macro
- slow down
- be decisive in your actions
- if it doesn’t work, change direction
- protect the ball
- how to drive
- the art of giving a good hug
- to appreciate the simple things in life
- how to make custard
- the right cup to drink tea from
- to enjoy singing
- how to iron a shirt
- to have the courage to try new things
- how to make Christmas dinner
- to keep going
- that the crusty bits around the edges are the tastiest
- how to tie my shoelaces
- to be inquisitive
- the rules of rugby and cricket
- how to play cards
- fierce loyalty
- how to make stock, gravy and soup
- generosity
- how to grow tomatoes
- to know when I need to take a break
- Coaching in Practice - a reflective essay about my development as a coach
- Coaching to Enable Change - encompassing what helps us change, what gets in the way and how coaching can facilitate the process
- Coaching in an Organisational Setting - my focus for this one is the importance of reflective practice in the workplace
- it is a challenge to publish 100 posts on your personal blog in one year
- there are no limits. Just. Write.
- it is the brainchild of Kev Quirk
- there are many participants sharing their posts on social media using the hashtag #100DaysToOffload
- Whatever the work is, do it well—not for the boss but for yourself.
- You make the job; it doesn’t make you.
- Your real life is with us, your family.
- You are not the work you do; you are the person you are.
- Izzy’s endless patience with my up and down mood
- Instigating a cake exchange with friends nearby
- The impending resumption of Premier League and fantasy football
- Having the choice to ignore the government’s gradual lifting of lockdown
- I got some fresh yeast from the bakery and have rekindled my love of baking bread and buns. Pictured above is a batch of Skillingsboller or shilling buns. Yum!
- Spent a couple of hours doing the crossword with my parents via video call
- Discovered we can now recycle a lot more plastic items from home
- Ate breakfast out in the yard on a couple of blisteringly hot days
- accept it won’t be perfect
- be prepared to live with the outcome you get
- put all your trust in the hairdresser
- don’t interfere unless asked for feedback
- accept it won’t be perfect
- aim for good enough
- start small to build confidence, you can always go back and do more
A 28-day challenge within a challenge
On August 26 2020 I set out my intention to take part in #100DaysToOffload. A challenge to publish 100 blog posts in one year. Less than a month later, I fell off the wagon having published just six posts!
As of today, 1 February, there are 205 days until my year is up. That means to reach my goal I need to post roughly every other day between now and then. I want to reach that goal and re-establish a regular writing routine.
To get things started I’ve committed to publish every day throughout February. I’m using Austin Kleon’s monthly challenge template to keep me on track.
A previous version of this template has space to add a reward for when you reach your goal. As I’m trying not to buy any new books at the moment (while I work my way through a monster to-read pile) I felt a fitting reward would be to pick up something from my wishlist. I’ve chosen The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova.
This is day seven of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com
Favourited: Newsletters; or, an enormous rant about writing on the web that doesn’t really go anywhere and that’s okay with me
Link: www.robinrendle.com/essays/ne… Author: Robin Rendle Time to read: 8 minutes
#favourite
Favourited: Spend time on something that will outlast them
Link: austinkleon.com/2021/01/2… Author: Austin Kleon
#favourite
Favourited: How to prioritize your project ideas
Link: thecreativeindependent.com/people/ti… Author: Ryan Mather Time to read: 10 minutes
#favourite
Lessons from hockey for life
At hockey training last night we were working on match situations where one team has an overload. After a while, we paused to talk about how it was going. It felt like chaos and mostly we were running around like headless chickens.
Our coach gave us this advice for what to do when you’re under pressure:
As soon as she’d made the first point I knew what she was saying would be applicable off the hockey pitch as well as on it. In a non-sporting context, for the final point, I’d substitute your wellbeing for the ball. Other than that, I’d say they’re all valid in situations when we’re feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and under pressure.
What do you think? Where in your life could you apply these steps to make a difference?
This is day six of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com
Things my Mum taught me
My previous post contains a list of things my Dad taught me. Not wanting to leave my Mum out, here are some of the things she taught me. Again it’s off the top of my head and in no particular order:
This is day five of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com
Things my Dad taught me
There was a tweet going round over the weekend that asked you to name one thing your Dad taught you. I didn’t respond because I couldn’t pick just one. So instead, here’s 10 of the things that came to mind (in no particular order):
This is day four of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com
Research skills
I am in the process of completing a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Business and Personal Coaching. I completed the practical element of this course back in 2018 and now all that’s left is to write the essays. There are three in total:
When it comes to this kind of academic work, and talking to my peers about their experience of it, I am incredibly grateful for the research skills I learned in my previous career as a librarian. There are things that I know, that I probably take for granted, that really help to ease the process. I’ve shared all of them before when helping people with their research, but now seems a good time to bring them together in one place.
Accessing electronic resources
It’s no secret that the myriad of systems used to access electronic resources through the library make for a less than intuitive experience. Add to that, the fact that the kind of course I’m doing doesn’t allow full access to library systems; more often than not I come up against an “access forbidden” alert. It’s frustrating to say the least, but here are some ways around it.
Firstly, I found out exactly which packages I have access to and now, instead of searching the whole catalogue, I search specifically within these databases. This works best in the early stages of research when searching by topic rather than for a specific article.
If you’re a fellow student on the PGCert for Business and Personal Coaching through the University of Chester, those databases are: ProQuest, Wiley Online Library, Dawsonera and E-book Central
A similar approach at this stage is to use the Directory of Open Access Journals. This indexes peer-reviewed journals that have no barriers to access.
When it comes to looking for specific articles, I use the Unpaywall extension. This highlights whether an open access version is available if you’ve found an article you want to read in a paywalled journal.
Sometimes you have to accept that it’s not possible to get your hands on the exact article you’re looking for. Using these approaches there are usually plenty of alternatives that are good enough.
Locating print materials*
I’m affiliated to a university in the north west of England, but as I live on the other side of the country accessing their print materials isn’t an option. Thankfully, there are other ways to get hold of books you can’t get electronically.
Use WorldCat to find local libraries that hold the item you’re looking for. Many university libraries allow walk-in access to visitors, especially those affiliated with other academic intstitutions.
I also search directly on the catalogues of university libraries near me. You may not be able to borrow, but you should be able to use the library for reference. And if, like me, you live near the place that you did your undergraduate degree then you may be able to borrow books as an alumni.
Referencing
There’s something about my nature that means I get a strange sense of joy out of referencing – I know this makes me an anomaly. I just like how methodical it is.
I know that for a lot of people both the purpose and practice just don’t make sense. And sadly, most of the guides available make the whole thing seem more complex than it is and therefore even more confusing for beginners. Thankfully, lots of academic libraries provide quick guides that cover most of what’s needed to get started. I’m currently using one from York St John University and I don’t find I need more than that.
If you really want to up your referencing game, and have some fun in the process, check out RefQuest from Learning Futures and the Library at Western Sydney University.
*The caveat to this is that obviously during the pandemic physical access to libraries is probably not feasible anyway, but I think it’s worth noting these options for some future date when we can just walk in somewhere and pick a book up off a shelf.
This is day three of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com
Blog updates
In preparation for starting this writing challenge I decided to make some tweaks to the setup of this blog. There’s a new theme and an archive so you can browse or search older posts.
I’ve also set up federation. That may sound fancy but write.as makes it as easy as checking a box in the settings. What this means is that people can now follow this blog in the fediverse.
My main exploration of the fediverse is through Mastodon. I have the loosest grasp on how it all works so won’t try to explain it. If you want to learn more watch this video explainer from a user’s perspective. I found the part that explains local and federated instances (or servers) using the analogy of villages and towns particularly helpful.
If that’s piqued your interest and you want to give Mastodon a try, here are a couple of handy guides:
You can find me at octodon.social/@ekcragg (although I have a request to join writing.exchange awaiting approval, so watch this space).
This is day two of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com
#100DaysToOffload
My writing typically comes in fits and starts. Just take a look at the yawning gaps between posts on this blog.
19 November 2019. 4 February 2020. 21 August 2020.
That’s not to say I’m not writing elsewhere. But it’s clear this blog needs a nudge. So I’m committing myself publicly to #100DaysToOffload.
In case you don’t click that link, here’s the gist:
… Will you join us?
Favourited: The Work You Do, the Person You Are
Link: www.newyorker.com/magazine/… Author: Toni Morrison Time to read: 3 mins.
I found this article a good provocation to think about my relationship with the work I do, and have done over the course of my career so far.
It can be easy to base so much of our identity around our job, but what if we took the opposite approach?
#favourite #identity #worklife #careers #ToniMorrison
Favourited: Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted — It’s Why You Feel Awful
Link: elemental.medium.com/your-surg… Author: Tara Haelle Time to read: 15 mins.
Another article that prompts reflection on how we’ve coped during the pandemic. It introduced me to a handful of concepts, including surge capacity and ambiguous loss.
Surge capacity is a collection of adaptive systems — mental and physical — that humans draw on for short-term survival in acutely stressful situations, such as natural disasters. But natural disasters occur over a short period, even if recovery is long. Pandemics are different — the disaster itself stretches out indefinitely.
“The pandemic has demonstrated both what we can do with surge capacity and the limits of surge capacity,” says Masten. When it’s depleted, it has to be renewed. But what happens when you struggle to renew it because the emergency phase has now become chronic?
It concludes with some good points to help as we continue to navigate an uncertain future.
#favourite #pandemic #psychology
Archives
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Series
#100DaysToOffload | #gratitude
Topics
#creativity | #exercise | #gender | #journaling | #listening | #lockdown | #poetry | #productivity | #quotes | #reading | #reflection | #wellbeing | #writing
June reading
In this order…
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
How Not to Be a Boy by Robert Webb
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Lanny by Max Porter
A Burst of Light and Other Essays by Audre Lorde
Tags: #reading #lockdown
Gratitude #004
Tags: #gratitude #cv19 #lockdown #june2020
ducks, Newburyport
The fact that after two months I’ve finally finished reading ducks, Newburyport, the fact that I got into the rhythm of it quite early on but it felt like a slog nontheless, the fact that overall I’d say I enjoyed the insight into one person’s mind, stream of consciousness, mountain lion, gun violence, mother-daughter relationships, polluted water, the fact that I could have done with less Laura Ingalls Wilder chat, the fact that all sense of time got distorted, sleep, wake, childhood memories, day-after-day, the fact that both nothing happened and everything happened, key events, flood, runaway, home invasion, mountain lion, the fact that it’s a real feat of thought and creativity, the fact that I made cinamon rolls during the time I was reading this, but I don’t have a Candy-Apple Red kneeding machine, the fact that now it’s over I kind of miss her voice.
Tags: #reading #may2020 #cv19 #lockdown
Gratitude #003
Tags: #gratitude #cv19 #lockdown #may2020
A short poem
…inspired by England’s new lockdown slogan
On an evening walk
Stay alert while watching birds
Don’t fall over your feet
Tags: #cv19 #lockdown #stayalert #may2020
Tips for lockdown haircuts
From the client:
From the hairdresser:
Tags: #may2020 #cv19 #lockdown
Venturing forth
For the past five weeks I’ve only left the house to exercise. I’ve not been beyond a 2km radius from my house in that time.
This week I finally ventured further afield, hopping in the car to go to give blood at Newcastle Donor Centre. I was a little apprehensive about it, but it felt good to see some different scenery on the drive, passing by the cows on the Town Moor. The roads were quieter than usual but not as quiet as I’d expected. I found myself wondering where everyone was going.
While waiting my turn I bumped into a friend and we had a quick catch up. I hadn’t realised quite how much those chance encounters are missing. The closest I’ve got recently are the momentary comedy stand offs on the street working out with strangers who is going to step aside.
Tags: #may2020 #cv19 #lockdown