A Collaborative Weeknote with Emily
We both (Hayley and Emily) wanted to take part in Weeknote Club but didn’t know what to write about — so we decided to collab! We sat in silence, only communicating via this shared document — here is the result. Let us know what you think!
EM: Hello!
HW: Hi! How was your week?
EM: My week was a bit of a rollercoaster, difficult in parts but overall good — I feel much clearer on what I’m working on now. How was yours?
HW: Good to hear you’ve ended it feeling clearer! Mine felt like the opposite of a rollercoaster — with the exception of the key supporters event I don’t feel like much ‘happened’. Embracing the fact that what I’ve been working on might not feel like much now but will have longer-term results!
EM: Run club didn’t happen which was definitely a low point of the week! That makes a lot of sense though and I think actually I had been struggling with the same thing — at the moment I’ve been collecting data but it doesn’t feel like a fulfilling ‘win’ and I’m definitely having to remind myself of the long term aims and bring myself back to the ‘why’.
HW: That’s true! Run club always makes me feel more productive and I definitely haven’t been out and about enough this week in general. It always helps! I totally agree about remembering the ‘why’ and found Wednesday’s Key Supporters event really useful for that. I don’t know if you have seen, but Jude posted a video on LinkedIn of a Deputy Head we work with talking about us. One of the YPs told her Literacy Pirates is ‘the best thing you will ever do in your life’. Big boost right there for when we feel a bit stuck!
EM: I agree — even though it’s not work it helps my work, Tuesday run club is back on the agenda for next week! Wow that’s so cool I will take a look, I totally agree about going back to our motivators when we need to — something they put a lot of focus on in the Civil Service scheme is ‘seeing the bigger picture’ and I think more and more I am understanding why. The event sounded amazing — if you had to sum up how it was for you in 3 words what would they be?!
HW: Good question!! Inspiring, insightful and… nice? I know nice is a bit of a boring word. But that was genuinely the atmosphere. Everyone felt like they were there for a common cause and really supporting each other. That was lots more than 3 words, just justfiying my three, sorry!! Interesting that the bigger picture is emphasised in the Civil Service. It feels like that makes sense with a bigger organisation with so many moving parts, but definitely useful for us to remember too!
EM: Love that! Must have made you feel really proud to be a part of it all, especially after so much virtual working it must have been nice to have everyone physically together in a room with the atmosphere that comes with it. Yes I think seeing the bigger picture is important at lots of levels — in big and small organisations but also on a personal level reminding yourself of your own journey and motivations maybe. What’s your day looking like today?
HW: Yes, putting faces to people I’d only ‘met’ over e-mail was so strange but lovely. And agreed — I also had my development convo this week so have been having all sorts of existential, ‘big picture’ thoughts. I have some calls to make early this afternoon, a little bit of writing in preparation for next year and then ending the day with some Salesforce organising I think! That feels like a nice Friday afternoon activity. And I’m glad to have started the day with this! How about you?
EM: Ah hope it went well! I always think it’s quite nice to have those chats because you remind yourself that you’re on a journey!
I am in Haringey today! It’s been super nice to see Chelsea and Carmela again and I’m looking forward to seeing session later and chatting to a few of the Young Pirates about engagement sessions. I also have a few more school impact meetings which I’ve really enjoyed so far — they’ve been so positive and definitely helped with that bigger picture!
Me too! It felt a bit weirdly formal at first but I’ve actually really enjoyed typing to each other. It still feels like a personal reflection because I’m typing in silence but also a shared one, and it’s really nice because we’re helping each other reflect better maybe?!
HW: Exactly! I think we all spend lots of time thinking about the organisation’s journey, so good to take some time to consider your own too. That sounds like a great plan for the day and hopefully the change of scenery (and company!) will be inspiring too. Feel the same way about typing to each other! It was a good approach to a Weeknote where neither of us had a clear idea of what to write — we’ve asked each other questions that are probably quite useful to ask ourselves if ever in that situation again.
EM: Agreed! Definitely up for another Weeknote collab soon! Have a lovely Friday!!
