"N" is for NEF's 4 day working week as the norm

Taking part in ABC Wednesday where my "N" is for the normalising of a 4 day working week as advocated by leading health professionals and the New Economic Foundation.

I featured in Manchester City Life Extra's #Blogwatch column this week (issue 38, 9 October 2014). Sadly they left out my publicity of the four day week campaign which is led by the New Economic Foundation, so click to see 10 reasons how society will benefit from this. 

I also wrote:

"I am lucky in that I recently reduced my working days to 4 a week, which can be tough financially but it puts your heart, body and soul in a great place when you get a three day weekend every week. There’s a growing campaign in the UK led by the New Economic Foundation for a four day week to become the norm and for people to be paid a living wage for those four days."

The rest of the otherwise well-edited article was:

How to be a tourist at home

Mancunian Wave gives a daily glimpse of life in and around Greater Manchester; my photos might be of a band, street art, a walk in the countryside, anything that grabs my attention as I go on my merry way. 

What I’d like the blog to do is grab someone’s attention and for a few seconds of their busy day lift their spirits and give them a wave of excitement that makes them appreciate the great city we live in a little more.

A few years ago I noticed how quiet the city centre was on Saturday mornings - devoid of traffic and commuters there was the space to look up and appreciate the wonderful buildings and sights, without bumping into people or getting run over. I saw things I hadn’t noticed before and started to see Manchester as if I were a tourist. Imagining the city I live in as if I was just visiting for few days cast a new light on everything- bars, galleries, squares and statues - it stops me from taking everyday sights for granted. I wanted to share what I see with anyone who might be like-minded and a blog seemed the best way.

As a result I have developed a fascination for all level of details about the region. Rather than wishing I lived in San Francisco or Paris I appreciate Manchester for what it offers. I look out around for hidden gems as well as writing about the more obvious sights. Going to restaurants, bars and coffee shops to write about them is fun too. It makes me think creatively and feeds my enthusiasm for the small things in life: a reflection in a puddle or a painting.

Wherever I go I’m always ready to take a quick snap, but rather than capturing selfies and meals, it’s more likely to be a photo of an unusual angle in the street, or part of a building that takes my fancy. So I always have a stack of photos I want to write about. 

What I like most about doing a blog is connecting with people such as local band The Madding Crowd, who I try and champion in my own small way, and supporting various causes and campaigns. The Northern Spirit Theatre community asked me to curate their Wondrous Place blog for a week where I enjoyed writing a series called Manchester Movementsand Manchester Moments including old local music and the Town Hall clock tower.

The downside of blogging is of my own making – as Mancunian Wave is part of the City Daily Photo Community, I need to do a blog post every day. But there are tricks to the trade and you can set posts up in advance - so I don’t have to worry if I decide to flit off to the Cote D’Azur for a week!

Four days a week I work as the research manager at the Royal Northern College of Music, which is as creative and friendly a place you could wish to work. (The views on my blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my workplace or other organisations I am involved with).

To be honest I didn’t know what response to expect when I started blogging. I think the most important thing is not to bore your friends about it- you have to build an audience who really want to read your blog because they enjoy it, not as a favour. I follow other city daily blogs around the world and it’s lovely to have a coffee and hone in on what Steffe’s seen in Haninge, Sweden is or Tanya’s take on life in Roanoke, Virginia. It gives me a little buzz, that 30 seconds of a look into other lives and places and to see a photo with a wow factor. It’s a warm feeling to know that I am showing our great city of Manchester to people, in my own small way.

Support has come in from locals and further afield too, saying things like “I know Manchester but you show it in a way I have never seen” Although most of my readers are local or UK based, people in over 150 countries have visited. It’d be nice if I have made one or two people think “I want to see that myself” or “I am going to support that campaign too”. That makes the daily effort completely worthwhile.