Friday a couple of weeks back I went and saw a movie in the afternoon. Parasite at my favourite cinema, Cinema Nova in Carlton. Great film, winner of Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for good reason.

Yep, in the afternoon. By myself.

It was something I used to do pretty regularly in the first ten years of running my practice. Less so since we've had kids.

I started when I noticed how ingrained the 9-5 habit was. Anytime during the day I wasn’t working, I felt guilty. But I wanted to work on my terms, not according to a social norm.

Hence the ritual of movies during the day.

At Thought Leaders we teach that a successful practice includes doing work you love with people you like the way you want. Life by design. But that takes something … we’re social animals and social norms run deep.