Wake up call!
Change is hard, but I am right out of excuses...
How do you wake up in the morning? Do you have an optimal morning routine or do you reach for your phone first thing to check if there are any new reels you might have missed since you closed your eyes the evening before?
Since the inception of Oak & Rope, which pretty much coincides with the growth of social media, my phone has been attached to my person. My first few minutes awake involved checking how many more views and likes yesterday’s reel had achieved, how many orders have come in overnight and then a quick glance at how many people have visited our website… Insta, Emails, Analytics, Repeat… Not exactly a t-shirt slogan, but this was the routine I had on autopilot.
I might as well tell you that about 18 months ago I ended up in hospital for 5 days after collapsing in the loo at our café… I left hospital with a box full of medicines normally reserved for old people, worried that life would never be the same. While I was there I took the photo you can see in the background of this video. It is of the view I had sitting in a hospital bed with a hospital tag around my wrist, drinking a cup of tea. It is a powerful image for me, and I printed it and put it in a frame to try to remind myself not to end up in that place again!
After a battery of tests and meeting a rather charming and progressive cardiologist it was established that there was nothing physically wrong with me. He chucked the statins and betablockers in the bin and told me it was all in my head. He suggested meditation, massages and a few books instead. Some of which I took onboard…
However, real change is hard, and I was still stuck with my autopilot routine. I am lucky to be on this journey called life with a very supportive husband. In the middle of the pre-Christmas rush he encouraged me to book a Yoga & Ski retreat in January. He went as far to say that he would come along! For various reasons we decided we would drive there and back, and on the 9 hour drive there we had some wonderful conversations. Without any particular agenda he told me that the one thing he found unattractive about me is the sight of the blue phone light shining in my face in the morning…
For the next 5 days whilst meeting wonderful people, being guided through yoga and meditations, eating delicious food, being outside in snow and sunshine with the only decisions needing to be made was which slope to ski, his words were festering in my head.
On the drive back I announced that I would no longer sleep with my phone on my bedside table! It felt a bit like an alcoholic saying they will never have another drink, but I really AM giving it a proper go!
Many years ago I designed our Family Recharging Station, writing poetically about how families should park their phones and ‘recharge together in the traditional and non-traditional sense’. The message was reinforced with the introduction of the ‘No Screens at the Table’ tech park, yet I was still not living what I was preaching! The final blow came when Holly Tucker asked me to make a special edition tech park only available on Holly.Co with the engraving ‘No Screens in Bed’ for Valentines Day!
The moons, stars and planets have all aligned and I am right out of excuses! The only conceivable reason to keep my phone by my bed was now to check the time when I wake up in the middle of the night and to get me up in the morning. With the launch of our new alarm clock, with one of the most motivational quotes there are, I have dealt with that one too!
What is your excuse???
Alarm Clock
*** Introductory offer till 14.02.25 ***
Wake up to timeless elegance with our Solid Oak Alarm Clock. Crafted to inspire peaceful starts, this clock combines classic design with modern functionality. Measuring 15 x 12.5 x 6 cm, it is carved from...
Tech/Screen-Free Haven
Create a more connected and distraction-free dining experience with our Screen-Free Haven. This elegantly crafted rack is designed to store phones while at the table, encouraging meaningful conversations and a tech-free mealtime.
Dimensions:<...
Family Recharge Station
Everything we design has a story behind it...
This one is a reaction to all those family gatherings where everybody is on their devices and not actually present. ( View Product