This past week in Dublin wasn’t the most exciting, but it was still productive in its own way. On Thursday, I walked to Blackrock after work, grabbed some gelato, and browsed a few shops. It was a nice break in the routine. Later that evening, we went to the Irish Dance Party for dinner, but I had to leave early — I wasn’t feeling well.
By the next day, I was still under the weather and decided to work from home. What started as a minor issue turned into a more frustrating one when I developed a bad eye infection. That pretty much knocked me out for the rest of the weekend. I stayed in bed, watched a few good movies, got some work done when I could, but mostly rested and let my body recover. I eventually had to go to the doctor for treatment.
Despite being stuck indoors, I managed to get quite a bit of work done for Happythreads, the company I’m working with during my time here. One of the main projects I worked on was a competitor analysis for both the Irish and UK markets. This involved researching similar companies and identifying their strengths, weaknesses, and market position. It was a deep dive into what makes each brand successful, and it gave me some helpful insights into our own positioning.
I also spent time reviewing past orders on Shopify. My goal was to look at return patterns and figure out why certain items were being sent back. It gave me a clearer idea of what customers were unhappy with and how we could potentially adjust our product offerings or descriptions to better manage expectations. That was a practical exercise that helped sharpen my marketing and analytical skills.
In addition, I continued editing the website, mainly focusing on inventory — marking items as sold out and making updates where necessary. Another task I handled was analyzing different communication training programs. The idea was to find options that were effective but also affordable. I compared several tools and platforms to figure out what would offer the best value and training experience for the team.
Toward the end of the week, my eye started to feel a bit better, and I was able to get out of the house. I went into the city center, walked around a bit, and picked up some groceries. Nothing major, but it felt good to get some fresh air after being cooped up.
Overall, not the most exciting week — definitely not one for the highlight reel — but I still got a lot done. Sometimes a quieter week gives you the chance to focus, reset, and make progress without too many distractions. Here’s hoping next week brings better health and maybe a bit more action.