One of the things that I know has been holding me back is my organisation and process for capturing, storing, accessing, and assimilating information. I’ve been all over the place, digital and paper-based, trying different apps and systems (evernote, roam research, one note, obsidian, logseq), but I think I have […]
Organising my workflow
One of my many challenges has been how to keep track of everything, my thoughts, my readings, my to-do list … if it’s not written down or noted in some form then I forget (yay for menopause brain). I have toyed with soooo many different apps and analogue methods but […]
Coping with Fears and Uncertainty
I had a supervision meeting last week, the topics of appraisals, conferences, and vivas came up … and my squirrel brain went into immediate chase-the-tail mode. Breathe. I am so lucky to have supervisors I can share my fears with, although I could feel the tears prickling the far recesses […]
Thesis … an Introduction
I am taking part in a narrative non-fiction writing course and this was the first assignment. I decided to attempt some sort of introduction for my ‘yet to be started’ PhD thesis. This is the first draft, and the first longer piece of writing I have done in years. “I […]
Engaging with Tales from Imagination
Once upon a time … this phrase echoes across aeons and landscapes, bringing butterflies in the stomach, curiosity in the mind, excitement in the soul. Storytelling has been part of human civilisation before marks on stone or ink on paper, oral traditions passed down the generations sharing knowledge and wisdom […]
Working on a Worldview
Frustration! Reading and thinking about methodologies and worldviews has been challenging to say the least. So many words I’m having to open the dictionary for, so many sentences being read and re-read over and again to try and make sense of them. I feel like Eric Morecambe’s piano playing, the […]
Breathing Space
I refuse to allow any guilt over taking some breathing space over the holidays. Do you hear that Mr Guilt? I am not listening to your insidious whispers. I needed the rest, to allow myself to recover from everything that’s been happening, personally, family, work, health … and I feel […]
So many squirrels
One of the challenges I am experiencing is “where to start”, what do I do first, is there an ‘order’ I should be doing things? What is the best order? What is the best order for me? I have an appraisal coming up, an ethics form to think about and […]
The Words We Use
As I started to read journal papers and other academic texts I felt so ill-prepared to return to academia, I had all the “I’m not good enough” thoughts … the reason (well one of a few) … the language being used. As I’ve read more and my understanding grows, I […]
Lifting Heavy Things
Life can feel so weighted down sometimes (or often), these last two years of pandemic and lockdowns and masks has been a drain on my energy and a feeder of my anxieties. I need to (want to) do something to make the heavy things feel lighter. I’ve known that between […]