That All Terrain Vehicle in Aliens Two and a treatise on Canberra parking problems

It's our last episode for 2020 (don't worry, we'll be back. Jason can't get out of it now).

Jason is finishing one job and starting another with a listening tour. The Jeep just got another upgrade with a lighting bar that promises to shine like 1000 suns - as soon as he gets the electrician in. He's looking forward to his holiday in South Australia because he's exhausted and ready for a holiday, even from podcasting.

Meanwhile Inger is still running full tilt to the 2020 finish line, with a Thesis Bootcamp to run next week and a couple of books to get out the door (if Taylor Swift can drop a second superb album in 2020, there is no excuse for the rest of us). Mr Thesis Whisperer is trying to offset the inevitable end of 2020 crash and burn by buying her a Sun Lounger, which has become her new outdoor office. She then gives Jason a brief run through of Canberra parking problems (which aren't really problems, but it's all relative).

In our work problem segment, Jason reflects on what it's like to start a new job when it's actually your old job, as he prepares to go back to the RMIT business school after a couple of years working in a central management role. The pair reflect on the difficulty of leading complex organisations in a time of Covid and the problem of 'cultural land mines' that you can set off if you don't listen carefully to what other people are worried about.

Jason then wonders why he is so fucking exhausted, and does a deep dive on the subject of burnout. He points out that most clickbait articles on the internet frame burn out as a matter of individual responsibility, but is it really? After reading 6 pages of Jenny Odell's 'How to do nothing' book sent him into the academic literature about 'work life balance' and finds out some interesting things about how management style, particularly an attitude towards competition, contributes to burn out.  Which leads us to the depressing conclusion that academia has burn out built into its very DNA.

Inger's 'to be read' pile is too big now, but she is finding time for romance novels, specifically re-reading Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series. She's excited the Shona Rhimes series of the books is dropping on Netflix on Christmas day because Shonda is hashtag genius. She has big plans to watch the series the day it comes out, with her twin sister, in her pyjamas. She then shares Gretchen McCulloch's article “A Mission to Make Virtual Parties Actually Fun” and describes 'Gathertown' - a hybrid video game/conferencing software, which The Research Whisperers used to host a super fun party.

In two minute tips, Jason shares a scheduling hack to make sure your devices never run out of power and Inger shares how she's planting passive aggressive notes to her future self in next year's calendar.

On the reg will be back in late Jan or early Feb, depending on how relaxed we get! Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas :-)

ps: Jason found more notes on burnout later in the afternoon on Twitter! Here's a list:

How to counteract feelings of being overwhelmed:
1. Pinpoint the source.

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Jason is having a break from the Socials, but you can still find Inger as @thesiswhisperer pretty much everywhere. You can read Inger's stuff on www.thesiswhisperer.com.

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