Friday, March 28, 2008
Some thoughts about my outlook calendar
My thinking on this is perhaps more mundane, but I'm fascinated by the information that lives on my outlook calendar. This calendar is accessible to a number of individuals across the university and so among other things, it tells senior staff and colleagues what I'm up to. I don't explicitly tell lies on my calendar, but I am capable of duplicity ... so that if, for example, a lengthy meeting is subsequently cancelled, I'm quite likely to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that I can get on with work, but that others will not be interrupting me. Of course I can block out time on my calendar (as I do with big 'keep free' signs), but somehow the secret spaces that develop from cancelled events etc seem more precious to me!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I conducted a study (which I am going to talk about during the workshop) investigating in what ways people would like to set their availability for communication at work. And you are very right - people use all the means possible to create some interruption-free space for themselves. Leaving Outlook Calendar outdated or blocking the time without specifying the reason is one of the most common practices it seems.
yes I agree, in these days of constant trackability it is good to be able to have some power over when/who we talk to, even if it means being deceitful! I often leave the phone ringing (it was easier in the old days when you could unplug the lead!). I have a range of good excuses for not being able to get to the phone, although I don't think it sets a good example to my kids to hear me so blatantly lie!
Post a Comment