Thing 23: Wrapping up, reflecting and goal setting

Dr Teresa Phipps, PGR development and training lead, Swansea University

And so another year of 23 Things comes to an end with this final blog, Thing 23. Yet again, we’ve explored a wide range of topics across the research world, and made new connections (across the actual world), without having to leave our desks!

Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash

Taking part in a programme like 23 Things is always something of a challenge of commitment in a world where most (or all) of us have multiple different demands, projects and deadlines. Often these things can feel more important and urgent than taking part in the type of personal and intellectual development that 23 Things offers, so I hope you have been able to carve out some time to engage with the blogs and the 23 Things community. If there are some that you’ve missed, or not had enough time to explore as you’d like to, you can always come back to them at a later date.

As researchers, we are well accustomed to using data or evidence to give ideas meaning and weight. But spending time on our own personal development as researchers or academics doesn’t always provide tangible outcomes (compared to completing a piece of data analysis, submitting a paper, or planning a lecture). This doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a valuable impact on both the nature and quality of our research, and on us as individuals. It all comes down to what we define as impactful and how we measure change. Our institutions often like to measure this in terms of publications, citations, grant income or other research metrics but personal development is much harder to quantify..

So with the end of a development programme like 23 Things, comes an opportunity to reflect more holistically on what makes an impact on our research. It could be a conversation with a colleague, meeting someone new, something you have read, a new connection between your field and contemporary events – all of these things influence our research but we don’t always notice. Some of these ideas are reflected in the themes explored in this year’s programme. We’ve explored various aspects of “networking” (Thing 5, Thing 6, Thing 15) - the various forms of connections that can influence our research and career paths; research culture, including wellbeing and relationships (Thing 7, Thing 8, Thing 11, Thing 17) - fundamental to our individual success and that of the people we work with; and the importance of diversity in research and teaching through topics such as decolonisation and cultural competency (Thing 21 and Thing 22). All of these areas have a fundamental impact on our research ecosystems, yet cannot simply be quantified or measured. 

With this in mind we invite you to take a moment to think about the blogs and topics you have explored as part of 23 Things.. Have any of these changed how you think about your research, how you might carry out your research, your status as a researcher, or the wider academic ecosystem that you exist within? Or perhaps some of the Things have reinforced that you’re already on the right track. Make a note (for yourself, or share it on Discord if you like) about this, and how you think things may change going forward. You can use the following prompts to help if needed: 

• What was a topic that you hadn’t really thought about before?

• Which of the Things offered a new perspective on a familiar area?

• What do you think you will do or change as a result of reading this Thing?

• How might this impact your research, your career, or your personal development? 

By taking some time to think about these reflections, we hope that you’ll carry something of 23 Things with you beyond the limits of this year’s programme. This need not be groundbreaking changes that revolutionise your life or your work, but even more incremental changes to your working style, habits, or way that you engage with others. Or maybe you’ve been inspired to take a whole new approach to your research! Are there some goals you can set for yourself? Many of us will be familiar with having to set and achieve annual goals in a professional context (as part of a professional development review or similar), but there might be more personal goals that you want to set outside of this context. Again, goals don’t have to be transformative, but can also be shorter term changes that might feel more realistic. To help with this, ask yourself how you can make your goals SMART:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Achievable

• Relevant

• Time-bound

Let us know what your goals are, either in the comments or on Discord, especially if these involve things that you’ve learned or reflected on as part of 23 Things.

And it’s not too early for us to start thinking about next year. We’re always thinking about what new Things we might introduce to the programme in the future. These usually change in response to new conversations that are taking place among our research communities – a big one over the last couple of years has been the implications of AI for research. What do you think we should include next year? Please let us know via the evaluation form if you have ideas.