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morslaSo, I sat down to find out how about the financial component of this business plan, and seem to have lost about three hours. Suddenly it's almost 9pm, dark outside, and I have a head full of terms like equity, liabilities, profit margins, operating expenses, revenue, liquidity and working capital. One day, maybe we'll streamline the process by slotting tedious information straight into our heads, freeing up more time to spend out in the sun... In the meantime, I ought to write notes on my hands to remind myself to stop and eat.
I went over the marking sheet for my business presentation, and reverse-engineered it to work out what's supposed to go into the talk. Half the marks are on presentation skills, while the rest goes into content and structure. The structure is now nailed down, just needing details for my finances and marketing plans... hence losing track of time while I set up spreadsheets. There's still a lot of guesswork involved (I need 2 years of projected figures), but it's starting to look a lot more tangible.
Yesterday was spent stuffing my brain with research for all of these. Even the most (seemingly) unrelated subjects have unexpected linking points, so I compiled information for four papers at the same time. I tend to save the relevant things after reading them, and now have about 120 pages of text and images - enough to start working with, which is nice. I'm now convinced that it's outright dangerous to try working on a single thing at a time. I get bored, my mind wanders, and I can't find any inspiration to write - something I really can't afford at the moment.
Everything seems to be growing like some kind of fractal. Big, strategic plans have been mapped out, and each branch is having more detail added to it. Whenever I focus on a specific part, I add more detail again. There are fairly simple rules being applied (isolate things that I don't know, find out more on them, add it to the bigger picture, reassess what I don't know) but it seems to build a comprehensive picture over time.
I hated doing my literature survey during the geochemistry honours project. It was painfully dull, overspecialised to a ridiculous degree, and I really didn't like trying to summarise things into a linear paper. Much later, I noticed a co-worker at CSIRO compiling three-dimensional lit surveys, with the ability to zoom in or out while navigating the points. I don't know what software he used, so I'm trying to do the same thing in my head.
It's an interesting thought experiment... I'm finding that I need longer breaks than usual, while I slowly digest things. I tend to walk away from the computer to do something creative - painting is good, as I can do it unconsciously while I keep sorting out whatever I've just read.
I went over the marking sheet for my business presentation, and reverse-engineered it to work out what's supposed to go into the talk. Half the marks are on presentation skills, while the rest goes into content and structure. The structure is now nailed down, just needing details for my finances and marketing plans... hence losing track of time while I set up spreadsheets. There's still a lot of guesswork involved (I need 2 years of projected figures), but it's starting to look a lot more tangible.
Yesterday was spent stuffing my brain with research for all of these. Even the most (seemingly) unrelated subjects have unexpected linking points, so I compiled information for four papers at the same time. I tend to save the relevant things after reading them, and now have about 120 pages of text and images - enough to start working with, which is nice. I'm now convinced that it's outright dangerous to try working on a single thing at a time. I get bored, my mind wanders, and I can't find any inspiration to write - something I really can't afford at the moment.
Everything seems to be growing like some kind of fractal. Big, strategic plans have been mapped out, and each branch is having more detail added to it. Whenever I focus on a specific part, I add more detail again. There are fairly simple rules being applied (isolate things that I don't know, find out more on them, add it to the bigger picture, reassess what I don't know) but it seems to build a comprehensive picture over time.
I hated doing my literature survey during the geochemistry honours project. It was painfully dull, overspecialised to a ridiculous degree, and I really didn't like trying to summarise things into a linear paper. Much later, I noticed a co-worker at CSIRO compiling three-dimensional lit surveys, with the ability to zoom in or out while navigating the points. I don't know what software he used, so I'm trying to do the same thing in my head.
It's an interesting thought experiment... I'm finding that I need longer breaks than usual, while I slowly digest things. I tend to walk away from the computer to do something creative - painting is good, as I can do it unconsciously while I keep sorting out whatever I've just read.
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no subject
Date: 2006-10-10 06:26 am (UTC)*sigh*
so yeah, if you just want to email me the deets on anything important or things she wants feedback on to jalus at deakin... you know the rest XD
thanks
no subject
Date: 2006-10-11 03:01 am (UTC)We only had four people at the meeting, probably 'cause it's the end of semester. Karen's trying to get to as many classes as she can over the next week, in order to get some opinions and hand out surveys.
She's considering changes to the course induction process (putting out a booklet explaining what's involved in postgrad study, helping people find the resources that are hidden out there), and wants to set up a room for the postgrad students to use.
It's a pretty cool space - big room, couches, computers, tables & chairs, data projector, etc. There are a handful of unclaimed "multipurpose spaces" in the new building, and she wants to grab one for the Professional Communication students. It would also have things like noticeboards, a kitchenette, printer, etc.
If Karen doesn't make it to any of your classes this week, I'll grab a spare form on Thursday night. The more feedback the better, I guess :)
I don't think I'll actually be studying next year, but I like the direction the course is heading in...