This is my Now page, inspired by nownownow.com. I use it as a place to share what projects I’m working on, where my priorities currently lie, and how things are going in general. I last updated it on Wednesday 19 March 2025.
This page is meant to be very dynamic, but it’s been almost two years since I last updated it. Obviously lots has happened in that time, but I’m going to focus on the main things happening right now – and try not to leave it so long next time!
Writing my MSc thesis: I’m four-and-a-half months into the final module of my thesis, with about five-and-a-half months to go. I knew it would be challenging, but it’s even harder than I imagined to juggle a proper research project with full-time work and everything else. I’m plugging away at it as best I can though, while trying to manage my perfectionistic tendencies. I’ve also been documenting the process through my Mission Thesis blog post series.
Taking on new challenges at work: I became a union health and safety rep at the end of last year, though I’ve ended up taking on additional tasks because we’re particularly low on volunteers. Having received help from the union last year, I was keen to get involved, but have to be careful about managing my own workload and wellbeing too. Within my day job, I’ve been exploring how I can use AI to work more efficiently and effectively, and was even given the opportunity to speak about this to senior leaders at a briefing day earlier this month.
Getting back into tutoring: Once a week I have been supporting the children of someone I know (one year 8 and one year 13) with maths. I’ve really enjoyed getting back into this sort of work, which I did alongside my undergraduate studies. At the same time, it is another time and energy commitment that I need to keep on top of.
Receiving a long-overdue diagnosis: After inheriting some money last year I decided to pay for a private autism assessment, having suspected since I was a teenager that I might fulfil the diagnostic criteria. Turns out, I do! My anxiety and developmental trauma meant the process took a little longer than is typical, but I’m pleased to have an official diagnosis that I can use to better understand myself and access the support I need. I haven’t fully processed what this means, but it’s certainly a relief.
Making it easy: Because I’ll be juggling full-time work, part-time study and lots of other things for the next six months, I’ve decided my guiding mantra will be to “make it easy”. I’m not taking on any significant new challenges – for example, not redoing my Level 2 BSL course and not trying to learn a new Science Museum tour. I’m also reminding myself that, given all the hard things I’m trying to achieve, on top of the diagnosis I’ve just received, it’s okay to make things easier and more convenient where I can, even if it costs more or feels “lazy”. So far this has mainly manifested in buying healthy prepared food instead of making everything from scratch, but it’s been a helpful mindset shift.
Trying to stay on top of my health and fitness: I fell over while running in October 2024, twisting my ankle and hitting my knee. I had already been struggling with my fitness goals but this made things even worse. Of course, this created a vicious cycle of feeling bad, exercising less and eating poorly, then feeling worse, and so on. A few weeks ago I started Slimming World again, which provides a balance of structure and freedom that works well for me. While I’ve not been to the gym on my own much, I’ve decided to increase my personal training sessions (making it easy!) and walk more, plus I’ll be playing baseball again this summer and look forward to the weather being warm enough for outdoor swimming. My injuries still not completely healed, but have improved as I’ve increased my activity while avoiding anything too high impact.
Thinking about what comes next: When I tell people I’m doing an MSc they often ask what I’m planning to do with it. While I still don’t have a specific answer to that question, I have been thinking about it a lot. I have some general plans that feel quite exciting, but am also regularly reminding myself that I have to actually finish the thesis first!