The next walking seminar will be on Friday March 31st from 12.15 until early evening. This walking seminar will be devoted to the question "when is good good enough".
One of the many enemies of a researcher/author is perfectionism. Obviously, we want to give good presentations, write good texts, make good films and otherwise be and do good. However, at some point striving after doing better, better and better still, turns itself against us. It may block the fluid writing of an outline and/or a first rough draft – as what comes out of your hands isn’t, you feel, good enough. It may lead to endlessly postponing the moment you invite others in to comment – as what there is to comment on is not yet good enough. It may fuel insecurity, give stress, what have you.
In secondary school you mostly got assignments with questions and these all had a right answer. You may have learned to like to feel intellectually in command. However, in doing research and engaging in original writing feeling in command is a rare event (and neither quite necessary nor even particularly desirable). How to work well without it?
In this walking seminar we will encourage each other to recognise when in our working lives the perfect is the enemy of the good and share strategies for letting go, accepting irreducible difficulties, facing our limits, for laughing, flowing and breathing. And, of course, for staying rigorous and persevering – for it is as well to also avoid falling for that other enemy – self-satisfaction.
If you would like to join us on this edition then please send an email to Ulrike at u.scholtes@uva.nl. Ulrike will make a list of walkers and provide those on the list with further information on the route.
