Global Social Welfare: A New Journal

Its pretty rare that a new journal pops in my discipline (social work) and even rarer to discover a new one related to global and international issues. I was doing a bit of journal surfing for a client, and found just such a new beast: Global Social Welfare.

Judging from the editorial board and other online materials, it actually seems fairly interdisciplinary in focus, drawing from social development, social work, and policy studies.

Its a good thing to check out new journals for opportunities for becoming a reviewer, editorial board member, or as a venue for submission. While they do not have the prestige that older journals have, they also may not get have the same glut of submissions.

Remember to look for new journals from time to time. Simple put "new journal" (in quotes to reduce the number of hits), the year, and the topic/discipline, into a search engine, and see what comes up. Its always nice to also find the new perspectives that comes with a new journal.

The interactive spreadsheet: A great collaborative tool

So, I tell you that one tool won't make "the difference" and so what do I do? Talk up another tool!

In Google Drive, one of the document options you have is a spreadsheet. As with other spreadsheets, you can make rows and columns, and use it to keep track of various chronological events and numerical data. Yet, with this spreadsheet, you can invite a bunch of scholars to join together be accountable to each other.

The writing group I work with this summer here at UWT has been working interactively in an accountability spreadsheet. As I noted before, each day participants put in the word counts, and often make comments under that day in question.

Sounds simple enough, but I have been surprised at how useful, even powerful, it has been. The group seems to feed off of each other, with one scholar noting his excitement at being the first one to post on a certain day.

I think this tool has worked for several reasons. First, if forces scholars to be accountable to each other. No hiding when you have to post each day. Second, the idea of having to post a "0" often is enough to make someone do a bit of work. Third, having to post a "0" forces one to think about what is getting in their way. Through the use of comments, I engage the group when they are having successes, and challenges. I make sure to check in with people when they miss a few days, and give "shout outs" for successes. I work with them to help them remove their barriers, which are not coming up "in vivo."

Its been a real eye opener; I am thinking of using this interactive approach with clients who do not know each other. The practice and research implications are integrating.

Challenge: Article in Haiku Form

For this challenge, I want you to consider an article you have been having a hard time conceptualizing. Think of one that you have wanted to write, or have been writing, but have had a hard time figuring out the aims, scope, and perhaps the boundaries of where it starts and stops.

Now, I want you to write this article in the form of an English language haiku. The English language haiku consists of three lines of 5/7/5 syllabus.

Give this exercise a try on for couple of articles. Sometimes thinking of our work in a new, and in this case, highly condensed form helps us get to the essence of what we want to say.

A Few Word on Sunday

Even though I try to write everyday, that does not mean that I have to write equally every day. I don't pressure myself, as long as I am writing, writing gets done. Today, a few words on the intro of a book project, to get my head back into it again. Only about 100 words, but now I remember where I was, and can easily reenter it.

If you pressure yourself to have "rock star" days every day, you will soon burn out. With daily writing, there are ebbs and flows; best to sink into them, relax, and trust wisdom of daily creativity.

Even here, there is a place for both longer and shorter posts. I am more likely to not keep this going if I believe I have to bring my "A" game to the table every day.

Now, time to relax, and walk the dog.

Completing Work with No "Need" To Do So

In her excellent blog, Ana Canhoto asks her readers, "How do you motivate yourself to work on something, when you do not have to?" In her post, she note how it is easier to write about a given topic when there is a call for papers, or a where there is a co-author that you need to be held accountable to.

The problem of motivation is one that I have written about frequently in this blog, but often indirectly. Frequently, I write about accountability mechanisms and devices, rituals and routines, personal meaning and values, and how to remove the psychosocial barriers to writing productivity. All of these are part of the process of helping us be productive.

Yet, Ana's question really gets to the core of a different problem; how do you motivate when the stakes are no longer high? You have tenure, you have been promoted to full professor, you are known in your field, you are no longer interested in an area, ect, ect.  Or, as she notes above, you don't have daily micro "pushes" that keep you moving a specific topic or type of project going, although you may still be working on other things. How do you keep that line of research or area going?

While at the end of the day it really might come down to choosing work that is meaningful for us and using all of our tools, on a very practical level, sometimes we have to sit down and strategically come up with some very specific goals.

Example "I will publish three articles on immigration detention over the next two years."

Or, perhaps you start with a more amorphous goal: "I want to maintain or increase my reputation in international social work."

Now, based upon this goal, it is important to operationalize it into smaller, real world, practical goals.

"I will write a book and three articles on international social work within the next two years." Now that you have this goal, which MUST be read at least a few times week to have any meaning, you have to again break this into goals with actions attached, and time frames. These can be outcome goals or process goals. For example:

"I will write for two hours a week on international social work."

"I will work on an article on international social work two times a week."

"I will write and submit an article on international social work by X date."

These smaller goals translate our values into actions that we take on a daily basis, regardless of how we feel, and regardless of the stakes. Then, we build in accountability measures, as needed,  to keep us on track.

Easy breezy right? :)

Job Hunting First Impressions

When job hunting, as in many social contexts, first and early impressions count. Too frequently, candidates forget to consider the multiple ways they make first or early impressions.

Of courses, there is the obvious-your cover letter.  Have you had it edited by someone other than yourself? I am not grammar or typo fiend (I am sure you have found more than a few in this blog), but your cover letter is not a time for casual and incorrect writing. You MUST have it proofread by at least one other person. Personally, I would pay an editor to look at it. When you pay someone, the level of obligation changes, and they are trained to catch little errors.

The same  goes for your CV and other materials you will submit for the application.

Now, consider the not so obvious. Say you have a SKYPE video interview. How does the room you will meet in look? Is it professional? Messy? Is your computer in good order? Have you practiced using SKYPE? Have solid internet connections?

Think about phone conversations, emails, ect- are you coming across professionally?

These are the type of details you need to pay attention to. You need to come across as someone who pays attention to details.  That is a hard thing for some of us to get our minds around; we want to "be ourselves" as as graduate students and have perhaps let the more idiosyncratic, alternative aspect of our personality come to the fore.

I am not saying it is time to abandon who you are. If you are a casual, radial person, so be it! We area all allowed our quirks (check out the long curly hair in this dude, and if you know me, my penchant for off color language). Yet, in the job hunting process, we must portray a professional demeanor. When in doubt, low key. This is especially true if your work is a bit outside the box. That is my rule of thumb- the more alternative you are, the more conservative you should be in attending to the "details." Its about balance. If you are conservative by nature, and you are applying to a more quirky department, consider that.

Guys, I am sorry, but that means nice dress shoes and at least a sports coat. Yes, wear a tie!. Women, seek the advice of others on this, but dress sharp.

Spend some of your daily writing time considering all the details you should attend to. Its worth the effort.

Readers Can (and Should!!) Respond

Come on readers, blogs are supposed to be interactive. Lets have some comments!!