Off the Beaten Plan

plan: to devise or project the realization or achievement of

Browsing the archives for the Editorial category.

Working Well Under Pressure

I admit, I am the most productive when I have looming deadlines and am panicking over trying to get things accomplished. When I have extra time, I am not nearly so productive. I get antsy, impatient, and my attention wavers.

Or at least it did today.

But the truth is, the stress and deadlines are not good for me. Yes, I get more done because I have no choice. But I do other things – eat without thinking, drink high-calorie, highly-caffeinated drinks in order to stay awake, and don’t get enough sleep.

So it’s not good for me. The stress, the deadlines, the panic.

Finding a way to be driven without being pressured is hard. Aggressive accomplishment without the threat of penalty doesn’t come naturally to me. I need to practice, without hurting myself.

Working Well Under Pressure was published on April 29th, 2010, with the tags , , , , , under the Editorial category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

Less Thinking, More Doing?

How unorganized could I get if instead of planning I just acted?

Interesting question.

Less Thinking, More Doing? was published on April 2nd, 2010, with the tags , under the Editorial category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

Getting Out of Your Head

My husband recently requested Forgetting Sarah Marshall from Netflix, and as it was the only movie at our house, I watched it.

Vulgar. Funny, but vulgar. I liked it.

My favorite part was the line by Mila Kulis’ character, which was something to the effect of,

Get out of your head, man, it’s nice out here!

I was like, “Hey, I do that!”

I do – I live in my head. I analyze, worry, fret, and examine every emotion I have, every word that comes out of my – or another’s – mouth. I don’t take things at face value anymore because I’ve been burned. Not always, but enough to make me hesitate.

Plus, you know, my self-esteem isn’t great.

I’m starting to recognize it at work. I’m sitting there freaking out – what if I’m about to get fired? What if everyone hates me? What if I never get another bonus or a raise – can I afford to keep working here? Shit like that starts to take over and I can’t stop.

Turning on music helps. Talking doesn’t, really. Pretending to be happy when people are talking to me and I can’t avoid them sometimes will turn my mood around.

But how do you really stop living in your head? How can you become confident enough that the squeak of the Fire Exit sign doesn’t drive you into depression because you’re the only one it squeaks for when you walk by (the conclusion here is, of course, that I’m the fattest person in the office)?

Just do it.

It’s the Nike slogan that everyone repeats. “How do I XYZ?” “Just do it,” they say. I’ve even said it myself, I’m sure of it. But come on, people, when you’re in a bad spot, it’s not that easy! When you’re down, or neurotic, or paranoid, or depressed – it’s just so much easier to just stay there, or sleep, or eat, or whatever it is that you overdo when you’re feeling that way.

Are you nodding your head right now? Well, I’m with you. The best I can do right now is try to drown out my thoughts when I realize I’m in my head too deep. Slap on some music, put in the earplugs, start singing if I’m lucky.

We’ll see how it goes.

Getting Out of Your Head was published on March 11th, 2010, with the tags , , , under the Editorial category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

I’m So Busy! (How Busy Are You?)

I was at work until 8:30 tonight, and I still hadn’t run out of things to do.

I will go in early tomorrow morning and still not be completed with my tasks by the end of the day. In fact, I’m sure my list will be longer.

This no longer feels unusual to me.

I’m drinking more alcohol to relax.

I’m getting (more than) a little stressed out.

I think about quitting.

And something is wrong with my Wordpress. I seem to have lost…something.

It’s definitely time for bed.

I’m So Busy! (How Busy Are You?) was published on March 9th, 2010, with the tags , , , , under the Editorial category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

Stressed Out

Stress. Not the good kind.

That nasty, tingly feeling of absolute panic that you get when there is more on your plate than you can possibly accomplish in the time provided. Even when you squeeze in extra time, you’re still not able to complete the tasks.

You can’t think straight, and don’t know where to start next. What is most important? It all has to be done yesterday, or last week, so how do you choose? Who are you going to piss off?

All you want to do is scream, and you know that it won’t help. You start to snap at people you work with because you’re so frustrated that they don’t understand – you’re busy! Come on, there’s no way you have time to give them thirty minutes!

There’s nothing to strangle, no way to get the frustration to pass. Here’s another task, and then another. Your list gets longer, two or three more jobs for every one you complete.

Welcome to my world.

“I really need a beer,” you think. Some alcohol, anything to turn off the panic that won’t go away. A glass of wine, then maybe two. You cross the line from “I really shouldn’t have too much because I have work tomorrow,” to “Who cares how much I drink?”

When do you get to say, “Enough!” When do you put your foot down and say, “If I don’t get more assistance here, I can’t be here any more.” When are you not caring about yourself enough that you change your situation in good concience?

Stressed Out was published on March 4th, 2010, with the tags , , , , under the Editorial category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.