Rat Race

Yesterday, I alluded to the fact that I spend an inordinate amount of time putting out make-believe fires,  i.e. scrambling to accomplish tasks on tight timelines that are entirely preventable or do not actually exist. I cannot speak for other industries, but this is a common thing in the non-profit world: a philosophy that equates being busy to producing good work and vice-versa. It kind of reminds me of this bumper sticker:

allposters.com

It is exasperating and everyone is in on it: from CEO's to mid-level employees to interns. It is easy to become an enabler for this phenomenon too. I certainly fall into it when I stop eating dinner to return an "important" e-mail or when I pick up the phone after hours... waaaay after hours. None of these bad habits lead to productivity. For me, they lead to quite the opposite: spinning my wheels until I am exhausted and left hating my job and/or feeling bad about myself. In a great piece for the Harvard Business Review, entrepreneur and productivity expert Tony Schwartz offers great advice on slowing the wheels down and re-centering your focus on the personal qualities that make you a great worker in the first place. He writes that there is a sweet spot of productivity that lasts about 90 minutes.  Breaking your projects or day up into 90 minute chunks can go a long way to achieving your goals and objectives. Pushing it much longer than that without a break to decompress does more harm than good. Instead, get up and leave your desk! Even if it's to take the dog on a walk, get a snack or chat with a coworker, it will break up the intensity of the day and you'll return to your desk with fresh perspectives and added capacity to tackle the project at hand. Another great piece of advice was to spend a few minutes giving thanks: to colleagues, a client, the UPS guy, whomever is around. Too many times we notice or critique outcomes we don't like, instead of being grateful for what works. Even if it's a small compliment, it will go a long way for both you and the recipient.  

There are tons of other great tips in the article, all of which will help get us off the hamster wheel, slow down and start feeling better about the great work we really do!

Working From Home

I work from home. No, those are not magic words. Consider this a wake-up call, Oh Ye Cubical Dwellers of the World.

To begin with, my desk is within view of laundry. Dirty laundry, clean laundry, folded, unfolded, whites, darks, you name it. When you work from home, there is a constant pressure to multi-task, with the majority of tasks being housework-related. In theory, it sounds like no big deal, right? I imagine you rolling your eyes and thinking "can't you listen to conference calls while tidying up?" 

Well, no. Not with any real attention being paid to the people on the phone. Not when the UPS guy comes and the dog goes ballistic at the door. Not when your husband comes home for lunch and can't find the mayo. And certainly not when the washing machine does that thing when it's too full and starts jumping around the laundry room like a 500 lbs. gorilla.

Working from home isn't glamorous. There are no coworkers to shame you to clean up your desk, empty your trash or wash the old coffee cups laying around. It's certainly not classy to start work in your pajamas and, eight hours later, realize that you're still in them. There's little human interaction beyond GoToMeeting, no office gossip, no lunch out, no YouTube breaks. (They aren't as funny by yourself, trust me.)  Worst of all, work assignments and to-dos are with you day and night.  It's just too easy to be lured into answering one more e-mail from the couch, or worse, your bed.

Thing two: pets do not understand work. They understand walks and potty time and snacks and toys. Dogs like to bark when you're on speakerphone and chew beloved items of clothing when you close the office door on them. Cats like to sit on your keyboard. When it's cold, my dog crams herself in between my feet and the small heater under my desk. (There is not room for both.)  

Hey, remember those school days when the weather was superb and everyone would beg the teacher to have class outside? Well, when working from home, you experience that feeling times 500. When it is nice outside, the longing to work outside is powerful, like the force, and you rationalize using that powerful wi-fi signal to your advantage.  But, the minute you step into the backyard... forget getting anything done. The sun glares on your computer screen, your iPhone overheats turning your ear red and you end up focusing on - you got it - yard work. Next thing you know, you're in the hammock with a beer in your hand.

What is the lesson here? The grass is always greener on the other side of the cubical/laundry pile. Make the best of your situation and take comfort in the fact that each work environment has challenges. Attempt to make friends with your coworkers, even if they are weird and steal food from the office fridge.  Myself, I try to set boundaries with chores, maintain a somewhat organized desk, stick to a realistic work schedule and enjoy the fact that sometimes I can begin work in my pjs (but should make an effort to look presentable by 10am).

N.B. I am not the only one who sets up shop in bed.  Writer (and famous spouse) Ann Leary has a whole series dedicated to her bed desk.

Resolutions

Enjoy this infographic of suggestions from AGBeat to start your year off on the right foot.  (You can still be thankful that this was a short work week...)

Monster also has a good list of career resolutions for 2013, many of which make for great guidance in one's personal life too, like taking time to understand your peers' responsibilities and communicating clearly about goals and challenges. Work and Life do not have to be separate balls that we juggle continuously.  My resolution for 2013 is to make them one and the same, with the hope that balancing each aspect (sanity + paycheck) will lead to a more complete, fulfilled and happier me.  Now, who doesn't like a two-for-one deal?