Slowly cooking

Slowly cooking...

No, it has nothing to do with food. And no, it's not about global warming either.

It's my name for everything that's still in the making. For ideas, processes and growth that aren't quite "done" yet. Or simply not visible yet.

It sounds a lot better than saying, "I've been working for an hour and the only tangible result is an empty coffee mug."

It can be anything. Designing a training program. Exploring a new collaboration. Cooking one of Ottolenghi's recipes (which, by the way, is slowly cooking on another level. Meine güte. By the time dinner finally reaches the table, six hours have somehow disappeared).

Or, like right now... Writing this post.

The common denominator? It's all part of a creative process.

Thinking. Questioning. Coffee. Deleting. Going for a walk. Adding something back in. Sleeping on it (more than once). Starting over.

Because some ideas simply need time. No matter how much you'd like to speed them up. And then, suddenly... Everything falls into place. What a fantastic feeling!

And sometimes... What a nightmare. I stare at my screen for an hour, write three sentences, and delete four. I've stopped trying to find any logic in that.

I simply call the whole process: slowly cooking.

I'll admit it, though. There is a fine line between slowly cooking and procrastinating. Luckily, I've developed an internal warning system.

If, after three cups of coffee, I suddenly decide to reorganize my wardrobe... I'm no longer being creative. I'm professionally avoiding.

I actually think everyone experiences their own version of slowly cooking. You just don't see it. We share the final result. Not the doubts. Not the messy first drafts. Not the mental detours.

And yet, that's often where the real work happens.

Maybe that's exactly why Karen and I are so proud of our new Checkin2Flow-training. It slowly cooked for months before everything finally clicked into place. It brings together mental resilience, dealing with stress, change, psychological safety and sustainable employability in one practical and coherent program.

And yes... We're incredibly proud of it.

With an estimated 40 to 45 million stress-related absence days every year in The Netherlands, it's safe to say there's still plenty of work to be done. In fact, it's no longer a nice-to-have, but a must-have.

Because chronic stress doesn't do slowly cooking. It simply follows its own agenda. Summer or not.

Maybe this sounds familiar within your own team or organization. You know something needs to change. You've been exploring ideas. Thinking. Doubting. Perhaps the topic keeps being postponed to "the next meeting."

Maybe this summer is exactly the right moment to let your next step slowly cook into something real. Let's start with a conversation.

Karen and I would love to think along with you.