I have spent much of the last 48 hours feeling ill. Nothing serious just a sore through and ticklish cough, but it has kept me awake at night and so I am very tired. It allowed me to catch up on about eight hours of TV programmes recorded on my PVR but at the cost of really feeling at a really low ebb now. I can hardly be bothered to write this blog. I only got yesterday's done because I had prepared it in advance. Though I did change it on a read through yesterday, but I have not had the courage to check my changes since. I was so tired I probably wrote complete rubbish.
I should have taken advantage of technology through the night. Rather than spend all that time just watching shows I was not that keen on watching, I should have used my technology to write my blog. I couldn't be bothered to switch on the PC, also that would be too noisy. However, I have downloaded an iPhone app that allows me to update Blogger. I really want to have a go on it. I could have used the time to get familiar with that. Once I get into it I think it will allow me to use train journeys to keep my writing practice going. Anyway I'm too tired to write more. Let's hope normal service is resumed tomorrow.
Sunday, 4 October 2009
Saturday, 3 October 2009
Keeping a Record
Another important behaviour to develop to become a productive writer is to measure progress against short term realistic goals. I really believe this works, in my pre-academic life I worked in performance measurement. My whole life was put towards developing measures, agreeing goals to be achieved and trying to mitigate a much as possible the unintended consequences of the targets. I was always amazed at how motivating goal setting and measurement was. It motivated people so much that they would achieve goals - unfortunately often poorly designed - at the expense of good customer service, at the expense of their own personal happiness, at the expense of the long term viability of their jobs.
I think most of this problem comes from making measures and goals simple. They have to be simple to be motivating, so that people can easily see how their behaviour affects their reward. The trouble is that business, just like society at large, is a complex non-linear system and just looking at a few variables gives a very narrow insight into what is happening. Putting targets and therefore basing reward on a small number of variables then inevitably skews the importance of those numbers and what was a finely tuned system becomes unstable. Especially as measures often ended up being quantity rather than quality based.
Fortunately, I don't think this applies much to my writing. I am not writing great literature. As long as what I write is clear and understandable then I think I have passed the quality threshold. Perhaps I will advance to better style over time. What I really need to measure is a count of words written and documents finished. I did attempt to set up a measurement regime on Daytum in an attempt to motivate myself a month or so back. But I overcomplicated my monitoring - I fell back into my work habits - I thought I would want to break down my writing into detailed charts and figures. I won't. I just need to know I am moving forward. I will keeping simpler records from now on.
I think most of this problem comes from making measures and goals simple. They have to be simple to be motivating, so that people can easily see how their behaviour affects their reward. The trouble is that business, just like society at large, is a complex non-linear system and just looking at a few variables gives a very narrow insight into what is happening. Putting targets and therefore basing reward on a small number of variables then inevitably skews the importance of those numbers and what was a finely tuned system becomes unstable. Especially as measures often ended up being quantity rather than quality based.
Fortunately, I don't think this applies much to my writing. I am not writing great literature. As long as what I write is clear and understandable then I think I have passed the quality threshold. Perhaps I will advance to better style over time. What I really need to measure is a count of words written and documents finished. I did attempt to set up a measurement regime on Daytum in an attempt to motivate myself a month or so back. But I overcomplicated my monitoring - I fell back into my work habits - I thought I would want to break down my writing into detailed charts and figures. I won't. I just need to know I am moving forward. I will keeping simpler records from now on.
Friday, 2 October 2009
Storing up posts
After "losing" and then finding a post I have wondered about building a store of unpublished posts so that I have something to hand when I find myself short of time to write my daily post. Indeed, this post is one such. I am actually writing it immediately after posting the "lost" post. But it occurs to me that I am falling into one, or maybe two, of the bad behaviours listed by Silvia. I am allowing myself to envisage lacking time for writing - I should schedule time and stick to it. Also I may be pretending that I write better when I'm inspired. I certainly feel that I am on a roll at the moment and could write a hundred posts. But that is binge writing and in the long run will not be productive.
I guess what I will do is set aside a given time for my blogging everyday. I must use that time for writing posts. If I manage to write more than one post then that is a bonus. And I think I will save up the spare posts - I do aim to take a few holidays and will, perhaps, not blog seriously during that period. Having a stock of unpublished ready written posts to use will be useful then.The actual publication is not what is important to me, it is just a great side-effect of getting my writing organised. But I must write one post every day. Indeed I worry that writing more than one is another way to avoid my main focus - writing some papers.
I guess what I will do is set aside a given time for my blogging everyday. I must use that time for writing posts. If I manage to write more than one post then that is a bonus. And I think I will save up the spare posts - I do aim to take a few holidays and will, perhaps, not blog seriously during that period. Having a stock of unpublished ready written posts to use will be useful then.The actual publication is not what is important to me, it is just a great side-effect of getting my writing organised. But I must write one post every day. Indeed I worry that writing more than one is another way to avoid my main focus - writing some papers.
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Scheduling
Well, I only made two postings before missing one. I hope this post starts a longer run of daily posts. I was busy yesterday getting ready to give a tutorial at our regular group meeting. However, that is no excuse - or as it is termed in my current read - it is a specious barrier. The book is, "How to Write a Lot" by Paul J. Silvia and is subtitled, "A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing". Silvia has no sympathy for those that find themselves short of time for writing. The productive writer schedules time and jealously protects that schedule. I have now put aside some time each week and I have every intention in sticking to it.
Silvia also is lacking in sympathy for those do not stick to their schedules. He says people are good at scheduling other activity such as watching favourite TV shows and should be able to schedule their writing. I agree that scheduling my writing will be a key step forward, but I have spent much of the last decade removing schedules from my life. I rarely watch live TV, I routinely records all the programmes I plan to watch on my PVR and watch them as time allows. I am now considering breaking the link to live radio and listen to just podcasts and other on-demand audio. Sticking to the writing will, I am sure be tough, we'll see how I get on.
Silvia also is lacking in sympathy for those do not stick to their schedules. He says people are good at scheduling other activity such as watching favourite TV shows and should be able to schedule their writing. I agree that scheduling my writing will be a key step forward, but I have spent much of the last decade removing schedules from my life. I rarely watch live TV, I routinely records all the programmes I plan to watch on my PVR and watch them as time allows. I am now considering breaking the link to live radio and listen to just podcasts and other on-demand audio. Sticking to the writing will, I am sure be tough, we'll see how I get on.
Lost Post
Okay, so I was a bit tired yesterday morning when I wrote a post bemoaning the fact that I had already broken my run of daily posts but that I was going do better with the next run. I thought I would then do something else before proof reading and hitting "publish". Looks like I never did hit publish. But it must be saved as a draft somewhere, Blogger is still new to me so I'm not sure where. I hope I'll be able to find it again soon. So maybe today will have two posts for the price of one.
I am a terrible typist, though I used to be better. As a child I taught myself to touch type on an old stiff manual typewriter. My bad habits started there as I didn't have the strength in my little fingers to press the keys so I used other fingers but I was still pretty fast and accurate, especially when I got a modern typewriter and then a computer (a TRS-80). However, when I went to university I didn't take my new computer (a BBC B) and my typing skills fell away - yes I am so old that laptops didn't exist let alone form part of the average student's study equipment. So I taught myself to type again after university but I was lazy and I now use just two fingers of each hand plus my right thumb - pretty poor.
So, this has got me thinking about proof reading. It is something that has to be done. But how long should I leave between draft and proofing. There has to be some gap otherwise I miss my errors because I read what I wanted to write not what was actually written. But if I leave it too long I forget about it and, maybe, lose it. I think it is probably just another work avoidance behaviour, proofing is boring. From now, I will just leave it long enough to make a cup of tea and then check through. Let's see how this works for this post.
I am a terrible typist, though I used to be better. As a child I taught myself to touch type on an old stiff manual typewriter. My bad habits started there as I didn't have the strength in my little fingers to press the keys so I used other fingers but I was still pretty fast and accurate, especially when I got a modern typewriter and then a computer (a TRS-80). However, when I went to university I didn't take my new computer (a BBC B) and my typing skills fell away - yes I am so old that laptops didn't exist let alone form part of the average student's study equipment. So I taught myself to type again after university but I was lazy and I now use just two fingers of each hand plus my right thumb - pretty poor.
So, this has got me thinking about proof reading. It is something that has to be done. But how long should I leave between draft and proofing. There has to be some gap otherwise I miss my errors because I read what I wanted to write not what was actually written. But if I leave it too long I forget about it and, maybe, lose it. I think it is probably just another work avoidance behaviour, proofing is boring. From now, I will just leave it long enough to make a cup of tea and then check through. Let's see how this works for this post.
Monday, 28 September 2009
Exoplanet App
I downloaded a nice free app for my iPhone today - the Exoplanet App by Hanno Rein. I became aware of it from @exoplanetology's twitter feed. The app is a more visual and iPhone friendly version of the Extrasolar Planets Catalog. It shows an image for each planet based on Jupiter, Neptune or the Earth indicating what type of planet it is thought to be. The colour of the image shows an estimate of the temperature of the planet - I assume that is the equilibrium temperature - the redder the planet the hotter it is. Basic data for the planet and star is given plus links to Simbad, ADS, exoplanet.eu and arXiv. The links to Simbad and ADS perform searches on those databases relevant to selected planet, the other two just link to the sites.
The app description says a pro version will be available soon, I assume that will not be free. It promises more features including daily updates of new data. I would like to see database sorting options added; currently the data is presented only alphabetically. I would also like to see the temperature given explicitly, even if it is just a rough estimate, rather than having to be inferred from the colour of an image. However, this app is a major step forward in helping me carry around the key information I require for my research and I look forward to supporting Hanno by purchasing the pro version.
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Welcome
Welcome to the Norahnet - my attempt to enter the blogosphere.
I hope this will become my place to let of a bit of steam, tell the world a little about what is currently interesting me but mostly I want it to get me into the writing habit. As a second year PhD student the need to produce a book length thesis is starting to become more real. The requirement to write some papers is also pressing. I'm finding the writing so tough, but as my supervisor said, "until it is written and published the research isn't complete." I'm hoping that the discipline of writing a few hundred words per week will help me develop my abilities. If, in the meantime, I provide a pleasant diversion on occasion for one or two people then that will be a real bonus.
I don't intend to have a theme for the blog but I assume some common threads will develop over time. My guess is that the main topics will include Charlie my pet beagle and astronomy especially extra-solar planets which are the subject of my research. But I hope to cover much else that interests me. My biggest worry is not finding material to write about but actually doing the writing. I kept a diary as a child over several years but looking at it now shows it to be depressingly empty. If I am to have an academic career I must develop an ability to write on demand. I hope that like regular exercise builds fitness that regular blogging will build a facility, or even a desire, for writing.
See you again soon I hope.
I hope this will become my place to let of a bit of steam, tell the world a little about what is currently interesting me but mostly I want it to get me into the writing habit. As a second year PhD student the need to produce a book length thesis is starting to become more real. The requirement to write some papers is also pressing. I'm finding the writing so tough, but as my supervisor said, "until it is written and published the research isn't complete." I'm hoping that the discipline of writing a few hundred words per week will help me develop my abilities. If, in the meantime, I provide a pleasant diversion on occasion for one or two people then that will be a real bonus.
I don't intend to have a theme for the blog but I assume some common threads will develop over time. My guess is that the main topics will include Charlie my pet beagle and astronomy especially extra-solar planets which are the subject of my research. But I hope to cover much else that interests me. My biggest worry is not finding material to write about but actually doing the writing. I kept a diary as a child over several years but looking at it now shows it to be depressingly empty. If I am to have an academic career I must develop an ability to write on demand. I hope that like regular exercise builds fitness that regular blogging will build a facility, or even a desire, for writing.
See you again soon I hope.
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