NORTHERN PLANNER

There’s loads of stuff to find out from National Men’s Health Week. For example, men, are more likely to die from skin cancer because they refer themselves too late. In general, men don’t take health as seriously as women, as they’re mentally programmed to take more risks. That said, much illness is gender specific according to the Men’s Health Forum. Women are more likely to suffer from depression and connective tissue problems, while men are more likely to have circulatory problems and developmental disorders such as Tourette’s syndrome.

This is Anthony Gormley’s ‘Field for the British Isles’. He’s used over 40,000 identical clay men to raise questions about individulity and community.

It’s also a great picture to use when you want to talk about a large target audience.

Jeff in the studio likes to collect album covers.

This is a fascinating article from the Observer. Geraldine Bedell argues that despite women having more choices than ever before, they’re not as happy as they should be. It’s actually the sheer scale of choice that’s the problem. We’ve lost sight of how to be happy because we’re always worrying about the alternatives we didn’t choose.

This has implications for lots of things. You only have to consider a trip to the supermarket and the time you waste deciding between the thousands of lines on offer to see that. I went to a financial services  conference a while back and a big theme was the shift in responsibility onto the individual. People have to make their own decisions on things like pensions and mortgages like never before. They have never been given so much choice, yet the quality of information to let them make a decision isn’t there. So they make bad decisions quick, or just put it off.

It’s certainly an argument for brands, what are they if they are not a way to help people choose? Maybe the brands themselves should be considering offering a simpler life. 

It gives me pause for thought when I think about my job. I’ve always liked talking to people who have lots of ideas, but sometimes they don’t know when to stop. It’s easy to change your mind and do something else just because your bored, instead of working on what you already have. It’s hard to pick one thing and do it well. Perhaps I should talk to more people who find it hard to get an idea, because if they get ideas rarely, they’ll make sure they work.

That’s my nickname at work. Ever since I noticed a few extra hairs in the plughole at the age of 23, I’ve suffered the slow decline of my once thick and lustrous mane. I don’t really care anymore, especially since I’m married and don’t have to worry about meeting women. My wife reckons I look better hairless anyway (or that’s what she tells me).

Coincidentally, I think being bald helps you as planner. Here’s are five reasons why:

1. People take you seriously. Looking older and cleverer than you really are gets attention. Since planners have to find a way to be heard amongst gregarious suits and flamboyant creatives, this is useful,as long as what you’re saying isn’t utter twaddle.

2. Bald people learn to be self effacing. Before anyone else pokes fun, you learn to laugh at yourself first and be generally good natured. This makes you quite approachable which can lead to you being a non-threatening sounding board for creatives, suits and anyone else that needs a friendly, objective ear.

3. Just like blind people develop a highly developed sense of hearing, bald people become very good at conversation. In the hope that it will make up for their looks, they work very hard on being interesting, good at listening and knowing lots of stuff. Since planners only  get invited to meetings if people think they’ll be interesting, good at listening  and know lots of stuff, this is fortunate.

4. At some point, bald people stop fighting the inevitable and stoically accept their fate. Life as a planner is full of disappointments and setbacks. You’ll make mistakes, but accepting this means that you’ll use failing to teach you what to improve.

5. It’s difficult to be vain and bald. Since planners need to be generous with their ideas and let other people take centre stage, losing your vanity can prove invaluable. It also means you get ready quickly, giving your other half more time to endlessly change outfits and make you late. Patience and persistence are also good skills to have.

My cat, Kato (she tends to jump on you’re lap when you least expect it) had better things to do.

Leeds, Millennium Sqaare.

Like most people in England, I lived every minute of Saturday’s match against Paraguay. If England don’t win the tournament though (and they won’t) I’ll be supporting Brazil. No one should be surprised they’re favourites again with a population of 186 million football fanatics, but it seems the Italians have a lot to teach us about what we could do with our paltry 50 million in future.

Firstly though, here’s an odd thought. In his book The Science of Soccer, physicist John Wesson argues that in England, you’re birthday has a lot do with how good you’re going to be. The chance of being a premiership footballer is more than twice as high for boys born in Autumn as for those born in Summer. Why? Children born in the first half of the year are favoured above their less mature, weaker classmates when it comes to picking the school team. The effect of this early boost for some, and rejection for others seems to be  long term.

But it’s class that has the biggest effect. A Populus study a couple of years back showed that watching football is class neutral in England, but when it comes to playing football is a working class game.

If you get the chance, read Gianluca Vialli’s book The Italian Job. In comparing football culture in Italy and England he argues that in Italy, being a professional footballer is acceptable irrespective of your class background, while here it isn’t.

The result? Italian footballers have a more intellectual approach to the game which, in turn, produces better managers who value formal education and are more creative tactically.

So, in a nutshell, if England want to increase chances of winning the world cup, we should be less worried about Rooney’s foot and more interested in school.

"If I had eight hours to cut down a tree, I’d spend six of them sharpening an axe"

Abraham Lincoln

Over at Plannerliness they’ve found this article from the RAC Foundation on happy drivers. Being cynical and British, I was also drawn to this report on how noisy environments drive UK people up the wall. Common annoyances include noisy car engines, car alarmsand noisy DIY. Doesn’t this grumpiness feel so wonderfully British? We rule.

Imagine how much they would appreciate a car manufacturer making a quieter diesel engine to stop the early bird next door ruining their beauty sleep. As for me, the neighbours are fitting a new bathroom, they start at 8am every Saturday. Any new tools to speed them up would definitely get my vote.