In my retail career with Habitat, when I was putting in long shifts and sleeping on those rare days off, I made little time to plan what I was going to eat, let alone do a proper shop. So, when I did make the effort to go to the supermarket I tended to stockpile. This was fine for cupboard foods but often the fresh stuff in the fridge went off.

With the constitution of an ox this wasn’t something I worried about, although my flatmates were often appalled; particularly when my lettuce dripped onto their food and spoilt it!

Of course, it isn’t just food that has an expiry date; many items do, including batteries, licences and even vehicles to name a few. Would it surprise you to know that employees and their managers also have an expiry date?

It’s true and your ‘best before date’ is determined mainly by how much you’re willing to invest in your own personal development. For people who have not participated in a professional development programme in the last 12 months, their expiration is coming soon. For those who have not read a book in the last six months, it will come even faster.

It makes sense that individuals who do not adopt an attitude of continuous improvement won’t be able to keep up with the latest developments in their field and will pass their best before date much sooner than others.

Remember, nobody knows it all and progress would stop if we did so I’m not suggesting you undertake a tick-box exercise here. Nevertheless, I am inviting you to review the active learning you’ve done in the past 6 months; and if you’re struggling to remember then you know what you need to do!