Balance as Inspiration: Four-Day Weeks, Honest Conversations, and Kids' Books

Four-day weeks inspire me creatively

As a parent of two small kids, my days are long and weekends intense. In an industry where every strategist has the same data sources and AI tools, my ability to make unique leaps and links is a superpower I not only recognise and value, but also choose to protect and nurture. I work a four-day week. Yes, my youngest child is at nursery, but even when she wasn’t, I worked a four-day week. I know my brain needs this time to walk, read, watch, play, talk, discover, and most importantly, daydream. Having Friday freedom allows my thoughts to wander and wonder, and without it, I wouldn’t inspire my creative partners in the way that I aspire to do.

Chit-chats inspire me with their honesty & insight

Honesty and candour are crucial for strategy. If we aren't honest about the problem or fluff the insight, we end up with strategies that lack substance and creative work that feels cringingly light. Casual chit-chats are one of my greatest sources of inspiration. Whether it's talking with Uber drivers about prices at Maccies, my best mate of 30 years who holds polar opposite views on politics to me, small talk with strangers on nights out about the brand that is Taylor Swift (much to my husband’s dismay), or side chats with clients and creatives away from the pressures of presentations. These conversations, ideally with a drink in hand, away from desks, drama, and posturing, throw up so much honest info and priceless inspo.

Kids’ books inspire me with their simplicity

When I was starting out, a CSO said something that has always stayed with me: “The French Revolution summarised its beliefs in three words - liberté, égalité, fraternité - and yet it takes us twice as many to sell a tin of pet food!” It’s not easy to make a smart strategy feel simple. It’s a skill, so I’m always curious about different people from different disciplines who have mastered the knack of distilling complex ideas effortlessly. Whether you have kids or not, I recommend opening a kids' book. The good ones tackle vast, complex themes - faith, race, war, bullying, single-parent families, neurodivergence - and manage to boil them down into beautifully simple ideas. I recently had a brief with the theme of authenticity at its heart, and a one-liner from Rob Biddulph's "Odd Dog Out" inspired the mother of all territories.

Flora Proudlock is strategy director at St Luke's