Weeknotes — 27 February to 3 March 2023
Time, the importance of language, and working in the open
I’ve long been fascinated by the concept of Weeknotes and often enjoy reading other people’s takes on them. I especially like reading those from people working on similar challenges in other organisations, particularly those in the Public Sector.
Taking inspiration from Matthew Godfrey’s wonderful Musings of a design leader and Eve’s fab Month(ish) notes, I’ve decided to give it a wee go myself.
I hope that this will be a useful means of formulating and articulating my thoughts, keeping myself on track, and being more transparent about the work I am doing — more on that below. We’ll see how long it lasts, but I’m eager to give it a try!
What went well?
One meeting that I left feeling particularly energised by was our Interaction Design Monthly Meetup — this is where designers from different areas of the wider Scottish Government come together to discuss all things Interaction Design. This week we did a deep dive on our “Add another” pattern, which is used in situations where a user is adding multiples of a thing, for example, listing medications or uploading many pieces of supporting information.
The meeting was really productive and we had lots of valuable insights and discussions to help us take the design forward. It’s exciting that we’re starting to feel like we’re moving in the right direction with this pattern, as it is an interaction used across so many of our services, and we’ve never felt we’ve fully cracked it.
This meeting was an excellent example of cross-directorate collaboration working well. It has become increasingly apparent to me that we need to break away from the structures and ways of working that cause our services to take on the often-complicated shapes of our internal political structures. I’m really keen to look at how we can enable spaces where this vital collaborative work can take place.
What could have been better?
I could have really done without the flu bug and subsequent bout of tonsillitis which floored me for most of the week. However, it’s nice to feel somewhat on the mend and I’m enjoying the burst of energy which comes with that.
With a lot of the recent messaging around political upheaval, inflation, cost of living crisis, and financial scrutiny in the lead-up to public sector budgets being finalised, it can be very easy to feel like it's all doom and gloom (maybe that's just February). It has really made me think about the importance of messaging and the language that we use.
When talking about complex programs of work like the ones we are working on in Social Security Scotland, it’s easy to fall into the trap of talking about resource. What resource are we putting on this project? What we really mean, of course, is people — the people who are assigned to carry out a certain task or project. Sure, it’s useful short-hand, but it goes against the culture we’re trying to cultivate in the team, where people feel valued and involved. It’s a little thing but it all adds up.
Another example I’m acutely aware of is when your boss asks you “Do you have five minutes for a quick call?” — Immediately your mind starts racing, thinking up any number of nightmare scenarios of what the call could be about:
What have I forgotten to do?
They’ve found me out.
I’m getting sacked.
In reality, it’s a quick question about a project or an admin task and was nothing to worry about. Phew!
So I’m trying to catch myself and be mindful of how my language can influence others. That could be as simple as saying “can we have a quick call about X? It’s nothing to worry about” or making sure to always talk about the people working in a space rather than numbers or positions. I may not always get it right but it’s important to be aware and to try.
What’s been on my mind?
Working in the open
I had a number of great conversations this week with various members of the team about some of the challenges which have come with the move to remote/hybrid working. It’s great to have the flexibility, but it can also feel isolating at times. One of the main things we felt we were missing was the ability to tap someone on the shoulder and ask them for advice, or more generally, seeing how other people approach their work.
This feeling of isolation can be particularly strong when you are working on specific projects on your own and the only time you collaborate with the team is during our weekly team meetings. Simply put, your paths don’t naturally cross unless you schedule a meeting in — which is tricky, people are busy and you don’t want to waste their time! That’s why I’m keen to coordinate more in-person working days where we can bounce ideas off each other and collaborate in a more natural way.
It has also made me reflect on my approach and how much (or how little) the team is aware of what I am up to and how decisions that affect them are made. It’s also made me realise the importance of working in the open and sharing what I’m up to with the team. That’s one of the main reasons I’m starting these weeknotes as a way to better articulate and share my thoughts and encourage more transparency.
80,000 hours (that you’ll never get back)
It is said that a person has 80,000 hours in their career. And according to Oliver Burkeman, on average, Four Thousand Weeks to live. That’s not a lot of time, so we better use it wisely!
At our team retro last week, we decided to rethink our recurring meetings and cut out the ones that weren’t adding value and taking up time. It was clear that the meetings that are most successful are the ones that have a clear purpose and we understand why we’re there.
Personally, I'm trying to be more intentional with my actions by understanding the why behind each ask. Why are we getting asked to do X? Why is this more important than Y? I’m hoping that this will help me to better prioritise what’s important, and push back on the things which are taking up time and mental bandwidth which could be better employed elsewhere.
What got me through the week?
Painkillers, cups of tea & Hard Nose the Highway.
