Hey, it’s a new year! I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty glad to be seeing the back of 2020. There have been some good things, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the year that past-me thought it would be when she set up her goals back in January. So, to laugh at past-Kate and also acknowledge some achievements, I figure it’s time for a review of last year’s goal setting and a look forward to 2021. Fingers crossed for something better!
Because this blog is linked to my author self and the research project said author self is part of, I’m obviously going to focus more on the academic goals. Do take a moment to laugh at the life goal to travel more. Oh dear! Also the going to the gym more bit. If only I had known!
So, let’s start with the achievements first.
Goal Setting 2020: Achievements
Complete and publish Shifting Sands
I did it! Shifting Sands exists in the world (and is incidentally free until January 5th). Wave one began on December 17th, introducing Aamarin, Kishon, and Keiziro to the world. I’ve planned the next wave for March 17th so that it aligns with Amazon’s KDP cycle. There, we’ll say goodbye to two of he current perspective characters, and then hello to the two who take their place. And I’ve actually sold more copies than I expected! It’s not just been family and friends taking it up, which is really quite heartening. While sales have never been the be all and end all of this project, they do make it feel like I’m doing something right. And, you know, slightly terrified that other people can see into my brain, but that can’t be helped.
Complete Methodology
Achieved! It also somehow ended up doing double-duty – my supervisor suggested that it would work well as an introduction to the critical side. I’m definitely not going to complain over less work and a smaller word count. There are some things I obviously still want to work on with it, but it exists!
Unlisted achievements I’d like to acknowledge
Beyond mere survival, I am super proud of how much I’ve managed to do despite everything going on. Looking back across the year, there were around five months of the year where I was barely working on my PhD. In March, the pandemic hit. I got sick. The advice at that point means I don’t know for sure if it was Covid, but most signs point to yes. It wiped me out so bad. And, in all honesty, I’m still recovering. I miss having healthy lungs.
April to June had me at my sister’s, helping to look after my niece while both she and my brother-in-law were being key workers. I wouldn’t take that time back for the world – B is one of my favourite people – but I’m a natural introvert. It takes time for me to recover from not being alone, and then more time to get in the right headspace to work on PhD things, so I wasn’t as productive as I could have been.
And then in October I was in Scotland. My focus was on personal life things, definitely not PhD. Again, I’m so glad that I got to be there, but I won’t pretend that I got a lot of work done. My main academic achievement that month was sorting a conference paper.
Not gonna lie, the months around those months also got hit too. Again, introvert. Doing things with other people exhausts me, even if I love it. Then you add in lingering illness, suddenly having to relearn all my jobs to go online, and being inside all the time… I think I deserve a hell of a lot of credit.
Goal Setting 2020: Failures
Outline and begin future chapters
Moving onto the failures of the year here. I feel like I deserve half a pass for this one – I have basic notes for my future chapters, at least! The critical side is starting to take shape in my mind. I’m also trying to double up here by considering how each chapter could be adapted for a journal publication. Because, you know, publish or perish. But past-me clearly thought that we would do more. I know the original plan was to publish Shifting Sands in September, leaving me three months of the year to concentrate on the critical side. I was naïve!
2-3 Conferences and journal papers
Mashing two of my 2020 goals together here, mainly because they both met the same fate. And for the same reason! When I first wrote my 2020 goals, I had something like four conferences or symposiums set up for me to attend. I planned to bounce off these for journal papers. Unfortunately, 2020 being 2020 meant everything got cancelled. I did manage one online conference in November, but it wasn’t the busy networking year I had planned. Introvert me was happy, the me who wants an academic job in the future was less so.
I did manage to get a special edition of a journal out though! Me and some friends hosted a conference in 2019 and then had to coordinate a special edition based on said conference. Despite many (many, many) disruptions and frustrations, I don’t hate it. My favourite part is the interview with Dr Crystal Abidin, a digital anthropologist, ethnographer, and just all-around inspiring researcher. I have a list of academics whose examples motivate me in my work (still growing!). All three of the keynotes in our conference made that list and I was so grateful to talk to Dr Crystal more in-depth. Not gonna lie, if I get the opportunity to do a course in anthropology or ethnography, I’d love to be a digital ethnographer!
HEA (meaning AFHEA)
I really wanted to sort my HEA in 2020. It was one of my big goals but, with everything that went on, it just didn’t seem manageable. The Higher Education Academy, according to that excellent source, Wikipedia, promotes excellence in higher education teaching. I was gunning for an Associate Fellowship, which is suited for those who do a bit of teaching but maybe aren’t full lecturers. It gives me something at the end to say that I teach, my teaching is evidence-based, please hire me.
Teaching is probably one of my favourite parts of my academic life – I love sharing the interesting bits of my field, helping students develop their passion and reach their potential, and seeing that lightbulb moment happen. Getting my AFHEA would make me more hireable as a lecturer and, you know, I’d like to be a lecturer. Hire me, please!
Overall Goal Setting 2020 Reflection
Before I wrote this post, I thought I’d done terribly with my 2020 goals. Looking back in detail, however, shows I’ve actually done okay. It hasn’t been an amazing, I-did-all-the-things year, but the amount I’ve managed with the constraints I’ve faced? Honestly, I think I’ll deserve some extra bonus to my PhD qualification at the end of this. Maybe a medal?
Goal Setting 2021
I’d love to say that this year has taught me to be more cautious with my goal setting, maybe rein back that ambition more, but no. I prefer to set more goals than I can probably achieve so that I’ve got something to work towards. Does that mean that I constantly feel like I’m about a month behind? Yes, but that month is my cushion month. And, if I manage even half of my academic goals this year, my cushion will have gone bac to being bigger than a month. Yay!
Full critical draft
Yup, I’m that ambitious in my goal setting. So far, I have workable drafts of my methodology/introduction and lit review (though the latter needs expanded). So, you know, only three planned chapters, a possible results chapter, and a conclusion to go. And it’s not like I have a bunch of content analysis to do first, right? Oh wait… But this has always been my goal. From my PhD application onwards, I’ve wanted to have a workable draft by the end of my third year so that write-up year can be all about editing, job hunting, and preparing for viva (see aforementioned introversion – the idea of verbally defending my work is exhausting/terrifying).
I should make it clear, however, that this plan is all about creating cushion time. If I work on the basis that I should have a draft by September, that means I should eat a big chunk of the critical writing. My realistic self-imposed deadline is December. Three month cushion! I had to clarify how my goal setting worked to my PhD chair at my first annual review – he was worried I’d bitten off more than I could chew.
Take as many opportunities to present work as possible
Okay, maybe I learned a little bit from last year’s goal setting. Most of my conference plans went up in flames, so this year I’m not specifying how many conferences or symposiums I’d like to be a part of. Instead, I’m just going to submit to any that catch my attention and push myself to show my work more. I feel like I’m doing something interesting – I should show that off!
Submit paper/chapter for publication
As much as I don’t like to think about it, I am rapidly moving towards the point where I need to apply for jobs. In academia, that means I need to start getting publications. Publish or perish, you know? A few interesting calls for papers have come out recently, so fingers crossed! If not them, I’ve tried to plan all my critical chapters to be easily adapted for journal publication.
HEA (meaning AFHEA)
Yup, the HEA has to come into my goal setting for this year too. I feel like the transfer to online teaching will add some interesting elements to the process, so maybe it’ll turn out to be a good thing that I failed last year. I’m terrified, but also really excited about teaching this semester. I’ve started making some plans and have fingers crossed that they’ll work!
Over to you
So, that’s my 2021 goal setting done. If you like hearing about my goals and want to keep up with what I’m doing more frequently than in annual reviews, sign up for my newsletter! What about you? Have you got any big plans?
Just commenting to register my support. Your piece is well crafted Nice job!