Grand Hall du Musée d

I’m writing this as I stand on the balcony overlooking the central hall in the Natural History Museum. Down below, scores of families and school kids are milling about, staring up in wonder at the giant dinosaur skeleton that inhabits the space.

I am positioned here for half an hour, before I wander to my next duty, which is to stand on another balcony overlooking the Earth Hall.

This is the nature of being a Visitor Assistant at the Natural History Museum. And the fact that I’m able to write this, while working, says a lot about the ethic of the place. Indeed, to even call it ‘working’ could be misleading.

The official role of the job is to patrol the galleries of the Museum, answering queries from members of the public and ensuring that they get the most out of their visit. But in reality, it mainly involves standing around for long periods of time and having a chat. If there are any demands of the job, it is probably the leg work and a degree of resilience to stop you going a little stir crazy as you stare at the same exhibits day after day.

Thankfully then, an eclectic array of staff are on hand to help you cope with this. Artists, musicians and plain-old unusual characters are all employed here, meaning that conversation is rarely in short supply.

I often stop and have a chat with David, an Italian in his late 30s who sells souvenir guides in the central hall. He is a self-confessed idler who doesn’t want to do too much of anything in life, especially work. But he is full of ideas and we often share some philosophical musings about life in general.

Then there is the Nigerian security guard who provides me with weekly instalments of the story of Moses, and a Greek-Canadian actor who is teaching me various physical techniques for increasing your self-awareness.

It’s things like this that make the job worthwhile, even if it is for an awful wage. And as far as stop gaps go, it’s not too bad at all. I just have to get round to looking for a ‘proper’ job. Soon.

Alex Rankin

Image courtesy of Nacara via flickr.com

If you’ll be organising it, you’ll need to buy resources by 19 March. If it’s not you, let the right person know, whether it’s your Head of Human Resources or Environmental Officer.

There is everything from posters and leaflets to pedometers, footcare kits and shoebags – perfect for letting people know about the Week and creating some healthy competition in and around the workplace.

The Week centres around our free online tool where you can register your workplace and then start encouraging individuals to sign up. During the Week, all you need to do is make an extra effort to walk and log what walking you do. You’ll be able to see how far you’ve walked, how many calories you’ve burned, compare your workplace results with other workplaces and even write Twitter-style ‘updates’ to let everyone know how you’re getting on.

Visit www.walkingworks.org.uk for more information.

Man in London street

If you made a living out of people not having enough time to get things done, then the idea of everyone doing less in order to remedy the situation, might not be very appealing.

Claire Brynteson is founder and Managing Director of buy:time, a lifestyle management company that provides a PA service to clients who lack the time to deal with personal tasks. But rather than argue against it, Claire is more than aware of the need for Londoners to slow down, having experienced the strain of fast living, herself.

“It’s got to the stage” says Claire, “where my husband and I, have to arrange a day and time when we can see each other. What does that say about us, when a husband and wife have to resort to dating?”

Previously, Claire worked in the City, where she came up with the idea of buy:time after finding an increasing need for another ‘me’ in order to get everything done. Since then, she has witnessed dramatic changes in how people live, particularly when it comes to the way in which we communicate. “I can remember when I used to write maybe 10 or 20 letters to clients in a day and wait a day or two for a reply. These days, it’s normal for me to send out 150 emails a day. Communications have made an enormous difference and people now expect immediate results.”

Inevitably, these changes have infringed on other areas of life and Claire feels that part of this, is a pressure to stay ahead of the game.

“There is a fear of failure there. You know that if you don’t get the job done, there is someone else waiting who will.” As a result, the traditional business hours of 9 to 5 have been eroded away, leaving work and home life often overlapping. “These days, it’s normal for people to make business calls in the evenings or at the weekends. I’m constantly on the phone. It’s 24 hours”

But regardless of all this, Claire acknowledges that is there something appealing about life in the fast lane. “It’s exhilarating. People find it addictive. Sometimes I wonder whether I should move to the countryside and choose a quieter life, but I think I would just get bored. I want to be stimulated and I want to be around other people who feel the same way.”

As long as these pressures and influences remain, Claire thinks that people may find it hard to feel they can relax. But she wonders if the next generation may see it differently.

“It’s very difficult to stop doing certain things because you feel that you need to keep it all going; it’s all part of the bigger picture. My children have grown up hating my phone because I’m always on it and maybe they will decide that they don’t want this type of lifestyle.”

Alex Rankin

book in field

When I began my career in academic libraries several years ago, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect but I knew two things at least. Firstly, I knew that librarians don’t get to sit around reading all day and secondly, I knew that as much, if not more, time & effort would be spent in the administration of digital resources as in the traditional organisation of printed works.

However, this knowledge did little to prepare me for the sometimes total reliance on electronic information, both in terms of library administration and in terms of the delivery of teaching. In extreme terms, conversation between library staff was replaced by email, and the relationship between academic staff and their students was conducted virtually. I began to wonder how these digital forms of communication had come to be so universally and unquestioningly embraced.

There are many undeniable, and frankly awesome, benefits to the digitisation of society in general, and higher education in particular, not least the capacity for enhanced multi-media materials, the speed of delivery and round-the-clock access. But do these benefits mean we should just accept digital information as somehow better than its analogue predecessors? What’s wrong with learning through conversation or through absorption in a book? How did this idea of convenience for the consumer become entangled with education & information? And does scanning a computer screen add to or degrade the intellectual rigour of research previously done by reading books and articles in hard copy?

I’ve just started a PhD that I hope will look at these questions, specifically in relation to the Slow principles of taking time to do a job well, and learning to appreciate the wider consequences of one’s actions through understanding the chain of consumption in whatever field is in question, whether it’s information science, self-identity & self-purpose, or the basic of all human endeavours: the quest for happiness.

Liz Poirier

Artist William Frost at the EASY EASEL!

Come and enjoy the relaxing pursuit of creating works of art.

All are welcome, you can…be a Pavement Artist…join a Collaborative Collage or watch our painters at the Easy Easels…guided by artists from the Cool, Calm, Collective, Skylark Galleries.

Yoga class courtesy of Thierry Bal

Slow down and stretch out with lunchtime yoga at Foyles. From Monday 27th April 2009 to Friday 1st May 2009, take a break in your day to release morning tension and clear your mind for the afternoon ahead.

Classes will be taught by teachers from Camden’s Alchemy Centre.

Alchemy is an inspiring and beautiful centre in London’s Stables Market which offers yoga, meditation, holistic healing, workshops and events, and delicious foods and juices to those who are on the path of self discovery, healing, and personal transformation. Further information is available at www.alchemythecentre.co.uk

Image courtesy of Thierry Bal