The discipline of making space
The one thing that’s become sacred in my working life is spaciousness.
In my Monday–Friday, I need space to:
Wander: to meander through London between meetings, to slip into a gallery, to walk with no destination in mind.
Connect: to meet interesting people for coffee with no agenda, no pitch, no outcome required.
Create: to work on passion projects without monetising them or having a deadline.
Do nothing: an afternoon nap, a swim at my local beach, or even a moment where I’m not filling the time with anything at all.
What matters is that none of this space needs to be optimised. It’s simply room to be me.
And yes, spaciousness brings benefits - ideas appear and opportunities surface. But that’s never the point, it’s the opposite of aiming to be productive.
Space has become even more essential as I continue on my cancer journey. It’s why I moved to a four‑day week in January. Tuesdays are my safety valve. If the rest of the week fills up, I know I have that one protected day. I guard it fiercely.
The side effects of treatment still take their toll. I can’t be always‑on. I need rest. But this season of uncertainty about what’s next on my cancer journey has also sharpened my clarity about what matters and where my attention goes. I’m not spending my most precious resource - time - on projects, experiences or relationships that don’t feed me. I’d rather have blank space in the calendar.
And yes, I know I have more control over my schedule than many. But even inside an organisation, I believe you can still create and protect your own sense of spaciousness: micro‑moments, boundaries and rituals.
So I never think of spaciousness as a luxury, it’s a must-have for me.