This is a slightly different format of the diary. I said, right at the beginning, that I would give it a try. In the three weeks I have done it now, I have found that writing the diary takes a lot more time than I had anticipated. I can write a first draft rather quickly, but then take also relatively much time to “trim and polish” it, to make it more logical and easier to read. The report about the discussion in Parliament, last week, was quite a job. These things happen, but if they happen too often, I won’t be able to keep it up.
A diary with daily entries has to be written more or less daily, but when I have meetings in other cities or go out for a long walk in the countryside I don’t write that day. This means that after two days away from home there are at once three instalments due. At this point in time I still have the secretariat of two organisations without paid staff. Secretariats also require almost daily attention. In other words there can be quite a bit of pressure after I have been away from home for a few days. I am still involved in some policy work as well, for which I am required to read (sometimes lengthy) papers and write comments. That is altogether enough to keep me busy.
Last year I have given up doing paid social research because I did not want to have the strain any longer of having to produce every day. Very clever then, to agree instead to do a diary requiring daily input! I keep reminding myself I have reached retirement age several years ago and being fortunate enough to be in good health, I had better do now, before it is too late, some of the things for which I never had enough time in the past. So there we are…I’ll have to find a different way of dealing with the diary, so that it becomes easier to handle. You will have to consider it as work in progress, until I have found out how best to tackle this new activity, which in itself, I enjoy. It is a bit like photography: when you want to take pictures you look differently and see some things that you would not see otherwise.
I now am going to try and take a period of one week at the time and write the diary in not more than 4 hours in, just before or after the weekend. I expect the instalments will become somewhat shorter, which saves time and I will have to be a bit more selective about what I cover.
A diary with daily entries has to be written more or less daily, but when I have meetings in other cities or go out for a long walk in the countryside I don’t write that day. This means that after two days away from home there are at once three instalments due. At this point in time I still have the secretariat of two organisations without paid staff. Secretariats also require almost daily attention. In other words there can be quite a bit of pressure after I have been away from home for a few days. I am still involved in some policy work as well, for which I am required to read (sometimes lengthy) papers and write comments. That is altogether enough to keep me busy.
Last year I have given up doing paid social research because I did not want to have the strain any longer of having to produce every day. Very clever then, to agree instead to do a diary requiring daily input! I keep reminding myself I have reached retirement age several years ago and being fortunate enough to be in good health, I had better do now, before it is too late, some of the things for which I never had enough time in the past. So there we are…I’ll have to find a different way of dealing with the diary, so that it becomes easier to handle. You will have to consider it as work in progress, until I have found out how best to tackle this new activity, which in itself, I enjoy. It is a bit like photography: when you want to take pictures you look differently and see some things that you would not see otherwise.
I now am going to try and take a period of one week at the time and write the diary in not more than 4 hours in, just before or after the weekend. I expect the instalments will become somewhat shorter, which saves time and I will have to be a bit more selective about what I cover.
Dear GAA BLOGGER,
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to write these entries. . .and to share so much of your life with us readers. You do a lot of work--for your neighbors and your friends and for your organizations. It's impressive and a bit daunting. Whatever you write is happily accepted. You lead a very interesting and engaged life. . . With appreciation, Anna