Yesterday as I drove into work I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of work that I knew was waiting for me as I exited the car. Nor was I to be disappointed as I actually walked in the door: 96 e-mails; 1 major audit; and people running me down as I went from place to place asking if I had a moment or two to discuss something with them. By the time the end of the day had come around I was completely drained, driving home almost in a stupor.
The more I seem to try to the more I seem to be completely overwhelmed by everything that has to be done.
For one brief moment I played with the idea of extending my hours just a bit in order to complete some stuff. That is fine of course, except it violates two of my fundamental rules. The first is that if companies regularly depend on employees to work overtime to complete regular tasks they have not appropriately resourced. The second is that working that much is seldom if ever is recognized and really does not result in any actual improvement.
I really wish I knew what to do. Gritting my teeth and carrying on seems to result in precisely nothing except more gritting of my teeth. Yet I cannot seem to think myself outside of this career box that I am in - every time I think of another industry or even another career the answers return "Oh, that will take too much time" or "You cannot really consider doing something else at this point" or some such thought of this nature.
Interestingly I have been down this road before. I know the sense of being overwhelmed by work and feeling like the meetings and due items are overwhelming my ability to perform them or even live a life I am happy with. It seems that every time this happens, something suddenly turns and I am on to something else.
So maybe that is the lesson to take from this: if I am feeling this way and these things have happened in the past, they are likely to happen again in the future. Maybe we really are reaching a turning point.
And maybe at some point that gritting of teeth will turn into a smile.
Sadly the old advice about doing something you love never seems to be a choice for most of us.
ReplyDeletePreppy, my wife has often commented that I was born 200 years too late.
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