The weekend is nearly upon us, so I thought I would just post analysis of the two podcasts we discussed within groups in class on Wednesday. A lengthy read, but hopefully it will be of use and interest to you.
I had a cunning plan with these two and I think it pretty much worked a treat, at least I hope it did. I chose two broad subjects which were sure to resonate - time management and stress. Both of great import to life, whether it be studying or otherwise. They were designed to make you reflect, to provide some information you might not have considered previously and delivered in different ways.
The first podcast (from the Guardian) was a discussion between two journalists and the other (from TED podcasts) was a passionate presentation delivery from an ER Doctor. We sure were "crazy busy..."
I have paraphrased some of the information we shared, including my own thoughts, on the content and form (construction) of the two podcasts for you here.
"The Joy of Missing Out"
The podcast provided context by providing imagery of Medieval times, taking the listener back 600 years. Back then, these guys didn't stress about time. They saw time as a resource to be used, it was helpful. The question of productivity was posed, and the value to employees / employers.
The podcast argued that time is finite, and that (roughly) we will spend 4,000 weeks on this earth, should we all become octogenarians, give or take a week or two according to Oliver Burkeman. To me, that doesn't sound a lot to be fair!
The language / discourse was accessible in the main, with some complexity interwoven in there too ("delineate engagement").
Some of the themes they (and we) discussed was that we should be kind to ourselves, which I think we all agreed was of great importance.
One of the key points of the podcast was that it was NOT necessarily about the concept of the work/life balance. The notion of stress was also noted within the discussion and that the "quest to do everything is impossible". I am probably less guilty of that nowadays, as I have learned to work smarter, more productively and long gone are those 70 hour weeks I used to do. I used to have hair you know, ha ha.
The parable of the fisherman and the businessman was slotted in at the midpoint, and again, the imagery, irony, stereotypes associated with that section made for some interesting reflections.
The notion of the constructs of settling, commitment and procrastination were communicated and these may have piqued your interest at this point. I'm sure you will have had cause to stop and think at any rate.
Further content that was delivered, centred around the issues of attention span which we discussed and that "discomfort can be good". I certainly believe that.
We discussed New Year Resolutions too, on the back of Burkeman's commentary, who argued that he was sceptical about them. As we agreed though in class, drinking more water IS indeed a good thing.
It was suggested that walking is good for you, again, I must concur, and what perfect way to listen to podcasts, than on your walks. Perhaps the length of the podcast will help inform how many steps you do? Worth thinking about...
This podcast had (arguably) natural engagement between both speakers, with clearly structured questions, a fluent interviewee, some information content, appropriate music (although that was quite reasonably critiqued from some members of the class), credits, a clear thank you and a nod to the book that OB was discussing. Some of you felt that the podcast was an advertising / marketing medium for the book "Four Thousand Weeks - time and how to use it" which I agree, it was, but not in the strict hard sell sense.
One final note from me on this podcast and the information within - TIME IS PRECIOUS, think about how you use it.
Incredibly, so enthused was I about the content, that I actually bought the book as I showed you in class! I am stunned about that, as I am not normally somebody who is "sucked in" if that is the right phrase, but I was interested in the approach to time management (according to the podcast) and hope to learn from Burkeman's writing and could even use some of the concepts in my own teaching somewhere down the line. I will endeavour to accept Heaven's challenge by reviewing the book. So I have until mid May to do so. I will do my best, but I cannot promise, juggling three jobs at the moment. All of which are my choice of course!
The second podcast was a TED Health talk on "How to manage your stress like an ER Doctor"
This one was different in construct, shorter, and introduced by the podcast presenter, followed by the presenter delivering her well executed TED Talk. You will have noted the lack of interaction between two or more presenters, but would, I imagine, have felt the presence and gravitas of Darria Long.
The premise of this podcast was "How do doctors in the emergency room stay calm and focused amidst the chaos?" Drawing on years of experience, ER doctor Darria Long shared a straightforward framework to help you take back control and feel less overwhelmed when life starts to get "crazy busy".
We are encouraged, as listeners, NOT to use the term "crazy busy" and I was interested to hear that this was a phrase that Aida (our new recruit from Penn State University) has used before. Language is always dynamic, as is 'communication'.
Dr. Long makes some interesting points in her delivery, and adopts the red, amber, green and sadly black light system to reinforce her point, illuminating the podcast with lots of interesting working examples.
The presenter comments on a number of issues, and sub-heads them into categories such as: memory, brain, anger, anxiety.
Think about the 'tactics' that the ER Doctors use; could you think of times when you would strategize like that too? What about when she discusses the issue of "ready mode" - if they can do it, then so can we, right?
What Dr. Long encourages us to do, is to prioritise our challenges, and to consider how we think, behave, learn, study and to consider operating differently. Smarter, if you will.
In summary, go from "crazy mode to ready mode!"
I was reflecting on her anecdote about the baby in the labour ward and the umbilical cord wrapped around the baby, twice. Dr. Long was ready to act, she was prepared and asked the rhetorical question - when you are nervous / scared, do you think about what your actions can mean for you? Take control, that is the final comment to leave the audience thinking.
The structure of this podcast was akin to a presentation really - introduction from the presenter, context of the presentation, the TED talk (with lots of varied content with supporting detail) but no real closure and no questions. Powerful stuff though I believe.
If you have any comments, please sign in and reflect away.
Have a great weekend,
Mark
