Climbing the mountain to achieve the view

Can you believe how cringe I was with my heading? But the analogy really works in what I want to talk about. 

There’s a point in every system change where you wonder if it’s worth it. Changing a system when you're overwhelmed, burnt out and fear nothing will help you. 

For me, that was when I introduced Microsoft Planner to my team. It felt like climbing a steep mountain; learning it, structuring it, refining it, I wanted to know it in and out, so when I implemented it staff could ask me questions and I would know the answer (reduced cognitive load on my staff) and then we implemented it, and implemented it well. Once I did all that work - we got to the top, the view was worth it (just call me a writer in a 90s film).

Now, I get to walk downhill. Planner helps me manage my own cognitive load, stay clear on priorities, and oversee my team’s client and admin tasks without chaos. It’s given us structure without rigidity space to think, plan, and support each other better and overall reduces our cognitive load in practice - and if you have listened you will know that this will mean more clarity and space for our higher level thinking - where the good work happens!!

My whole business now runs with these principles in mind; and the result? Happy staff, happy clients, and happy numbers, even with all that the funding bodies throw at us.

And because this stuff lights me up, I’m building a 10-week group mentorship to help OTs learn to do the same to design their systems through cognitive lens and thinking for clearer, calmer, more sustainable work. You can join the waitlist here to be the first to know when it launches.

I am so excited for what the future holds and how I can impact more Occupational therapists to use their skills with the right tools to make them the best them!!
Imogen.

Also - We are hiring for 2026. If you’re an occupational therapist with 2–3+ years’ experience ready for a fresh start in the new year, in Geelong, Vic, I’d love to hear from you: Careers at Occupationally Neuro