Transferable Skills ... Cooking in Literature Review

March the ninth - Transferable Skills ... Cooking in Literature Review

 

Today as I was scathing up with a fellow HDR, I was asked, when was the last time you felt happy or joyful.  My mind traced to when the Monk visited and how Cordelia and I cooked up a storm!  Ingredients provided, I did not know what I was going to get for ingredients, yet I was confident on the outcome and it would taste yummy!  so I reminisced and said it was when I was cooking for the monk and few friends.

When I cook, I am in a meditative state - no thoughts, no words and super focused, just like how I am not distractible (hmmm indistractible is not a word according to the dictionary, bummer!) as I type these words on the blog.  

Then I had a moment of reflection.  How can I make Literature Review as exciting and energetic as cooking?  The journal articles seen as the ingredients (unknown) and the dish to be made as the Review itself - with starter, main, dessert and condiments.  

 

And as I got thinking, I realised it is not just the ingredients that matter, it is the blend of salt, oil, sourness or the tang and how much I cook.  So what can I transfer.  I need to go in reading these articles with fresh clear and clean mind with no preconceived ideas other than \Yes, I am confident and I can do it!'  The sourness coudl be the connectivity of the various articles or topics.  The salt could be the argument of each paper - what is obvious and important message.  The spice factor could be what is missing, the gap.  I realised when I get stressed I distract myself with other shiny or interesting things.  Call it stress or something more fancy!  I got to know about logical fallacy and about Tim Urban.  

My reward to watch Tim's email will be after completing a task I have set for myself.

Most of today went into looking for my university card that I have either lost or misplaced somewhere and in a hurry, I got another one!

I am so excited, and I realise I need something new and exciting all the time.  I seem to get excited and entertained (this is a synonym with divert/distract!) with taks and things not allocated to me, unless it is cooking, cleaning, I need to get that instant gratification and is available and easy when people ask for help.  What, when and I bring the how!  Along with the how comes an ego boost too!Then why can’t I do that to the taks assigned to me.

I was listening to Jay Shetty – When skills and more than challenges we tend to get bored and when it is the other way around, we get overwhelmed and apparently the perfect balance is where the “flow” state happens!  Go figure!

I had a monitor and got two spare ones from the uni.  I thought if I can connect two from uni I will give away one monitor.  I was thinking so that anyone who needs it can use it.  I was doing all sorts of stuff to connect two but the image wasn't too good or the colours did not match.  And suddenly when I was watching this video of procrastination form Tim Urban's Ted Talk an idea occurred to me and I connected all three with good resolution.  And guess what I made one of them landscape for reading.  

I realise morning times are particularly good for absorbing information and after lunch I have this slump or sluggishness. So in the mornings I will work from my room.  And I will stop feeling guilty it is about focus and output! I can do lab stuff in the afternoon!