The web of work

When I was a PhD student, my supervisor told me I had a true luxury: time to concentrate on my writing. At that time, I was puzzled: I certainly did not feel privileged. However, recently I keep returning to these words as tasks interweave as a web: revisions to respond to, co-teaching, meetings, reimbursement claims, Finnish lessons, contacting local organizations for a citizen science project, and planning for upcoming deadlines.

This interweaving is especially visible after grant applications. For weeks prior to submission, I have to put other work aside. But after I click “submit,” it is hard to relax as the web of assignments reappears in my calendar and, more importantly, my mind, – resembling, in some way, my recent photos from the art-science conference side event.

The web is an interesting metaphor, as this is also the way I think about my topic – interrelation of industries and technologies in Arctic landscapes, points of connection across times and geographies, or intersections of physical and symbolic lines. Recently, however, I have been thinking: how to approach the daily web of work as a meaningful arrangement, not a daunting accumulation of assignments?

I know that many in academia prefer to write early in the morning, but for me it works better to start with the smaller tasks that require attention: answering emails, scheduling meetings, doing minor revisions. Some of these tasks take just 3-5 minutes, and therefore when grouping them together, I get a freeing sense that I have already achieved a lot by 10 am. Then, I can turn to more time-consuming assignments.

Because of childcare, I do not have options to postpone tasks to the evening or move them to weekends. Paradoxically, knowing that time is limited makes me concentrate harder and helps not to drag too much into perfectionism: even if I am not 100% happy with the work, I know it needs to be finished now or never, as the daycare is about to close. I have also come to value the balance between work and family life in Finland: it is not expected that one should work outside of actual working hours, and this clear division between work and other responsibilities seems, in fact, to support productivity.

I have recenty realized that a phone call or a quick meeting saves time in comparison to multiple emails, so now I am trying to schedule calls or meetings when possible. It is amazing to see how much can be achieved in 15 minutes, and how much easier it is to move things forward once you have actually spoken.

When I get overwhelmed, I make a quick list on paper of the most urgent things that need to be done that day. Just seeing them gathered in one place helps my mind to realize that there is not an infinite amount of undone tasks. Most importantly, I try to remind myself that this is a period, and the current challenges will likely lessen – or change – in the future.

Webs and intersections are meaningful, not messy. This is a perspective I draw on in my research – through Tim Ingold and Anna Tsing and through fieldwork. Perhaps this knowledge could also guide me as I unpack my daily schedules.

Finally, unweaving the web may become easier if one pauses and observes. Too many times, a double espresso and a chocolate muffin from the university cafeteria have saved my hectic mornings.