The Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival or Luna New Year.
The 2019 year of the Pig is predicted to be a particularly auspicious and lucky year. And with the zodiac sign of the pig representing diligence, kindness and generosity, people working on projects (like PhDs and other ventures) can look forward to some super positive changes in the next 12 months!
Hooray!
The Chinese fortune calendar combines solar, lunar and 60 Stem-Branch counting systems. The 60 Stem-Branch calendar uses the names of the Yin and Yang Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth) and 12 animals to rank the yearly sequences. The five elements are connected to five colors – White, Black, Green, Red, and Brown. So the new year uses an element, its color and the animal name to count the year. In this system, 2019 is the year of the Female Earth Pig – and given that brown is connected to the Earth it is a Brown Earth Pig Year.
February 2019 is also an especially fortuitous month.
February2019 will only come once in a lifetime. This is because this year’s February has 4 Mondays, 4 Tuesdays, 4 Wednesdays, 4 Thursdays, 4 Fridays, 4 Saturdays and 4 Sundays.
This only happens once every 823 years!
The Chinese New Year is celebrated worldwide and this year, I was delighted to see this Irish bicycle-assisted celebration for Chinese New Year – Dublin’s Lazy Bike ToursAsian Flavours Event.
Image: Lazy Bike Tours
Asian Flavours on a Lazy Bike
Lazy Bike Tours offer three-hour electric bike tours that celebrates the Chinese New Year and highlights Dublin’s enduring connection to China. While on this guided tour, participants are given an informed account of Dublin’s Chinese migration and history whilst riding around Chinatown. As part of the tour, riders get to visit the Spring Festival Fair at the CHQ building and check out the market stalls. As a finale, the tour finishes up at a local Chinese restaurant to experience traditional new year cuisine and culture.
What a great way to start the Luna New Year … being out and about, happily social, interacting with community, learning about culture and having fun on two wheels – awesome!
However you celebrate Chinese New Year – I hope it’s also on two wheels!
For many years, World Bicycle Relief (WBR) has supplied bicycles to some of the world’s most vulnerable people to help increase access to education, healthcare and income-generation opportunities. WBR has a number of corporate sponsors and partnerships. This story details a unique collaboration between WBR, ING Bank and World Vision, called the Orange Bicycle Project. This story comes courtesy of WBR and serves as a reminder that bicycles really do create change. Enjoy! NG.
Dutch financial institution ING has built their corporate purpose around “empowering people to stay a step ahead, in life and in business.” While ING remains committed to this purpose in their day-to-day banking work, they also wanted to integrate it into their corporate giving efforts.
And if they could find a way to honor their Dutch bicycling heritage at the same time, even better! The organization did just that by developing a sustainable transportation relief program: the Orange Bike Project.
Image: World Bicycle Relief
ING collaborated with World Bicycle Relief (WBR) and World Vision Philippines to bring bicycles to children living in remote locations in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand.
The project is modeled after WBR’s Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program (BEEP) and aspires to raise enough funds over five years to build and distribute 5,000 bicycles to students who must walk long distances to school every day.
WBR’s educational programs in Africa have demonstrated that reducing students’ travel time to school helps improve attendance and performance.
Bicycle-riding students are more likely to stay in school, improving their career prospects and future income potential as well. As Mark Newman, CEO of ING Asia, says, “We hope that the ING Orange Bike project will be able to create a lasting impact that empowers the students, their families and the community to keep moving forward in life.”
The project’s orange ING-branded Buffalo Bicycle is specially designed for rough, rural terrain and can carry loads up to 100 kg – making it useful for the student’s family to transport crops and goods to the market when school is not in session.
As of December 2016, 3,200 bicycles have been distributed through the Orange Bike Project. The program’s impact is carefully monitored by a local implementing agency, and the results have been spectacular!
In several beneficiary schools in the Philippines, attendance has increased by at least 33% and grades by at least 51%. The bicycles have also helped recipient families bring more goods to market, increasing their income.
ING has plans to raise $200,000 annually to continue the program through 2018. Employee fundraising groups like the ING Orange Bike Cycling Challenge have helped ING reach its goal by raising $75,000 in 2016. The program has benefited from the enthusiastic support of ING employees and friends who all share the organization’s commitment to empowering individuals.
Shayne Prashan, ING employee and team leader for the ING Orange Bike Cycling Challenge, was motivated to fundraise for the project because of the emotional enlightenment it offered him. “It’s about the only superpower that makes us human: empathy.”
Shayne says. “It invites us on one of the greatest and most courageous adventures of our lives: to step into someone else’s shoes to understand their struggles and to help them walk through life with confidence and faith.”
I am very lucky to be working at a university where I have access to conference opportunities where I can contribute in discussions about educational best practices at the higher education level.
Up to 100 IECHE Fellowships are being awarded by the Saudi Kingdom so overseas higher education professionals to attend and join in conversations about global best practices.
Image: Ebaum’s World. Graduation of 18 female doctors at Jizan University, Saudi Arabia
What is the IECHE?
The adoption of the new by-laws in Saudi Arabia will make the 2019 conference particularly important as local universities will be managing more autonomy and facing a significant cultural shift in the process.
The Saudi Cultural Mission sees this event as being invaluable to encourage participation, enhance collaboration and build partnerships between Saudi and international higher education institutions, and to develop mutual understanding about the issues that govern and influence the quality of higher education worldwide.
Each year an international advisory panel helps select a theme for each conference, design the program, and invite international experts and scholars who are shaping higher education policy and practice throughout the world.
Apparently over 3, 300 people attend this event. Past IECHE speakers and panelists include Nobel laureates, vice-chancellors from the world’s most prestigious universities, ministers of higher education, and leading researchers from every continent.
The theme for the 2019 IECHE is Transforming Saudi universities in an era of change.
Images: IECHE 2019
What is the IECHE Fellowship?
The fellowships are offered to international educators, researchers and policy makers in higher education and cover a costs for airfares, accommodation, meals and conference participation.
Fellowship selection is based on diversity in geographic location, gender, age and experience.
I worked hard on my application. Given that I am at the intersection of many of the selection criteria, I think I have as good a chance as anyone else in being awarded.
I am genuinely interested in attending this event and in the opportunity to experience Saudi Arabia for the first time.
It will take a fortnight for the fellowship applications to be processed.
Regular BCC readers know that making biking accessible for all ages, stages and types of people is a key focus for this blog. BCC content loves to celebrate community-based, grassroots implemented and social issue-driven projects, people and events.
So usually, big international commercial trade-shows and exhibitions like the second Dubai International Bicycle Exhibition which was held on 10-12 January don’t usually feature here – so why is it included?
Read on!
What is the DIBE?
This expo is primarily mercantile and retail in nature. It focuses on developing networks, promoting brands (and pro teams), and extending business-to-business exposure. Events like this is where local, regional and international bike companies and manufacturers sell products and services to regional retailers and distributors – and showcase new developments in cycling technology, design and innovation.
This event is the largest professional bicycle exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa. Apparently, over 7,000 visitors, enthusiasts, professional riders and business owners attended. International brands and exhibitors came from Italy, Germany, India, Australia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the United States, China, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.
The event was supported by the royal family and was touted as being ‘the most important cycling business event in the MENA region.’
So what is interesting about the DIBE?
While I was looking at the expo online, two particular features jumped out.
One was the number of female expo representatives/ambassadors (like @jeddah_woman) and that there at least some representation of sustainable/alternative bicycle approaches via India’s Bamusa bicycles.
Small, but productive steps!
Image: @Jedda_Woman
Female representation
Jedda_Woman I was very pleased to see @jedda_woman listed as an individual ambassador for this event. This social influencer (Followers: Instagram 7, 343 and Twitter 666 #jeddah_woman1) has been promoting local cycling and organising rides, events, educational/social meet-ups and practice days to get more people on bikes. I was hoping to find out more about what she is doing and contact her, but she has not been on Insta since 27th Nov 2018, or Twitter since 14th Dec 2017. So I will see how I go contacting her.
Velo Vixens The Velo Vixens are a friendly, supportive, enthusiastic group of over nearly 1,000 (predominately expat) women who ride, train and compete. This is a very popular, active and well-organised group who host lots of rides, training and competitions.
Another highlight from the mainstream branded manufacturers at the expo was India’s foremost hand-crafted premium bamboo bike company Godrej Bambusa Bike. It was great to see representation of sustainable materials and alternatives to the big manufacturers/supplies as an option for the usual (overfocus?) on ‘state-of-the-art’ frame design, process and materials like carbon-fibre.
The Banusa company loves to tell the story of two teenagers who undertook an epic 4400 km test ride (on their bikes) which went from Kanyakumari (far south India) across the country and over the Khardung-La Pass (world’s highest road) to north India. Solid as!
Image: Godrej Bambusa Bike
2019 Expanded program next year
This year it was just an expo, but next year there are plans to have sessions on bicycle infrastructure, products, innovation, technologies, safety, maintenance, and fitness and nutrition.
There is also talk of including a demo area and a Bicycle Training Workshop Area.
I am hoping that this expo will continue to include and promote the wide range of riders, biking types/codes and diverse organisations that make up our amazing cycling community. We’ll see next year!
If any Brisbane riders are looking for some extra motivation or want to meet some like-minded people, Chicks Who Ride Bikes (CWRB) have just announced their first event for 2019 – it’s a breakfast panel!
I’m looking forward to this event and have already got my ticket.
If you don’t know who CWRB are, or have not yet heard about the Climb Every Mountain Breakfast Event – then read on!
Image: Chicks Who Ride Bikes
What is CWRB?
Chicks Who Ride Bikes is a social network connecting women around the world through a shared passion for cycling.
Founded in Brisbane in 2013, CWRB is the fastest growing women’s cycling community IN THE WORLD!
CWRB hold some great events and work hard to build a welcoming and engaged community. Head Chick Jordana Blackman must be one of the busiest people I know because I not only run into her at cycling meets, races and CWRB events, but she is also often travelling all over the country (and beyond) working on all manner of major cycling tours, events and media junkets…Impressive!
For this event, CWRB is hosting a breakfast with a panel of three Aussie female cycling icons.
I really like the idea of merging breakfast with the panel event.
The panel has a great line up (see below) and I’m keen to hear the speakers unique experiences, advice and stories. It will also be good to meet other attendees.
Here are the event details that CWRB released this week.
Join us for a lovely breakfast and coffee, meet some like-minded ladies and ‘climb your mountain’.
The event is hosted by Olympian and cycling commentator Katey Bates who will be joined by a panel of legends including Chief CWRB Jordana Blackman, Aussie cycling legend Loren Rowney and Media guru Jane Aubrey.
The panel will share the ups and downs of their life and career, their strategies to tackle challenges, embrace the stumbles, and come out on top… or at least come out with a smile on their face and some good stories to tell!
We’ll have some incredible door prizes and our full range of 2019 CWRB kit to try on.
Image: Compfight cc
The Host
Katey Bates An Olympian and world champion cyclist, Katey loves her cycling like Eskimos love their ice. Fuelled by a passion for two wheels, she scaled the heights of international cycling.
Her stacked results sheet is highlighted by winning a coveted rainbow jersey with world championship victory in the points race, Commonwealth Games GOLD at back to back games, and a green and gold National champions jersey o the road.
Katey is one of only two Australian women to represent Australia at the Olympics in both track and road cycling, and since retirement, works in broadcasting, commentating on major international cycling events such as the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, World Championships and the Tour Down Under.
The Panel
Jordana Blackman Chief Chick at Chicks Who Ride Bikes, Jordana was drawn to cycling after a shock cancer diagnosis in her 20s. While in recovery, she saw a poster for a Ride To Conquer Cancer event at her local cafe, and decided to challenge the 200km in 2 day ride ….. but there was just one problem.
After buying her first bike (and falling off it on more occasions that she’d like to remember), she rode her first charity bike event alongside her partner and 2,000 other fundraisers – each of which had been touched in some way or another by cancer.
She spent a lot of time training on her own or on an indoor wind trainer because she couldn’t find a group of girls to ride with at her pace, so when she moved interstate in 2013, she decided to create a Facebook group to make friends and meet other women who rode, and Chicks Who Ride Bikes was born.
Loren Rowney Over half a decade, Loren Rowney was a highly sought after rouler in the international cycling scene. Riding for the world’s best teams including Mitchelton-Scott and Canyon/SRAM, as well as wearing the green and gold for the Australian National Team, Loren was known for her tactical know how, resilience, and ability to make her team mates smile.
An avid blogger about mental health and the challenges she has faced while transitioning from a professional sportswoman to civilian, Loren remains a keen road and MTB cyclist, with a passion for seeing women achieve equal rights and equality in sport.
Jane Aubrey Over the last two decades, Jane’s career has spanned journalism and production working on the world’s largest sporting events including Olympic & Commonwealth Games and has held media and operational roles in UCI teams, WorldTour events and the inaugural Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
A former Editor at Cyclingnews and Cyclist Australia & New Zealand, Jane has also worked in the Public Affairs Unit teammates Department of Defence of Australia, and as Media Manager for Basketball Australia and Athletics Australia.
Now providing consulting advice in communications and public relations, Jane’s spare time is spent preparing to take on some of the world’s highest mountains and she’s working on a plan to conquer the Seven Summits.
Register for tickets
The breakfast is being held at the Shipp Inn (Southbank) on Thursday 28 February 2019 at 7:00 am – 8:30 am AEST.
This year was full of highs and lows and presented some incredible opportunities.
As we draw to the close of 2018, this is the perfect time to review what worked, what didn’t work, changes that need to be made and what will be the primary focus for 2019.
In previous years, around this time, husband and I have been in Rotorua, New Zealand mountain biking. But this year, we are conserving and consolidating – we are also using the time to experiment with our bike packing gear and setups and using the time to get some kms in the legs.
My next year is going to be dramatically different. In 2019, I’m working on my bicycle PhD full-time, reducing my teaching load drastically and undertaking more bike packing than MTB adventures.
Who knows what new opportunities and challenges will emerge for each of us.
Whatever your experience is, I wish you the best of luck and oodles of positivity in doing what you need and what to achieve in 2019.
If 2019 is going to be anything like 2018, it will be jammed packed full of surprises, tests, success and possibilities.
Image: SF Bike Party
Remember what happened in 2018?
Here’s a quick recap from online news about the year that was.. remember these?
Internationally
North and South Korea vowed to formally end the Korean War
Cuba announced a new president ending the 59-year Castro leadership
Iraq had its first parliamentary elections since the defeat of ISI int he country
Canada became the second nation in the world, after Uruguay, to legalize marijuana
Mexico is selling its $218.7 million presidential plane to use funds for poor communities
South Korea closed its largest dog meat slaughterhouse
Meghan Markle became the first woman of color to join the British royal family
Human rights
In Saudi Arabia, women are finally able to drive
Ireland voted and repealed its abortion ban
India’s Supreme Court decriminalised consensual gay sex
Scotland became the first country to back teaching LGTBI issues in schools
The “Year of the Woman” went global
Africa saw a huge and significant decline in female genital mutilation
For the first time in Iran, women were allowed to attend wmen’s sporting events
The environment
We discovered 157 new species in Southeast Asia
New Zealand may have killed its oil industry to combat climate change
Major fashion brands united against climate change
A growing number of Americans now believe climate change is happening
Scientists came up with an idea to stop glaciers from melting
British fashion house Burberry says it’ll stop destroying unsold goods and using fur
Scientists developed a plastic-eating enzyme
Health & Science
A woman gave birth to a baby after she received a uterus transplant from a dead person
The UK has exceeded UN targets for HIV diagnosis and treatment, proving efforts to control the epidemic can work
Researchers developed a 10-minutes cancer test
A new Ebola treatment trial began
A new peanut allergy drug has provided fresh hope
A study found dogs can be a powerful tool in diagnosing malaria
Best of luck for 2019!
What ever you plans and goals are for 2019 – I wish you all the best!
This year I’ve giving my top 5 presents for cyclists who don’t want/need any more bike gear – and are open to something a little different (as long as it’s bikey!).
1. Anything by Anthony Oram
Anthony Oram is a UK designer/creative who rides bikes. As such, his website has an impressive great range of limited edition bicycle-themed art, prints, frames, notebooks, bags, t-shirts and heaps of other products. Anthony’s motto ‘build bikes, not bombs’ is understandably in high demand. All designs are Anthony’s so you can guarantee these products are unique. He is based in the UK, but ships worldwide.
Personally, I really dig his notebooks. Classy, functional, creative and quintessentially bikey – a perfect Christmas gift!
More professional designers creating bicycle products like this please!
Image: Anthony Oram
2. Bike Planters and Bike Vases
1. Bike Vase
3D Mood is a German design group- Bicycle vase. Pimp your bike with this beautiful mini bike vase. Simple clamping with an elastic. Vase is made with a 3d printer with PLA plastic. This plastic strain is made from biodegradable vegetable raw materials (corn starch or sugarcane), and is therefore promoted as a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics from petroleum chemicals.
Image: Etsy – 3D Mood
2. Colleen Jordan
According to Fast Company, the Atlanta-based designer Colleen Jordan got the idea for the planters from the flower pots in the new generation of Volkswagen Beetles. “Putting a plant in a car like that seemed to be contradictory,” she tells Co.Design. “A lot of cyclists seem to be plant lovers as well, so the combination just seemed right in my mind.” So she began offering made-to-order 3-D printed vessels that attach to a bike frame with an elastic cord. Jordan recommends using a clipping from a succulent or a large air plant. Since they’re made from polyamide, a porous material, excess water drains out of the bottom.
Image: Etsy – Colleen Jordan
3. Icosahedron Bike Planter – Wearable Planter
Another design in the Wearable Planter series is the Icosahedron Bike Planter, whose website promotes as a wearable planter for your bike. It is great with air plants and small succulents, which you can show off as you ride around town and make your green transportation even greener. The form uses modelling software and 3D printing.
The dye comes in bright colours and seals the final piece. A strong elastic cord attaches it to your bike. When you purchase the planter, it does not come with plants, but it does provide advice on which plants work best and how to plant.
Image: Wearable Planter
3. The Ivy Bike Lock by Sono Mochie
I don’t know how secure this lock is – and after having our most beloved fixi, Milky Joe (we still miss you!) stolen in Melbourne while locked up to Leki (who was left ???!!!), I have very little faith in any other lock outside of an Abus Granit 1000 cable lock, which is the only lock I now use for any bike other than Leki these days (you just can’t go wrong with German security company!).
That being said, if you don’t need/want an industrial style lock, then this lock might fit the bill.
Sonon Mochie is quoted as saying: “why does our bicycle need to be connected to light poles by chains like a criminal in prison? Inspired by nature, the design of this cable wire lock is a mimicry of ivy. It is unified in our daily scene and promotes protection of the environment. It is soft and feels natural. ‘ivy’ is a plug to awaken the relationship between you and society.”
The Ivy Bike Lock was a shortlisted design in the 2010 Seoul Cycle Design competition (organized by Designboom in collaboration with Seoul Design Foundation).
Image: Sono Mochie
4. A Bicycle Week Calendar
This fun gift is a chalkboard bicycle wheel week calendar/list that spins.
If your house likes baking and/or has one (or more hungry cyclists), then check out these kooky bicycle cookie cutters. I can definitely see these at office parties, children’s parties, work Christmas parties and your next cycling race event!
Many of us would love to undertake a month-long challenge.
But work, family and hobby demands often get in the way.
Two days ago, I came across the National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo.
In this event, I saw an opportunity to adopt certain principles of NaNoWriMo to use in an academic context that would not detract time and energy away from my current work/research demands – but would, in fact, be a productivity kick-starter!
Source: NaNoWriMo
What is
NaNoWriMo?
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) happens every year, It is an Internet-based creative writing challenge to write a 50,000-word novel from 1st to the 30th of November.
The National Novel Writing Month website started this challenge in July 1999 with only 21 participants. In 2010, 200,000 people wrote 2.8 billion words and in 2015, 430,000 participants completed 50,000 manuscripts.
This is a great challenge to get inspired, build a regular writing routine, overcome writing anxiety and writer’s block, and also be part of a highly active online community.
Source: Jeff Schwisow
Using NaNoWriMo for
academic writing
During NaNoWriMo, it is the length of the draft, not the quality that is the main goal. Editing and polishing the document comes later.
Producing writing is a constant pressure for academics and PhD candidates.
Essentially PhDers are assessed on their writing output. PhDers are required to, at a minimum, produce an 80,000-120,000-word high-quality dissertation and at least one peer-review journal article in order to fulfil their candidature. Having additional publications, conference proceeding and other written documentation are also expected.
That is one of the reasons I started this blog – to force myself to write
regularly.
I love the idea of a writing challenge. I have not been producing as much writing as I did when I first started my research and my usually productive writing routine has slipped.
Although NaNoWriMo is a novel writing challenge, I am going to use it as an opportunity to apply some of its principles to jumpstart my academic writing productivity.
Many NaNoWriMo ideas are transferable to an academic writing challenge.
So I went on an online binge to glean some of the most useful NaNoWriMo approaches.
As an R &D homage to the original NaNoWriMo, I’ve called my initial checklist (below) NiAcaWriMo– or Nina’s Academic Writing Month.
Here’s what I came up with….
Source: WCUK
NiAcaWriMo
Have all equipment and materials prepared.
This includes working tools like the keyboard, monitors, laptop/desktop, notebooks and any other paraphernalia needed. Delete Netflix or any other distractions. For me, this also meant setting up a dual monitor stand-up desk and putting my laptop in for a service and updating the operating system and all software.
Spring clean and organise your workspace.
To create productive energy and focus, declutter and spring clean your workspace. Clear out any distractions, tidy up or better yet, remove as much as you can out of your workspace to make it a lean and clean studious area. Dust off screens and keyboards, and wipe down any surfaces, IT cords and equipment as recognition that this space is open to new and fresh ideas. Commit to keeping the space clear by not allowing others to put anything in your workspace, clearing your desk at the end of each day and only keeping the basic work materials needed on your desk.
Prepare a soundtrack.
Some people listen to music while working, others prefer silence. Either way, know what kind of soundscape is most productive for you. When I work in an open office, I use ear plugs as well as high-performance ear muffs (a technique I use on public transport as well) if I want quiet and little sound. Or I use headphones with my own soundscape. I have had great success with alpha, beta and gamma binaural beats, which I used to complete a 17,000 minor thesis in four days. Another option is classical or instrumental music with no lyrics. Or have background music in a different language so your brain is not subconsciously engaged with the lyrics, but focused on your written language. For this technique, I’d recommend the French R & B duo Les Nubians album Princesses Nubiennes. Other creatives swear by having the same song on constant repeat which helps to create a consistent and familiar flow state. Find what works best for you.
Tell others about your challenge.
This means getting your significant other/s, family, work colleagues and
friends on board with what you are doing. This will save a lot of misunderstanding
and issues in the future and people will be a lot more understanding and
supportive. If you are upfront with your purpose and time frame, then measures
can be taken to organise and negate possible future complications such as invitations
and drop-in visits and even further to include things such as house cleaning
and grocery shopping.
Protect your focus
For one whole month, you need to make your writing challenge top priority – and this protecting your focus. This step requires you to know what you need to do your best work, what time of day you are most productive and that you put into place strategies to minimise interruptions and stay productive. This can include setting a schedule or a daily timetable. Or read some key literature that is not only inspiring, but is at a standard you wish to achieve. For academic writing, I like to have 3 journal articles that are my gold standard – two by my favourite author in my research field and another on a different topic whose style, expression and vocabulary I really enjoy reading. Another way to protect your focus might is to set your phone to silent and leave it in another room for your sessions. Or use an app to help your focus and build self-control, or a productivity app that helps avoid distractions, like Cold Turkey, which I recommend to postgrad students.
Prepare body and mind
We all know looking after the body and mind is important during intense work bursts, but the challenge is to make it a priority in order to sustain productivity. This includes eating well, being hydrated, taking regular screen breaks, doing regular exercise (until sweaty), getting adequate sleep and generally looking after your overall well-being. Build these elements into your daily schedule to ensure you protect your focus and keep yourself working at the optimal level. Have a look at A Year of Productivityfor other strategies to help prepare the body and mind.
Other NiAcaWriMo considerations
Once prepared, you then need to put it all into action.
This is an area I am still refining. So below is an outline of some tactics I’ve found to be incredibly helpful in consistently producing written work.
Morning Routine: I have had great success using a priming morning routine that I have adapted and personalised over the last three years.
iThinkwell. Over the last two years, I have attended two iThinkwell workshops: Turbocharge your writing and Seven habits of highly successful research students. I still some of the strategies from these workshops. If you get to one of these sessions, get your library to order the companion books which cover the same material so you can still get ahead.
Prepare the next day the night before. One key technique is starting a new day fresh and proactive, is to prepare what you are going to do the next day before you leave your desk the night before. IdentifyingThe Next Thing is a quick and easy way to get a new productive day started without wasting any valuable energy or focus on planning the day, you just get on and do it. Some writers like to leave a question as a stimulus for the next days’ writing session, or dot points that need expanding on, others leave notes to complete, or end the previous day mid-sentence so there is an idea to complete the next day and continue on.
Have a daily goal. I have a PhD friend who has a daily goal of writing 250 words a day. Another academic I know has committed one hour every day for the last five years to writing. Whether it is time, words count, tasks or any other goal, having a clear daily goal is a good way to set the intention for the day, track progress and establish milestones of achievement.
50,0000 words in a 30-day month equals 1,667 words per day.
Take each day separately. Keep in mind that progress is based on day-to-day productivity. Set-backs are inevitable. Don’t be too hard on yourself and be realistic. There will be blow-outs, mess-ups, crappy days and interruptions – this is part of life and work. If you struggle one day, reset and try again the next, but don’t try and catch-up as this adds extra stress. Take each day as a stoned alone session and accept that there will be ‘good days’ and ‘bad days’.
Know what a ‘good day’ looks like. How do you define ‘a good day’ of work? What does it look like? Is it producing a 500-word outline? Or writing 1,500 original new words? Reading a journal article? Having this clarification means that you know when you have achieved it. If this is not clear, you are at risk of ending each day feeling like you have not achieved your goal and could have done more, no matter how much your produce.
Garbage in, garbage out. Be mindful and actively manage what you allow yourself to be exposed to. This includes TV, social media, movies and the news – and also people. Remember the quality of your output is determined by the quality of the input. Read quality literature, reduce media exposure, unplug and read more engaging books.
Acknowledge milestones and reward. As you progress with writing, acknowledge micro-successes and milestones achieved. Having small rewards helps track activity, recognise breakthroughs, monitor improvements and boost motivation.
Writing is not editing. Writing and editing are two different skills, yet many people edit as they write and this can hamper progress and flow. For NaNoWriMo, participants are writing a 50,000-word draft. There is no editing at this stage and this a good idea to keep in mind. Many people get distracted while writing by fact-checking, looking up a definition, searching for a ‘better word’ or stopping to insert an accurate reference as they write. Doing these during the writing phrase inhibits ‘writing flow’ and focus. So the aim is to get ideas in writing down on without stopping to edit.
I use the write fast, edit slow – and theread a bit, write a bit, edit a bit adage to instil the distinction and importance of doing each of these tasks regularly. Another way to achieve the writer’s flow state as advocated by Blindboy is to write with fire, edit with ice.
Source: Jeff Bullas
Next steps
I only
found out about NaNoWriMo this
week, so it was too late to participate this year.
But it has inspired
me to get organised and get back into my writing routine.
Who needs a formal date to write? A month-long writing challenge can be undertaken at any time!
Take this blog post as an example: just writing about this challenge has produced a 2048-word blog post and helped clarify my next steps and preparation for NiAcaWriMo. That in itself is already a valuable and productive writing activity.
As we come up to the
end of the year, I’m gearing up for a NiAcaWriMo challenge in the new year.
And I will certainly
be looking out for NaNoWriMo next November.
So if you have any
kind of writing project, perhaps now it the time to get inspired and create
your own month-long writing challenge to crack the whip and get those important
first words onto paper.
One of the courses I teach at Griffith Uni is 1205MED Health Challenges for the 21st century. It is a compulsory first-year undergrad course for all Health Sciences degrees. I really enjoy teaching it. The first major assessment is a research essay topic exploring the link between malaria (health) and climate change (environment). Climate change is a global issue that has serious repercussions that go far beyond health. I was delighted to see cyclists the world around rallying to raise awareness about climate change. This particular protest caught my attention because Pakistani cyclists are not often featured in international news – so it was great to see them out in force and mobilizing against climate change. NG.
Collectively, these events hope to build on work strated by the December 2015 Paris Agreement, which was the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate.
Pakistan is not the first country that usually comes to mind when we think of climate change action.
Even so, considering that Pakistan is predicted to be one of the most vulnerable nations to be impacted by climate change (despite the country’s low level of its global carbon emissions), it is understandable that CDD would make the news.
Image: Dunya News
Islamabad rides against climate change
Islamabad celebrated CDD with three key events; a massive public bike protest, a documentary screening and an art competition.
This aim of this years’ event program was to encourage communities to take back the decision making control about climate policy out of bureaucracy hands and back give it back to the community.
The bike protest had a massive turn out. The protest saw riders taking over the streets of Islamabad as a way to highlight rampant greenhouse emissions by promoting bikes as a more eco-friendlier mode of transportation.
The ride was followed by a public screening of a documentary called Thank You For The Rain, which follows the damage climate change has had on a Kenyan farmer, his family and his village.
There was also a local exhibition called the Climate Diplomacy Art Competition, which showcased local students’ climate change inspirited art. The theme for the art competition was Challenges of Climate Change – Pakistan’s Youth on the Front Line.
Image: Dunya News
Events like Islamabad’s CDD are very important in helping raise awareness for climate action.
It is also a sobering reminder that no matter where you are – in Pakistan, Australia or anywhere else in the world – we are all united by this common issue.
I find it reassuring there are so many people who are equally passionate about the environment, cycling and who want more positive environmental and community change.
Last weekend was the 2018 Chicks in the Sticks 3 hr Enduro event.
Chicks in the Sticks (CITS) is Queensland’s premier all-women’s MTB event. It has been running now for 4 years and registrations have been gaining steadily. This year there were 233 entrants.
CITS is all-inclusive race experience catering for both elite riders and those new to MTB and there is a strong emphasis on fun, community and giving riding a go.
The original date set in late August at the Karingal site was cancelled due to thunderstorms.
As luck would have it, the rain cleared on Sunday and a beautiful steamy and sunny day burst forth for our race day at Scribbly Gums Conservation Park.
How was the event?
I got there early and set up a little area for my gear and bags. The junior race started soon after and it was inspiring to see the under-10 girls giving it their all.
I got my race plate, chatted to a few people I knew and visited a few of the stalls. After getting a sense of where the senior race track was, I moved my gear to a position that was quick and easy to have a pit shop to replenish supplies during the race.
Unlike previous years, this time I was riding the full 3-hour solo. As the morning got more humid and hot, I could see that this change in weather was going to be a factor during the race and I was glad I gave some good thought to my water and race supplies.
My approach was to ride steady and see how I felt. It’s been 2 years since I’ve officially raced – and I was at CITS to support the event, not to ride hard and total myself. There were some elite racers out to smash it and many were there to give it a go and a surprising number of seniors were doing their first ever race.
I was not in costume, just comfortable MTB gear – a decision I was very grateful for later when the sun was blaring down and I saw many people in costumes suffering more so. I could see the heat taking a toll on the less experienced riders. By lap 3 (2 hours in) the field had spread out considerably, with quite a few calling it quits early due to the heat.
I rode with a few people who were struggling on the uphill fire trail – just chatting and encouraging. One lady had not eaten, so I gave her some of my food and keep her company up the hill. It reminded me how hard it was when I first started riding and how much I valued the insights and advice of my more experienced MTB mates. Their input saved me a lot of needless suffering – for which I am eternally thankful.
Image: Chicks in the Sticks
What else happened?
Interestingly, I was the only singlespeed riding- and the trails were perfect for it. Really, there was bugger all elevation, but lots of windy single track. The consistently tight turns and gravel spread the field right out. Confident cornering technique played a massive role in conserving energy and holding speed. Perfect conditions!
I chugged along at my own speed and chatted to a few other riders. My goal was to keep my head positive and enjoy the day – everything else was a bonus. So without any race expectations, it meant I could relax and enjoy the ride.
I found my groove after lap two and was feeling surprisingly comfortable. I ended up doing 5 laps 9kms laps in total without destroying myself in the heat and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
It was good to be part of this event. It was lovely to see how hard people were working and how different people deal with their individual race day challenges.
I had a great time riding and was glad I pushed myself to ride further than I have previously without destroying myself. It was a great day for a ride and the event was super fun. I will definitely be back next year! See you there!
Congrats to the organisers!
Kudos to the organisers and all the wonderful people that helped make this such a fabulous event like the participants, the RATS Cycling Club, volunteers and heaps of partners/family/friends.
The Chicks in the Sticks committee did a great job. A big congratulations to Barbra Neal, Lisa Toia, Amanda Harrison, Seb Mitaros and Christine McKay for all their hard work behind the scenes.
Congrats to all the riders – especially those who were riding for the first time.
