Igniting the spark

While writing the EMA for my current module (last before the research module) I'm getting distracted by trying to think about what my research topic might be. There are so many areas and such a depth of material narrowing down the selection is going to be hard. The advice which struck home was that I'm going to have to live with this for a year so it had better be something I enjoy! 

Active travel is a definite candidate. Something I'm involved in, passionate about and would have access to be able to do primary research. My niggling concern about doing anything in this area was the fact that I might be too passionate which might cloud my objectivity and impact on my academic rigour.

The other obvious candidate would be a work based study - but soooooo many areas, complexities and emergent issues so how on earth could I narrow down the choice. The advice of my friend Amanda on the need to really narrow down the selection keeps ringing in my ears.

Several years ago I was involved in a development programme when I was working with Network Rail called APEx (achieving personal excellence) run by Warwick Business School. Something I learned during that experience was to 'notice what you notice'. So what did I notice?

On a team call last week my colleague Joost mentioned he was really missing being able to spend time with his team and that there were people in his team he'd never yet met in person. All because of Covid-19. I noticed this comment and it sparked a train of thought.

What is interesting is not only did I 'notice' the comment, my subsequent thoughts dipped with huge enthusiasm into communities of practice, appreciative systems, learning systems

Think I may have found the route to choosing my research topic :-)