As I mentioned in this post during the early days of the pandemic my mother could not find yeast. Her village in Southern Germany had a yeast shortage. We don’t have a shortage of anything here in Zurich, neither toilet paper, nor yeast, even though demand for both was higher than in “normal” times. My mother likes to bake in normal times but I felt she needed to bake even more in these times.

Jamais Cascio, the author who coined “BANI world” wrote “[a] sizable share of those of us who work in the field of imagining the future often struggle with […] a difficulty in seeing our world in anything other than an apocalyptic frame. It’s not because we want it this way, but because other framings seem inadequate or false. The danger of this urge is that it can easily become a trigger for surrender, a slipstream into despair. Through all this, we believe that we can do something to improve the situation, at least our own, if not the whole wide world’s situation.” According to Cascio, “For each problematic aspect of our BANI world, there may not be so much a […]

Yesterday, on the way to a meeting the train announced another death on the tracks. At this time of the year it happens more than at other times and even though I am used to hearing these announcements they always make me sad. Another human who suffered depression or anxiety and did not see another solution other than to end their life. Another life wasted. During this time of the year, it’s not jolly for everyone. I was reminded that some of us aren’t lucky and privileged. Even in such a wealthy society, we have poverty, and many people get by working in restaurants, health care, and child care for less than the minimum sustenance. And we don’t often know […]

In consulting firms, you have to maintain a timesheet in which you document daily how you use your time. This can be great to give you an understanding of where you are focused and where your priorities lie. Similarly, you can increase the value of this exercise by maintaining a daily diary in which you document your accomplished tasks (Have-Done-Diary). I recommend a notebook and handwriting for this exercise.

Once again, this year I started the New Year in Kerala, South India, at 30 degrees Celsius, with an amazing vacation that felt like a trip to paradise. And while it’s cold and snowing now in Switzerland, the warmth and happiness I took with me still light up my heart.  I hope you understand that I also have moments of self-doubt and fear, and that I’m not always the calm, relaxed coach you might know. I can also get stressed and deal with issues similar to those you might experience. However, after disconnecting, spending time with friends and family, and taking time to really rest and soak in the sunshine, I feel thrilled to work again. My desire and ambition […]