richard E Grant. Seen it thousands of times but this was my first in a cinema. Never tire of it.
📺 The Traitors S4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hardest series to be a traitor. Great telly.
📺 Red Eye: Crimson Icarus ⭐⭐⭐ Our mate Jemma Moore is in it. Well plotted fun.
🕹️ Death Stranding 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Portering my way around on easy mode.
🎧 Rabbit Hole ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Incredible 8-part podcast from the New York Times in 2020, on how algorithms fuelled polarisation, conspiracy theories and the mess the world is now in.
🎧 Hard Fork ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very listenable and informative tech podcast I probably should have been listening to sooner.
Distractions
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