Lauren Pope

It's definitely worth a watch - hope you enjoy it if you manage to track it down

I am here for the Lithuanians' 90s-coded scarves, hats, and bum bags #WimterOlympics

If you haven't seen it, it's one of the best openings to a film ever.

My hope for the #WinterOlympics opening ceremony was the opening scene from The Great Beauty, but on ice skates.

I feel the BBC have missed a trick not getting Graham Norton to commentate. This is so camp.

Haiti's Hand-Painted Winter Olympics Uniforms Are a 'Story of Resistance' | Artnet News Haiti’s hand-painted Winter Olympics uniforms turn censorship into an act of creative defiance and national pride.

Literally can't wait for Haiti news.artnet.com/art-world/ha...

Up to the letter C in the Olympic opening ceremony. So far Czechia have the best outfits, closely followed by the Canadians' maple leaf puffy ponchos. China's is the worst.

Exactly that. I do the same thing with tabs in my browser too. And I never learn.

I really do need to reply to my emails.

Every now and again I worry that the people in the neighbouring offices can hear me yelling 'JUST ASNWER YOUR FUCKING EMAILS' and think I'm talking to employee, when this is actually just how I talk to myself.

Really, really CBA to go to the gym now though. It's new plan week, and I dread to think what horrors my trainer has in store for me.

Wore a collared shirt over my gym kit today to create the illusion of professionalism on video calls. It's like 2020 all over again.

Tiny purple violets - petals still closed - surrounded by greenery.

First violet of the year, and on imbolc too 💜

Really glad it's sticking with you. I think you can apply it to a lot of things in life - news is a very good one.

Why is it that I can be a carer, look after a pet, run a business, pay my bills on time and otherwise be a responsible, functioning adult, but making sure that I stay hydrated is completely beyond me?

It helps you sort through all the noise and work out:
• What you actually have power over (and should focus on)
• What you can influence (with others)
• What you need to stop wasting energy on because you can’t change it

There's a free worksheet to help you map your own circles.

At the start of a new year, when everyone's planning and setting goals and thinking about what to focus on, it felt like the right time to bring it back. It’s focused on a model - Control, Influence, Concern - that I borrowed from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective people.

Overcoming the ‘everything everywhere all at once’ of content Content people don't have to fix everything, everywhere, all at once. Really.

I've revived an old conference talk from 2023 which started life as a very short blog post. It's about how overwhelming it can be to work in content - and why doing less might actually be the answer. lapope.com/2026/01/16/o...

Not going to lie, I was pretty pleased with myself when I thought of it 🤣

Thanks so much Amanda. I'm really glad you enjoyed it and it provided some fuel for a chat in the car

Nice to meet someone who shares my mix of whimsy and authoritarianism 😄

I can see that. Or a heart-warming novel about a sensitive boy who loves flowers but his family pressures him into being a prison guard, where he starts teaching classes to inmates and wins hearts and minds etc etc.

Spent my morning cleaning up fox shit from my back garden. They're having a bacchanal out there every night at the moment and my dog is furious. Have spread scotch bonnet and garlic paste around to try and discourage them. I already know it won't work.

I got florist or prison guard.

A part-assembled jigsaw puzzle of the London Tube map. The central river area is pretty well completed.

Extremely effective doomscroll prevention

Just saw a preview of Hamnet. JFC. Really wish I hadn't opted for a smoky eye this morning. Absolutely devastatingly beautiful.

I think it probably just means that I need to take time off work occasionally, and not just when I get a concussion or have to go to a funeral (which is how this year went down)

Also because my hair has stopped falling out and my mental health has dramatically improved over the last 2 weeks, and I don't really want to acknowledge what that means ☠️

Marked the last day of my winter break with a trip to see the Joy Gregory exhibition at Whitechapel Gallery (hard recommend). Slightly dreading going back to work tomorrow, mostly because I'm pretty sure I left the office in a state of utter disarray and chaos.

Gave myself an incredible bouncy glossy blow-dry this morning. Then immediately shoved a cap on and a hood over that for the dog walk.