---
description: Some tips to make working in the open as easy as possible.
---

# Overcoming Barriers

### 💡Summary:&#x20;

Find out how to overcome barriers to open working:

* Time - use timers and build on pre-existing work
* Confidence - practice, and ask a colleague to read over your work
* Where to share your work - the [Open Working and Re-Use Medium Publication](https://medium.com/open-working-reuse)

### ⏰Time

Although open working will help you to save time later on, many find it difficult to get started. Here are some tips for writing speedy weeknotes:

* Use a timer. Here are our workshop slides with timers attached!

🔗[ Google slides with timers](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kRTx_3_Fl7t6n3W4F8gbAPLE6q5pFgx0q8oS3cxub5c/edit#slide=id.p)&#x20;

* Share something that you already have! That could be summarising a report that you've done already, or writing up the process of how you did something.&#x20;

> "You only need to dedicate 30 minutes per week"
>
> -Catalyst Re-use Circle



### 🌟Confidence

Sharing your work can be intimidating - but it doesn't have to be!

* Start small - challenge yourself to write 100-200 words
* Ask a colleague to read over your work
* Have faith that your writing will be useful to someone else! What might seem boring to you could help someone else solve a problem they've been working on for months.&#x20;
* **Practice, practice, practice!**



### **🌍 Where to share**

So, you've written your weeknote - now what? There might be a few places where it would be appropriate to share your work. Here are some ideas of where you could share it:

* Publish to our Open Working and Re-Use Medium to reach others in the sector who have taken part in the Open Working Programme.

🔗[Visit the Open Working and Re-Use Medium Publication](https://medium.com/open-working-reuse)&#x20;

* Share on your own Medium account.
* Share on your organisation's blog.&#x20;

<figure><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1512314889357-e157c22f938d?crop=entropy&#x26;cs=srgb&#x26;fm=jpg&#x26;ixid=M3wxOTcwMjR8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyfHxzaGFyZSUyMGlkZWFzfGVufDB8fHx8MTY4ODAyNzkwOHww&#x26;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&#x26;q=85" alt=""><figcaption><p>A post-it note of a light-bulb.</p></figcaption></figure>

Adapted from Christine Cawthorne's "Ways to Make Working in the Open Really, Really Easy"

📖 [Read the full blog post](https://medium.com/wethecatalysts/ways-to-make-working-in-the-open-really-really-easy-f3b753a6df1a)
