Weeknotes 101

It’s Sunday, I’ve got washing in the machine, a beef stew in the slow cooker, and a hot cup of tea. It’s time for the return of weeknotes.

I left 2024 with a few loose ends, I wanted to do an end of year round-up but it all felt a bit premature, having only freelanced for a couple of months, and still processing the other events of 2024 so I let it fizzle out a bit. I think I’m fine with that though, one of the principles I’ve tried to keep with weeknoting is that I’m writing these for myself more than anyone else, so the occasional act of hostility towards the audience is within the realms of acceptability, in fact, just to make a point I’m not even going to apologise. So to account for the break, let’s call this a new season?

I’ve been back at the desk for two days so far in 2025, and while everything feels largely the same, I have got a bit more of the fear than I had in 2024. I’m just over halfway through my current contract and I’m starting to feel a bit apprehensive about what’s next. It’s not panic yet, I have a few leads and there’s been more than a couple of promising conversations, but I’m not enjoying the luxury of having ‘work until next year’ any more.

Challenging my thinking though, should I treat the fear as a friend rather than foe? I work better under pressure, when time is short and expectations are high, and that’s what the fear will bring. There’s a few things on the todo list to get sorted and the motivation to get them done is high now. Thanks, fear.

I feel like I should do some kind of goal setting for the year, but again, it all feels too early. I think just trying to get my head down and get some work done, continue to get a feel for freelancing and keep my expectations realistic. I’m not here to build an empire, just a small business doing work I enjoy for people I like.

Watching

Traitors is back, this is the only reality TV I watch and it’s been a total joy year on year, making January slightly less dark and doomish. I’m slightly worried this year has already slipped into a bit of a predictable rhythm, with the smartest and loudest facing banishment first, but there’s rumours of some big shakeups coming. Hopefully so!

Listening

I’ve been enjoying some ‘best albums of 2024’ lists and have been giving everything a listen or two. Two standouts so far that have stuck with me are Mucho Mistrust by Fake Fruit, punchy female-fronted post-punk, reminding me of some of the poppier Sonic Youth moments; and The Golden Age of Snitching by Revival Season - incredibly well produced and vibrant rap, which at times feels relentless but balances itself with oodles of style.

Reading

My reading dropped a lot over the break, save for A History of Britain in Ten Enemies, which I received as a Christmas gift from my parents. It’s really entertaining, with a bit of dry humour in the style of Horrible Histories, which the author is known for. I didn’t go to school in Britain, so British history has always been a bit of a blind spot, picking up what I have through reading, movies and other media, so I always find something new in British history books