Joy at Work

Anita (South Africa)

I was probably least looking forward to the module on making things and was surprised that this was the one that impacted me the most. To be able to start physically representing an aspect of my research, I had to identify a project or theme and this struggle led me back to an elephant I usually turn my back to – I am not sure of what my research aims are – I cannot easily describe all the projects I am involved in, and what they contribute to my ‘Career Mission’ (thanks Inger Mewburn), partly because I have not articulated my Career Mission.

Somewhere between pondering the activities in this module and looking over WriteSPACE resources, I came across the recommendation of Marie Kondo’s book on organising, and I have been reading Joy at Work: Organising your Workspace. A key idea was the link between my clutter and my lack of ability to made decisions. Being in a temporary office while our building is being renovated has prompted me to give time to forming between habits of storage using the test of only keeping what is necessary, useful or that sparks joy.

I have covered a pinboard with cheerful fabric and display the headings of my projects (with pictures). I will add Post-its for updates. If I notice projects that have become dormant, I can assess if they are still worth pursuing. I’m hoping for a clearer picture of my ‘Career Mission’ to emerge.