My Senior Fellowship experience

I have been awarded Senior Fellow status of Advance HE. While I started writing and thinking about Senior Fellowship just over a year ago, my Senior Fellowship experience began, although unknowingly at the time, at the Aurora programme I attended in 2016. At Aurora I defined my values, my strengths and my skills. This in turn led me to changing roles from an Academic Librarian to a Lecturer in Higher Education. This move allowed me to be less constrained by budget limitations and make more of an impact on teaching and learning development. In my interview for the role, I was asked to present my approach to helping staff develop their practices and it was here I first chose to define my coaching approach. It was this coaching approach I developed into my Senior Fellow application.

My reasons for applying

Primarily, it was a pre-requisite of my probation in my new role. however, having previously completed my Fellowship application in 2015 I was aware of the value of the process. This value is what I reiterate to those who have also been told they must achieve it - yes, there are boxes to be ticked, but the space and time to reflect and discover can, unfortunately, be a rare thing. This process provides that space and time.

My process

I started by looking at the criteria and considering my case studies. I had been on maternity leave just prior to writing it so was acutely aware that some of my experience may seem out of date. As part of my role at the University, I sit on panels where people who apply for Senior Fellowship are routinely referred as they don't fit specific criteria. This meant I was able to pick up tips, which helped. I  advise, coach and train others to achieve accreditation; however, taking your own advice, as so often in life, can be challenging. I also had a different format to follow as I applied directly to Advance HE to avoid any ethical conflicts. Advance HE currently requires two case studies, one reflective account, and two references which may be different to those who go through their University's accreditation schemes. 

While I had a loose plan, I actually took a different approach to usual and used Julia Cameron's morning pages method of just writing and writing, and writing some more without worrying about making sense - to the point that when I looked again at the word count I was shocked to discover I had double the total wordcount! I'm not sure I'd recommend this approach. While I found it to be quite cathartic, I really did feel like I was then killing my darlings as I omitted whole sections when editing.


Drafts, drafts, drafts - don't necessarily mean perfection

So many drafts to the point I was fed up of it and wanted to hand the whole thing in. I would strongly recommend getting other people's eyes on it; however, I'd advise not having too many. I received conflicting advice and at one point began to question my own judgment which added to the challenges. Ultimately, I am grateful for the people who took time out of their routines to read and offer their opinions and I gained from each of the interactions. My final draft was given to one of my references who told me that, yes, while small tweaks could be made, it was suitable for submission. My old self would have jumped on that comment and 'corrected' those areas; however, done is better than perfect, so I sent it in.

Waiting to hear

I knew it would be a long time to hear back, so I had almost forgotten about it until a fellow Auroran announced she'd received hers. I was hoping I had passed as I don't like revisiting and redrafting something once I have emotionally and psychologically said goodbye to it. I was relieved indeed to receive an email soon after which announced I could now use the SFHEA post nominals.

Going forwards

I continue to keep my teaching notebook for jotting down a few thoughts after my classes. I continue to be interested in how using a coaching approach in higher education can improve both practice and wellbeing simultaneously. I will shortly be speaking at both the Accredited Programme Leader's Network and the Advance HE learning and Teaching Conference on various aspects of this topic. I also have a few writing projects in the pipeline. Paying it forwards, I would be absolutely delighted to help, coach or mentor anyone whose goal it is to achieve FHEA or SFHEA accreditation.

And, just for my mum, - my full post-nominals are BA (Hons), MA (Lond) MCLIP SFHEA.

Being organised when there are multiple demands on your time

I recently wrote a blog post on tools I use to keep organised. It was one of my most popular posts so, keeping with a theme, I thought I’d share with you how I make the most of time. Take from it what you find useful and ignore the rest.

I’ve read we all have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé. That, of course, is true but most of us tend to live very different lifestyles and time can feel very different when there are numerous demands on it.

I also think many tips on productivity seem to be written by (and for) people who are able to get a full night’s rest whenever they choose, have a cleaner or family on hand to help out, or just don’t have young, gorgeous but quite sticky mitts and faces to extricate from work clothes.

So, here’s some of the ways I make it work:

Consider what we’re saying yes to:

I was asked this question by a coach. What are you agreeing to and why? Do you want to be signed up for these things? For example, a lot of women who go on maternity leave end up taking up the slack when it comes to house-hold stuff because they are home. Their main role is supposed to be keeping the new baby alive and content and healing themselves. When they go back to work those tasks don’t seem to be divvied up again. This happened to me too, despite me being the one who works full-time. My only solution so far is to reduce what I have and only buy essential stuff. This makes cleaning and tidying easier.

One thing I have said yes to is walking across campus for meetings. I like to keep this even though it may seem inefficient. It gets me away from the computer and outside for my daily Vitamin D. It also reminds anyone who sees me that I still exist beyond email!

Consider what we’re saying no to:

By saying yes to some things, we are automatically saying no to others. By being conscious of the reasons we are saying no we can do so calmly and without guilt. I’ve been saying no to some things recently. Even though I’d like to do them, they don’t quite add enough value to be worth giving up other stuff I want to do. I know I just don’t have the capacity to take on ‘all the things’ and wouldn’t do the job well. It’s good to keep pushing at the edges (that’s where the interesting stuff happens) but not get to the point where we can’t cope.

Chunking (and protecting) time:

On very busy days I will schedule all my meetings back to back in a centrally located space. It’s halfway located between my office and theirs so shows compromise. If people are late they get less time. If they need more they will then need to make another appointment – currently I don’t have a limit on these but this may change in future. It means I don’t offer an extra well-meaning ten minutes for someone who’s very late. I also chunk marking, email and writing up observation forms.

Using liminalities of time: 

Conversely, there’s always time in between meetings. Time where people have failed to show up. Time in between appointments. I keep a book, a notepad and my phonecharger on me at all times so I can always make the most of those precious few minutes. I don’t start big tasks here or ones that require too much concentration, like marking, but I might start planning something which I can pick up later or answer a few emails. 

Being aware of and using energy wisely: 

Many productivity gurus will say get up at 5am. They'll say use this time to journal, meditate and go for a run. When you don’t know when the kids will wake up and have no-one to watch them while you go for a shower (never mind a run) this can be tricky. I’m generally up at 5.45am every morning (not out of choice) and still get woken up several times through the night (this isn’t as frequent as it used to be) so sleep is a BIG priority. I am also at my most creative and productive in the mornings. As a result, where possible I schedule my teaching, training, planning and writing for then. I aim to have my meetings in the afternoon. I never skip meals as I know this wrecks my energy levels. I can't do large bouts of exercise without being interrupted but can just about do ten minutes of yoga or HIIT with the children and cat climbing on me and joining in - this keeps my energy and sanity levels okay-ish.

Being present with my children

Evenings and weekends are for my children. They are young and need, nay, demand my attention! I’m happy to give it to them. While I still check my phone occasionally to avoid any nasty surprises come Monday morning, I rarely answer email then. This is the time when I take us all to the woods which I find benefits us all. When they’ve gone to sleep, I have about two hours to have dinner then choose to either blog, do my yoga course, plan my coaching business or read. Or just go to bed.

What are your tips and tricks? What are you saying yes and no to? Where are you using your energy? Leave a comment below. 

2019: Reflections and the year ahead

'You don't have to move fast or far. 

You can go just an inch. 

You can mark your progress breath by breath' 

Cheryl Strayed.

There seems to be a panic in the air, or at least over social media, about the upcoming decade. People are listing their achievements and challenges from the last ten years while others are complaining that it creates a fervour of comparison-itis. There are posts all over the place saying 'make this the decade that counts' or words to similar effect. It can be exhausting.

We all have our own personal challenges and areas we want to grow and flourish in.

It can be so difficult to not compare, especially when brought up in a culture of scarcity, and then berate ourselves for falling short.

Every December I post about the challenges and positives I have experienced in the previous year with some overarching aims for the next. This year is no different. My goals are not just short-term actions to do and tick off. Instead, they help me move towards the type of person I want to be - a healthier, happier, more present version of myself.

Writing these helps me reflect and I like having something to come back to later on down the line when I'm having a bad day/week/month and realise that while I may sometimes be moving slowly -  I am still moving! Having children can slow us down and this comes with both positives and negatives. I hope this helps you in some way too.

I've considered choosing a word like some do to guide my life. I like the idea but can't come to a decision - I am currently hovering between 'love' and 'flourish'. The former has been inspired by bell hook's book 'All about Love'. Another post on this will come later.

So on with my year:

Positives

Health: One of my aims was to spend more time away from my desk at lunchtime and increase my exercise. We had a gorgeous summer in the UK so this made it much easier. I ate lunches outside and I held lots of my coaching and meetings outdoors too. This had a positive impact on my mental health and helped others too. I reduced my alcohol intake to almost nothing (apart from an erroneous week in May) which increased my patience and clarity. I increased my exercise by doing HIIT and yoga most mornings. The HIIT increased my energy levels and while I found it too much to do every morning (trying to exercise with two small children and a cat is challenging!) I now have a regular-ish routine.

Home: A goal I had last year was to visit more places with my children before my eldest went to primary school. This was successful - I took them to Cardigan Bay in Wales, Legoland, Corfe Castle, Brownsea Island, various National Trust beaches, Whipsnade, Stonehenge, Avebury, and numerous parks and woods around the country. The kids and I had a lovely time together and this is something I will continue doing at the weekends and holidays. I also had most of my fences fixed (and sold stuff to pay for it so a decluttering win too) which means the kids can play outside more.

Work: I completed my coaching qualification and learned a lot about myself in the process. I submitted my Advance HE Senior Fellowship. I survived a restructure and took on a lot of new responsibilities for which I've received amazing feedback about. I was also headhunted for a really interesting job. A TIP: Always keep your CV up to date!

Challenges

Work: See above! A restructure and losing valuable members of our team was difficult and they are missed. I wasn't successful with the position I was headhunted for; however, it has opened up my eyes to my own value and the possibilities available. It gave me the opportunity to question and confirm my priorities and values so I am grateful.

Health/Home: There have been appointments, pain, operations and hospital stays for the majority of my family this year, myself included. It has led to much upset. Ultimately, we can only have so much influence and control. I use a technique with my students using the Circle of Concern and the Sphere of Influence - I have found it valuable myself in these situations.

Aims for 2020

• Keep being present and do interesting activities/trips with my children
• Complete the Yoga Teacher Training I have recently started. I'm looking forward to this as it is the perfect format for someone who works full-time and has two young children to support. I'll be looking for people to practice on...
• Maintain my coaching and mentoring - I intend to become accredited in the future so will be building up my hours. Let me know if you'd like to help me with this.
• Maintain my Mindfulness workshops - I will start to align these with my yoga course as it progresses
• Get out more - in work and home. I haven't been attending or speaking at events for a couple of years and I'm now ready to start doing this again.

How did you develop last year? What do you plan to do in 2020? Feel free to reply in the comments, especially if you can help me in my aims or I can help you in yours!