I wonder sometimes if I am stretching myself a bit too thin. Can you be too thin? With so many interesting things to get involved in perhaps I am in danger of being Aesop’s dog, which while carrying a bone, sees its own reflection, tries to grab the reflected bone and loses the real one.
Who all coveteth, oft he loseth all.
The thing is though that I am not sure if I am working on many things or just many aspects of the same thing. This was brought home to me by my visit to Business Durham. They are doing some great stuff around the Smart County project and several others that are not yet ready enough to mention.
A lot of what I get up to fits in very nicely with their work, including the open data, smart cities, the 5G massive test bed and Digital Durham. I guess you could add Smart Stanley and the Apprentice Training Agency as well. I have also got a few ideas which haven’t got out of the starting blocks which may be of interest such as the Tech Traceability.
Having talked to Catherine and Simon I have come to the conclusion that I need to map these activities and see where they fit into the bigger picture. I need the jigsaw lid, the helicopter view or the supporting narrative depending upon the en vogue jargon you prefer. I could even open the kimono.
By doing this it will highlight to me, and to them, the interdependencies that exist between the projects and the work they are involved in. More importantly, it should highlight possible gaps in which other ideas could flourish.
Catherine talked to me about Durham, place of light, while Simon got me thinking about Industry 4.0. There is so much to be getting on with. Can I be any thinner?
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 