In this week’s blog post, Cov Uni PGR, Lara, discusses some of the benefits of remote working. Lara also manages to fit in a few Harry Potter references whilst likening the ability to attend multiple meetings and conferences on the same day, to using Hermione Grainger’s time-turner.
This New Way of Covid-19 has certainly brought with it a lot of sadness and loss. It has required careful navigation to remain well and keep our loved ones safe. It has led many of us to redress the way in which we approach things. Much of that new approach has included an increased reliance on technology which enables us to keep in touch with colleagues on a regular basis. This is not completely perfect as this new accessibility also makes it hard to avoid meetings!
However, it has been through this New Way that I, personally, have been able to feel that I am truly beginning to thrive. Doing a PhD is gruelling, and time becomes one of the most precious commodities. Being able to fit in research, family and sleep takes a fair bit of juggling. The increased use of technology, and the ability to carry out supervisions and meetings remotely has saved an inordinate amount of time. In some ways I feel like I have obtained a version of Hermione Grainger’s time-turner. I am able to attend multiple meetings without having to travel between them. Meetings themselves seem to have somehow become limited to what is absolutely necessary and I have more time to actually – work!
The meetings also often include an element of refreshing humour, as the pets of our colleagues slope across the screen just to remind us that our associates are being protected by their very own familiars. Warning looks and wary tail wags of cats often loom up in front of us as we discuss the fineries of our research. It is a welcome distraction, and a treat for someone who lives in pet-free, rented accommodation.
Throughout the pandemic, many of the major conferences have moved online and have offered free registration. I am due to attend a webinar later this month that I may not have been able to have attended during the Old Way. Again, I am able to attend this after having twisted my time-turner following the preceding morning meeting. This would have been an impossibility previously.
Meeting up with friends online has been a welcome addition to everyday life during the New Way. It is now possible to drop in for a chat from time-to-time, and share coffee – without leaving home! For the introvert, who isn’t that keen on going out, it has created a wonderful world of compromise.
The energy saved has enabled research to progress, and the higher levels of stress to become manageable. There is a sense of time efficiency which has helped me to concentrate a bit more on the important things. The virtual time-turner has allowed me to examine a strangely positive side of what is a sad and difficult period.
Lara Carballo
PhD Research Student
Institute for Future Transport and Cities