Asks, Favours & Requests
Not all viva prep needs to be done alone.
It’s OK to simply ask, “Can you help me?”
It’s OK to ask for a favour, “It’s not something little, but I really need help. Can you?”
It’s even OK to make a request, “I need this specific thing and I need you to do it, please.”
Supervisors, peers, colleagues, friends, family – all can be there to support you. Given where you are and what you’re doing, given the state of the world, uncertainty and pressure – even if others around you are feeling it too – you can ask. Tell people what you need, when you need it, why you need it, then work with them to get what you need.
And when someone asks you, do your best to help them too.
Viva Survivors Summer Sabbatical: I’m taking July, August and September off from new writing to concentrate on other creative projects, so will be sharing a post from the archives every day throughout those months. Today’s post was originally published on June 3rd 2020.