Welcome back to the Peer Suite Agenda, your weekly briefing on what matters for your career, network, and next move.

Q4 starts on Thursday, and this week's read is about keeping hold of your time as the last quarter of the year fills up. Our next curated networking morning is on Tuesday 20th October at The Roof Gardens, and we have opened a second date on Tuesday 17th November if October doesn't work for you. Event details sit just below the read, followed by what is on our radar and a few free resources.

📖 ON THE SHELF Adam Grant's new book, Vibe: The Secrets of Strong Connections in a Lonely World, is available to pre-order now. He draws on research and examples ranging from astronauts to comedy troupes to show that you do not need much in common with someone to build a strong bond, and that closeness does not always take years. He also writes about his own path as an introvert who learned to build community, which makes it a good read before joining one of our networking mornings.

🎧 PRESS PLAY The Rest Is Money, hosted by Robert Peston and Steph McGovern, comes out twice a week and explains the economic stories behind the headlines in plain terms. The Autumn Budget is on Wednesday 28th October, and a few episodes between now and then will give you a clear sense of what is being debated, including a recent conversation with Resolution Foundation chief executive Ruth Curtice on how middle earners are taxed.

🎬 BOOK YOUR SEATS The BFI London Film Festival marks its 70th edition from 7th to 18th October, opening with Elsinore and closing with Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut. The BFI releases extra tickets on Thursday 1st October at 10am if a screening you wanted had already sold out.

🎀 A MONTHLY HABIT October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the NHS recommends checking your breasts about once a month so that you know what is normal for you. Its guide shows how to check in a mirror and by touch, all the way up to your collarbone and under your armpits, and lists what changes to mention to your GP.

🏛️ FOR THE WEEKEND The Chelsea History Festival runs from Thursday 1st to Sunday 4th October, with around 100 events curated by John Simpson across the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the National Army Museum, Chelsea Physic Garden and nearby venues. This weekend you could join the Spies of Chelsea walking tour on Saturday, hear Tina Hodgkinson on Agatha Christie's London on Sunday, or take a tour of the Royal Hospital.

The Science of Well-Being. Yale professor Laurie Santos's course on what research says about happiness, the mistakes most of us make in chasing it, and how to build one wellbeing habit into your week. The course is ten hours over six weeks on Coursera, more than four million people have taken it, and you can enrol for free. START THE COURSE​

Check your State Pension forecast. A free GOV.UK service that shows how much State Pension you could get, when you can claim it, and whether you could fill gaps in your National Insurance record with voluntary contributions. CHECK YOUR FORECAST​

Check your Income Tax for this year. Another free GOV.UK service, which shows your tax code, your Personal Allowance and the tax you are expected to pay this year, and lets you update your details if your income has changed. It is simpler to correct a wrong tax code during the year than to wait for a refund after it ends. CHECK YOUR TAX CODE​

Year-end deadlines, next year's planning and the Christmas diary are all starting to arrive, and if you say yes to everything now you will reach December tired and behind on your own priorities.

Now is a great time to set some boundaries to protect your diary and yourself. Start by writing the boundaries down in specific terms. For example "Better work-life balance" isn't very specific, whereas "no email after 8pm and one evening a week kept free" is something you can follow. Then agree on your priorities for the quarter with your manager, which will make it much easier to decline or delay other tasks and projects that don't relate to the priorities.

This post covers ten techniques for setting boundaries if you are currently feeling a little "too available" at work.

Thank you for being here. Have a lovely week!

Warmly,

Rebecca

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