So…last day off work before I’m back for the long run up to Christmas, sadly I have no annual leave left now at all. I looked, twice, in that way you do when you’ve just eaten the last hob-nob and you have to re-check the packet to make sure you haven’t missed any crumbs. Bugger. I hate it when I’ve officially used up every last drop of time off for the year. Even though I really love my job to the point where time flies and I enjoy being there, my time isn’t my own when I’m on someone else’s clock you know?

Still, I shall make the most of my last day off by trying to impress my watch. Yes, you heard me right. I have a new voice to add to the cast of characters, another person to whom I’m now accountable. I mean strictly speaking it’s not actually a person, but it has a voice and the capability to nag me into doing things I have no desire to do, without any input from me. And it’s just as hard to ignore. I haven’t landed on a name yet – it’s like having a newborn, you kind of need to get to know them a little bit before you know the name you like really suits them – but it’s alive and well and sitting on my wrist and due to my jet-lag-inspired long lay-in this morning it’s already given me the hard word that today I’m being a lazy cow and need to get moving.

In addition to delivering a non-stop stream of email, texts, calls and other assorted crap to my fingertips, it also counts my steps, nudges me to make sure I move around on an hourly basis if it feels I’ve been sitting down for too long, gives me an exercise target and nags me on a regular basis if I don’t appear to be making much progress. FFS, it’s like having a personal trainer chewing my ear on the hour every hour. I can almost hear it clearing it’s throat in the background as I’m sitting typing this – last time it prompted me to get up and move around for at least a minute I went and made a cup of tea and I’m starting to wonder whether that was against the rules…I mean maybe I was supposed to do a minutes’ worth of power-yoga or something?

Trouble is, I’ve already set the bar quite high – it took up it’s position as nag-in-chief on my wrist whilst I was away. And whilst I was away there was lots to see and do. As I limped, footsore and knackered back to our room every night after long days spent exploring stuff which distracted me in the moment from just exactly how much my feet hurt, it gave me a big pat on the back and told me I’d achieved my target for the day…no shit, Sherlock. It’s a different story now…a half day’s worth of activity yesterday followed by a 10 hour flight, an early night and an extra long sleep have all contributed to a swift re-calibration of my overall output, and it’s sitting on my wrist with it’s micro-chip pursed in disapproval and a renewed determination to kick my lazy ass.

That, together with Charlie the dog’s death-stare because he wants his walk means that I have little option at this point but to get up and get moving. No rest for the wicked and all that. I’ve already put two loads of washing in and cleaned the kitchen, this is surely the time where I can sit and catch up on all the things I’ve sky-plussed whilst I’ve been away..? Charlie and the watch both have other ideas, so it appears that I’m out-voted…that’ll be no, then!

Like it..? Tell your friends!