Procrastination situation
Sometimes when I have a job to do, my brain just wants to procrastinate. When I sat down to start working on various articles, I was side tracked by what’s happening in the wider world. A casual eye over the news and I have discovered that19 people died as a consequence of the stampede at Love Parade in Germany; the floods in China have caused the deaths of over 700 people; snooker legend Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins dies at 61 and a baby elephant attacks his zookeeper in Ohio (I am intrigued by that last not-very-newsworthy news item …).
It has been a quiet weekend in Stony Stratford (apologies to Garrison Keillor). Apart from a Sunday afternoon bike ride and viewing of the slightly absurd (but very enjoyable) Sherlock this weekend, I have mostly been writing articles to meet demand – the new book (How to Get Top Marks in … Managing Poor Work Performance) comes out at the end of September and I have been asked by a number of editors to submit an article on managing poor performance.
Last week it was incredibly busy. I was out and about chairing grievance meetings, carrying out workplace investigations and delivering an introduction to employment law workshop. There was no time to put fingers to keyboard; it doesn’t take long but it does take quiet and some concentration.
The first time I wrote an article, I was asked to give an overview of the subject and include some case, hints and tips – all in 700 words. If you’re not used to writing, you might think that sounds a lot; 700 words, so what? In reality it’s like getting a quart into a pint pot. These days I quite enjoy it. Writing what you want to say, then re-writing, paring down the content and refining the words is a very good discipline to capture all the information required in such a short space. It stops you rambling. When I did my MA, we had to submit a dissertation of 20,000 words; there was a tolerance gap of 10% each way. Our tutor told the group that most people write far too much then can’t get it back to between 20,000 and 22,000 words. I went in the opposite direction. When the first draft was finished, my tutor was making approving noises but the length of the work came in at about 16,500, so I had to find more words – which then felt a bit like padding.
So look out for the results of my labours and let me know what you think.
For details of the new book and our pre-publication offer, visit The HR Headmistress website at www.thehrheadmistress.co.uk. Russell HR Consulting provides expert knowledge in the practical application of employment law as well as providing employment law training and HR support services. For more information, visit our website at www.russellhrconsulting.co.uk or call a member of the team on 0845 644 8955.
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