YouWish

A recent report from Boston Consulting Group concluded that “Most women around the world are over-extended, over-worked, over-stressed and under-served by consumer providers. They want time leverage, more value and suppliers that specifically understand them.” 45 percent said they don’t have “enough time for me.”

I think we can all relate to this problem, but it does indeed seem to be true that women suffer more than men.

Why is that? 

Men can multitask and specifically in their working lives, but whether we like it or not men tend to be fairly hopeless at multitasking across their work, family and personal lives at the same time. Conversely women don’t have a choice. They have to multitask across all areas and are just bred differently to accept this. This means women invariably do have to carry the burden of more things than men. They do have to look after the home as well as the job. There are exceptions, but most men take much less responsibility for doing things outside their careers. We may not like it, but it’s a fact!

But what is more important is that we find solutions to help women deal with this issue rather than simply debate a subject that is discussed all to regularly. Increasingly women are setting up businesses that fit with their needs and their requirement to multitask. At You Wish we certainly believe that there is a need to win back some time and this is truer of women than men. That’s why the happiest customers we have tend to post several wishes at the same time, as they get more answers and more potential solutions in one, rather than seeking singular results in multiple places.

We want to hear more from women about how You Wish can help them specifically find more time for themselves and make more use of that time. We want to hear from service businesses that really value their customers and make a difference to their lives.

It may or may not be helpful to read Trendwatching’s new report on “Nowism” or why currency is the new currency”. 

This just celebrates the fact that our society wants everything immediately in real time. I am not sure that is always the answer, as sometimes it’s nicer to have some time out to reflect on what you want. Anyway let us know what you think. Let us help address the imbalance in people’s lives and particularly women’s lives

My mother died 3 weeks ago. It was very unexpected.  I was sure that she would make it through the final 2 doses of chemotherapy and we would take her on holiday to Sicily, as we were planning. Yes she was fighting cancer, but she had successfully fought off the first part. It seemed such a certainty to me then. But sadly now it is all over. As my godmother said to me afterwards, becoming an orphan is never easy, whatever age you are. How right that is.

My mother was a fighter. She was an Australian who had lived in many parts of the world. She had married my father here in England and after their divorce began a nomadic trail, living in different countries and trying out new places. She had lived many adventures and was afraid of nothing and no one. She had a full life. There were things that she wanted to do still but she had few regrets. She had successfully come to terms with everything that had passed in her life. And in the end she had settled back in France, near Cognac.

I know that when she died her biggest regret would have been not saying goodbye, because we had so many plans. We were also going to move her to Paris to be closer to her friends and family. She would have loved to have gone to Sicily again, once she was feeling stronger. She would have loved some wine, nice food and amusing conversation, as the sun settled over the sea. But actually she would have been content that she had tried most things and done most of what she had wanted.

She hadn’t taken up the Internet or email yet as she loved the phone, but I know that she loved the idea of You Wish. She loved the concept of getting other people to do the work for you, of getting stuff done, of living life to the full. She could see no reason for not doing what you wanted and no reason for carrying around a large to do list. There was no time like the present to say you wanted and try and get it. And that’s the thing. We all only have one life and yet we all have tons of things that we never get round to, especially for ourselves. Why wait any longer. Now’s the time to post what services you want that will make your life better or more enjoyable. Is it someone to do your garden or is it a programme to get you fitter and healthier. Whatever is it my mother would recommend you crack on as you never know how long you have and death and taxes come to us all!

Thanks

Chris

Hi All

Oliver Burkeman’s piece in the Guardian magazine on April 11th, focuses on the surprising findings of Ran Kivetz & Anat Keinan.  They demonstrated that regret over an indulgence not partaken outlives the guilt over giving in to the temptation.

Whilst not subscribing to a social life of  full on hedonism myself (my wife won’t let me) and I wouldn’t encourage anyone to order the Ferrari to replace the Mondeo just yet, I draw re-assurance from these findings and exhort them to you all.

This is not too foolhardy in the self propagating credit “crunch” we are in. The beauty of the British, as Bill Bryson  suggested, is that we take our pleasures small – delight at hot buttered tea cakes vs a 6ft pile of pancakes and maple syrup or a condo by the sea for our transatlantic cousins.

Hence we can all go crazy without too much damage (I once had a woman in a research group  I was moderating tell me that her idea of bliss was to buy a family sized bar of Galaxy and hide in the airing cupboard!).

Burkeman’s article  cites other research from Kivetz that affirms respondents would take a $80 spa day voucher instead of $85 cash because they know the decision of spending it so indulgently is taken out of their hands. Armed with this thought, sitting here dreaming up promotions  in You Wish towers , we played the “what would you do with a gifted  £500″ game.  In 1988, sitting in my ad agency  it might have meant a  new pair of red specs  the size of dustbin lids*  and a hangover to match but today  it would be  something I can experience pleasure through collective experience. We are therefore going to offer soon a stay in the Landmark Trust’s Pineapple – watch this space.  

Finally and not least I am going to leave you with a quote. It’s  by Emily Dickinson,  just to prove that whilst this is  (so) not the  Harvard Business Review,  I don’t get (all) my quotes about life from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 

“That it will never come again
Is what makes life so sweet”

So on this fine day, take the wrapper off and get into whatever indulgence your airing cupboard contains.

You Wish (sic)

Until tomorrow.

Nick

* I clearly resisted saying the specs would fit the eyes of Dr T.J. Eckleburg as that would be a literary allusion too far and fool no-one.