Clinical librarian blog: Procrastination, reading and a coconut.

Hello dear readers, I hope the summer has been good to you so far. Unbelievable that it’s already August, eh? Time and tide wait for no librarian, as they (almost) say.

Today has been a really pleasant one so far. There has been a well-being event right outside the library doors, and I snagged myself a snazzy plastic coconut to drink from- my life  is now complete! Talking of well-being, we’ve also had our latest well-being reading group this lunchtime. We’re still struggling to get people to attend. We give the books out, ad people pop in and tell us what they thought, but there always seems to be lots who can’t make the meeting itself. Any ideas out there on how to improve our attendance?  I guess the main thing is that staff are taking the books and finding time to read them, but the discussion is such an uplifting spot in the month, I really wish more people shared in it. This month no-one really enjoyed the book we’d read, but we found more than enough to talk about, and it was really positive.

I had my own little uplift waiting for me on my desk on Monday morning, a gift from a leaving doctor, who had been instrumental in running a journal club I serviced. What a smashing thing to walk in to at the start of a week at work! I really enjoy the journal clubs, although they can be hard work, there’s a definite pay off, and I’m improving my own critical appraisal and networking skills each week. I’ve been asked to present at a Clinical Skills journal club next week, and I’m so keen to do so I’m coming in on my day off! (Don’t worry I’m taking the day back the following week).  I’ve decided to do an introduction to critical appraisal for the group, with a part 2 promised at some time in the future.  My aim today is to finish the lesson plan and presentation, so obviously I’m here typing this blog post instead. Procrastination is a curse, I tell you, a curse!

And with my procrastination head on… let’s talk about my chartership. I spent the day yesterday actually getting my head round what I need to do to finish, and I wrote lists (I am the Queen of Lists, I live in List Road, Listville, United Kingdom of Lists. There is nothing in this life more satisfying than crossing off a completed task on a to do list).  So I now feel in control of my chartership journey, rather than skirting around the edges. Amazing what facing things does for you, isn’t it? Faced, broken down into chunks, list-ified (if that’s not a word, it should be), manageable.

Right, procrastination take a hike, I’m going back to my presentation! Thanks for reading, have a good week.