19 December 2022
Things I have been working on
- *In person working* A trip to London for the final roundtable on apprenticeships; sitting at a table and working through sticky issues for other projects. Eating lunch together and building even better connections with brilliant colleagues.
- Writing the final report for the apprenticeships project. We will have some tidying up in the new year but the main work is done. I need to edit and finalise an appendix of learning from qualitative engagement but haven’t got the energy before the break. Will come back with fresh eyes in the new year.
- Participating in discussions on gathering insights into wellbeing from those with limited communication (e.g. when people have dementia).
- Checking lists of people interviewed and where there’s a bit of outstanding work in January. All manageable and looking forward to reading back through all the conversations in 2023.
- Crossing off small things, looking forward to a well-deserved rest, reflecting on all the interesting conversations and work done this year.
Things I have been reading/ listening to
- The Forty Rules of Love, by Elif Shafak.
- Various articles about freedom of press, spying etc.
- How Stockport is the new Berlin (kind of…)
- Patient-nurse solidarity.
- When companies ghost customers.
25 November 2022
Things I have been working on
- Interviews, interviews and more interviews for two projects. And making space in-between calls to stare at the horizon and breathe. Lots of interesting chats and time put aside post Christmas to work through what people are telling me.
- Roundtables to present findings of some outreach. They didn’t always go to plan and as the support member of the team I spent a lot of time trying to frantically document all the ideas, suggestions, links for further research. And then two days to make sense of them. Iterative progress and it was great to be part of it.
- Planning roundtables for the research on apprenticeships and then what we need to do to write the report in December.
- Thinking about how to represent inequalities that d/Deaf people face in a way that is simple and jargon free.
Things I have been reading/ listening to
- The new film from NEF/ Greenpeace on the Cost of Living crisis.
- Reopened Twitter to make the most of it, in case it becomes untenable to be part of it. Reminded of where it was brilliant. This example of filming from Channel 4 News, this summary from Roxane Gay about how curation of your timeline “the best parts out shadow the worst”.
- James Meadway’s new economics podcast - 15 minute weekly roundup.
4 November 2022
Things I have been working on
- Doing a proper post contract reflection: what I did enjoy and what didn’t; where was I at my best and where did I come up short. Planning to do more of these after supporting others to do their regular reviews in the temporary role. It’s hard to be disciplined when you are always moving on to the next thing… but really important to not lose sight of what was achieved (and be clear on where I need to make changes- in this case, asking for help sooner).
- Having a short but deep chat with an old colleague who has also gone back into an organisation - we mostly chatted about being better at the (re)establishment of boundaries and being clear on what you want to achieve and when to leave. It was a great 30 minutes of open chat with someone I trust.
- Talking to some people in Greece about measurement approaches for social impact investing. It was a great, lively chat (over food!)
- Editing workshop notes for a colleague - trying to bring together lots of different sets of notes into something that can inform roundtables next week. Always takes longer than you think.
- Lots of administration for upcoming work - calendly pages for multiple projects so people can book appointments for interviews, planning workshops and roundtables. Colour coding my diary as there’s a lot to keep track of and I am worried I’ll forget something/ not manage my energy well.
- Planning a winter break from it all - three weeks of rest, books and no emails.
Things I have been reading/ listening to
- How to survive the end of the world podcast on friendship
- People taking action on debt (and where such approaches reach their limits - aka not stopping the debt in the first place)
- Delving into the various publications on how communities are using tech and innovation to shape better places.
28 October 2022
Things I have been working on
- It’s the end of my tenure in the temporary position. It’s been a whirlwind but it’s nice to come to the end and look back at what I have been able to contribute. It’s also been nice in handover meetings to get some feedback. Something that isn’t always abundant when you are always on the outside. Last few bits to wrap up and time to move on. Currently in the midst of a large handover document. Part list of things to do, part things I have observed or learned.
- Additional interviews with people in Australia about how their apprenticeship system works. Some good learning- now we need to do something with it.
- Bringing together a few months of building relationships, gathering insight and building momentum with community groups into a plan for how they are going to embed evaluation and learning into their work.
- Shaping the process and impact questions that will underpin the measurement framework.
Things I have been reading/ listening to
Nothing! I am so tired and ready to stare at the horizon to decompress. Looking forward to being ready to take in new things.
7 October 2022
Things I have been working on
- The Rapid Review on social capital was published. Nice to see the summary of the work. Did some very rudimentary sharing on LinkedIn. Hopefully the What Works Centre newsletter will get it to those who can make best use of it…
- Not working less in the temporary role I was trying to reduce my commitment to; working more because of major deadlines (grants for next year). I have a set number of days in the month so will be really scaling back after next week.
- Starting two new projects with old, easy colleagues. One on building a measurement framework that can underpin a future cost benefit analysis, the other on informing a future funding programme. For the former, we tried to tell them that we might not be the best people to do the work, they should go straight to an organisation with the prestige to do the analysis. But they want to work with us “because you have integrity”. It’s a reminder after trying to juggle it all that working within our values and being honest with people about what they need, what they really don’t and who is best to do it really is worth it.
- Shaping a third new project from November onwards, an evaluation of a three year strategy for an organisation I love.
- Admin: end of month statements, tax payments, fixing broken things, filing the piles of notes into places to be saved or recycled.
Things I have been reading/ listening to
- Blindboy’s podcast on water and Irish mythology (and modern links to data centres). I spent a lot of time in lockdown with a friend trying to unpick where Greek mythology could be useful in getting people to think about climate change. This episode nails it.
- An article from Manchester publication, The Mill, on what happens when someone dies without relatives, and the stories and feelings we ascribe to pieces information (and the importance of cross checking…)
- Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland learning more about history I should know.
16 September 2022
Things I have been working on
- Catching up with projects, admin, all the things I have let slip. Almost there in terms of feeling in control again.
- Negotiating reducing time on a project. Need to figure out how it works in practice.
- Final interview for the second stage of a project; reporting the findings to the broader team and funder; planning for the next stage of work. Need to write up the full findings… will plan in a few quiet days to do this. As well as cleaning up all the transcripts.
Things I have been reading/ listening to
- I am just about to start The Lives of Things by Jose Saramago.
9 September 2022
Things I have been working on
- Finalising the Evidence Review: we presented to the consultation group. A recording of my presentation may be available soon. Not looking forward to listening back to that! Report finished and sent. A few last bits of admin (reporting back to the evidence review repository) and it’s done.
- Chatting to people about future plans for monitoring and evaluation. What can those designing and running data collection do to support delivery partners to build their capacity and that of the wider ecosystem? I really enjoy these conversations.
- Talking to representatives of community groups about how a wider framework on what matters at a place level can help them to design local data collection approaches. They are excited, now we need to work out what it looks like in practice.
- Too many things, all at the same time. Feeling a bit frazzled and I completely missed a meeting this week (too many calendars). Started saying no to as many things as possible and just focusing on finishing all the small things I can. Thankfully I have been working with some leaders that I can tell this to honestly. But there’s still work to do to get back to four days a week. Hopefully by the end of the month…
Things I have been reading/ listening to
- I have been reading Home Going by Yaa Gyasi. It is excellent. Although the whole book is a story of a family through the generations, each chapter is a short story that in itself captures so much detail and nuance without being laboured.
- This comic from the All We Can Save project in the LA Times about the limits of individual action on climate change, the role of political power and the need for solidarity.
2 September 2022
Things I have been working on
- It’s been a busy summer. Lots of interesting projects, conversations, collaborations. Not quite enough time to stare at the horizon.
- Since July myself and another researcher have been finalising the analysis and report for the Evidence Review of social capital. We’ve had comments from a number of reviewers who have been involved in quality assurance of the work. Next week is the final week to resolve those and present back to the advisory group.
- Working on analysis of the community consultation for Future Yard.
- Gathering feedback from stakeholders on the emerging findings from the research on apprenticeships.
- Writing a report on support for teachers and educational staff in Wales. The delivery team was really happy with the insights that we found and the constructive comments on what they can do to improve delivery.
- Since August, I have been working in a temporary position as a manager in a large charity to bridge the gap between two members of staff (one leaving, the other arriving). It’s a delicate balance to provide useful support, bring energy to the team and also balance some of the more day-to-day realities and requirements of being in a larger structure. I hope I am doing a good job.
Things I have been reading/ listening to
- I have been listening to the audiobook of A house without windows
- Various things at the summer cinema - West Side Story, Atlantic City (so bleak!)…
- The summer sounds of Maraveyas in an ancient amphitheatre above a village on an island in the middle of the Aegean. Fun and a perfect distraction.