Make time for you
I love that calm period after Boxing Day, when the world slows down and it’s OK to sit on the sofa
We are approaching my favourite time of year.
I’m not talking about actual Christmas but the bit after – twixmas, that lovely calm period after Boxing Day and before new Year’s Eve, where the work is done, the world slows down and it’s oK to sit on the sofa watching tV.
In the past I would take this time to relax and then hit January with a self-imposed list of resolutions and goals to achieve in the coming year. But 2019 feels different. A recurring theme in this issue is about putting a stop to all that. First we have the hilarious Victoria Coren Mitchell writing her first column for w&h (p73), and it’s all about her NOT-to-do list. It made me laugh out loud, especially as I’ve been guilty myself of many of the points she makes – anyone else joined a gym and never used it? Yes, me too! Top of my not-to-do list for the coming year is multitasking – see our feature on p16. Why you need to stop multitasking really resonates with me and confirms what I think most of us already suspect. Trying to achieve too many things at once is actually counterproductive, and while frantic juggling can feel like a badge of honour for busy women, it’s actually so much more efficient to focus on one thing at a time.
Take writer Fiona Gibson, who in our feature Mess wars on p64, talks about leaving the tidying up so she can get on with the things she likes doing, such as painting and writing. She has had 15 novels published and produces lovely illustrations, so who cares if her house is a bit unruly? She gets things done by not sweating the small stuff and avoiding distractions like dusting. Sounds good to me!
Our brilliant regular columnist Allison Pearson also enthuses about the joy of only doing the things she really wants to do (p15). In this case it’s about New Year’s Eve parties – she hates them and will be celebrating with a small group of loved ones instead.
For those of you who do enjoy getting dressed up for parties over New Year, we have all your needs covered in this issue. Fashion director Paula Moore and her team have picked out the most flattering outfits and accessories for the party season, so you can shimmy into the small hours if that’s what you love.
Our beautiful cover star Kate Silverton (p10) has taken shimmying to a new level by throwing herself into Strictly Come Dancing. I met her on our shoot at the beginning of her Strictly training with professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, and her excitement about learning a new skill and mastering the steps was infectious. The w&h team have been so delighted to see her do well on the show, as we always like to cheer on grown-up women living their best lives.
That leaves me to wish you a healthy and happy 2019. Despite all I’ve said about avoiding resolutions, of course it’s important that we look after our health and wellbeing – drink less, make time for exercise and so on.
But let’s make a vow to chill out more and really do the things we enjoy in 2019 too. The world is a tough place right now so let’s at least be kind to ourselves and cut ourselves some slack. I’ll raise a glass to that!