May be it should be called “Why didn’t I write for while?” It’s been about 4 months since the last post. Short answer: I have less to say, don’t feel the need to write it down or to share publicly.
Much less to say about work
That’s probably reason number 1.
Not much to vent about
I’m quite happy in my current contract/project/team. I’m 10 months in my initial contract, and really enjoying what I do. The contract has already been extended for another year. Of course it’s not perfect but it’s probably the best setting and project I’ve ever been in.
When I started contracting, I had a feeling it would be better for me as I would be able to focus mostly on the project itself and not much on the wider government department it is under. It’s working to some extent. As a service designer I need to keep the wider picture in mind as my service needs to join-up with others within the department and outside of it where there are opportunities of reusing, sign-posting etc… but I don’t need to think too much about the internal politics and ways of working, as I would have as a permanent. I like that.
Not much to share
There are probably a few things I could have shared during these 10 months. For example, there was very little documentation on the service when I started so I feel I’ve been doing ‘aaaall the maps’: a service landscape, an ecosystem, a service map, timeline and source of delays, a journey map, data model, and more. I’ve played with various level of details, creating text versions, visuals and more. But I can’t share them publicly. I could recreate some of them just enough to speak about it, but I don’t think it’s worth the effort.
Outside of work
I have much less to say in that area too because I’m not doing as much as I used to. I’m not attending face to face meet-up, events or conferences, and even online, I’m not doing much of this anymore either. I do not miss it at all. I was not learning much from these. Maybe it’s because I’m happy in my current job so I don’t need to look for other options or ways to do things? I also think the quality is not as good as it was before. Maybe I was not attending the right things? 😉
Public speaking
I have shared about accessibility and inclusion in many places already these past few years: in blog posts here, or in my workplaces, in conferences and other public events. I did a bit of that this year as well but I feel like a broken record now.
I have more I could share and do talks about, but it’s getting more personal and even though I think it could help others, I don’t think it would work for me to do this in a public format. So that sharing is done in private conversations.
Social media
This has been a source of things I shared about in the past, but I’ve been cutting down a lot on this, same with newsletters. LinkedIn improved a little when people started to share there more than Twitter, but it’s still really bad, very fake, just a tool to find your next job, and keep some work contacts. I’m lucky enough not to have to look for a job (for now!) so I’m checking it less and less.
The need to put things in the open
The way my mind works, when something is bothering me, I keep thinking about it, looking at various angles until it makes enough sense for me to articulate it, write it down and sometimes putting it in the open. This is one way to free myself from it and move on. In a few cases, writing it down is enough. Publishing it in the open is a way to sometime speak for others, or share a different point of view, or simply see if it resonates with others.
Lately, there is not a lot of things nagging at me so much that I need to write about it. Speaking about it with the right people is enough to move on.
Blogroll
I’m sure at some point, I’ll have things I want to share again, but in the meantime, this blogroll from Benjy Stanton can help you find other people to read from.