I wonder if we’d be less tired if we didn’t have xmas holidays.
Hear me out.
These major shared moments where most of us take a break, mean that we often push on through until xmas, easter, summer, half-term - whatever external milestone you chose.
If we didn’t have those shared moments, we’d be forced to take stock of our own energy levels, and rather than waiting until everyone else takes time off, we’d probably plan in a break after a certain number of weeks, or when we started to feel the signs of being tired.
If we got rid of the idea of a “year”, and only thought about weeks or months, as they pass - in more continual sense - we’d need to put in our own measures of periods of time where we choose to reflect, or rest, or plan.
Being tied to (arguably) artifical shared moments where these things traditionally happen means that we’re often left waiting, rather than taking action when we would benefit from it most. Or designing what we need.
Why a seven day week, if working in bursts of 3 days then one day off might be better? Why only plan ahead for our business every 12 months, when every 32 week might be more sensible. Why only rest when everyone else rests, when we might need rest now?
One of the defining drivers behind self-employment is often “more control”, over how, where and when we work. Yet we still adhere, mostly, to the working patterns we grew up with.
Of course, it’s easier to take time off at the same time as everyone else, it means the inbox might be quieter. And there’s something wonderful in being able to have some shared moments, whether it be with friends, family or community.
But perhaps a little more control over working around our needs rather than Hallmark moments - might mean we give ourselves more time to rest and recharge, when we need it, rather than when we have collective permission to take it.
ps. I’ll be pausing the newsletter over xmas, December 19 will be our last 2025 issue, and normal service will resume Jan 9 2026. I’d love to hear from anyone who is keen to takeover an issue in the new year - please drop me a note.
It only took 30+ years, but this was the year I stopped second-guessing my instincts and actually backed them. I built a business doing the work I care about most, and fell even more in love with it.
It was the year I realised the internet can be full of genuinely kind people, who gass you up and want to see you succeed, and that the connections we make online can be just as real, meaningful and expansive as the ones we make offline.
2025 was truly about just doing the thing; launching a website, starting a business, writing a substack, reaching out to people, thinking about my practice and surrounding myself with people who are genuinely fucking great!
It’s also been a year of very broken sleep, burnout, one huge “financial snafu” (shout out to my ex-accountant) and working more seven day weeks than I have ever done in my life - but it’s also been the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done so here’s to more of the same in 2026!
» Lucinda Bounsall is founder of Sibling Studio - a strategy studio built for how brand teams (actually) work. You can read their excellent substack here.
We’re asking our community to reflect on 2025. You can see all of our reflections at https://outsideperspective.co/2025 - and for every submission, we’re making a donation to NABS - the charity for the advertising, marketing & media industry. You can donate too.
We all know the issues around diversity and inclusion in the creative sector, particularly within strategy.
That’s why Kathryn Ellis‘ PhD research, mapping the diversity of advertising’s most creative teams, is so critically important. She explains: “the initial results are uncomfortably loud and clear. Strategy is an elite club, and the door policy is subtle, yet subjective.”
Gathering tangible data to define the current situation is critical - and it is the final few days of Kathryn’s quantitative research, looking to gather a wide and representative group taking part.
“The aim of my research is to learn from teams that are succeeding because of their differences, and those teams are still, sadly, very rare.”
Please take part, and help to inform the work to improve things.
» Take part here: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bournemouth/the-creative-difference-diverse-teams-and-divergent-thinking-in
» The Outsiders (no relation), shared their recent talk on Right Wing Populism and the shifting of the overton window.
» Freudian sauce. Ann Storr offers an exploration of the role of special recipes in our life.
» Chris Arning on angry drunk advertising
» Jonathan Goodman on James Clear’s Hat, Haircut, Tattoo model of decisions.
» Philip Bott-Hansson on the social media ban
» Branded Activism – How to turn minority insight into majority action
» Strategists Going Client-Side - notes from ’s StratMonday with David Chriswick has some brilliant insights on the challenges and opportunties of moving from agency to client.
» Marieke Neleman’s 2026 Signals report
» influencers not measured by algorithms
» January’s insights and strategy coworking day is on Jan 19th - London folk, sign up here
Things we’ve found and opportunities from our friends.
[UK/REMOTE] Strategist with love for football at The Whirlybirds
https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251211-whirlybirds.html
[UK] Social Strategist with deep knowledge of US market via The Unit Agency
https://bit.ly/48MZ9v9
[REMOTE] Cultural reporters and researchers for a health, wellness, and nutrition project across Japan, Mexico, the USA, France, and Spain at Alice Sweitzer
https://bit.ly/4rQTvki
[UK] Brand Strategy for projects in Jan at Bakken and Baeck
https://bit.ly/3YjPMOx
[UK] Fractional Marketing Manager/CMO in the golf category at
https://bit.ly/44cVSns
[UK] Social Strategist for London based Agency at The Unit
https://bit.ly/4oKewu6
[UK] Senior Strategist at RAPP
https://bit.ly/48EkKFR
[UAE:Dubai] Senior Strategist for two month engagement at Designlab Experience
https://bit.ly/4a3M1E8
[UK] Creative Strategist for football culture related project at No More Parachutes
https://bit.ly/48nwWvQ
[US/NY] Freelance Design Strategist at boutique, craft-focused agency in NY at Lisa Albaugh
https://bit.ly/4iFT9sp
[UK] Social Strategists with beauty experience via Major Players
https://bit.ly/3Mhi9dA
[UK] Freelance Strategy Director with pharma exp at Publicis Health
https://bit.ly/4piowvF
You can keep updated on real-time posts, as well as perm gigs, as we share them via:
» Web
» Telegram
» Whatsapp
+ and of course, our slack channel if you’re a community member.
That’s all for this week.
mk✌️
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