Do you do this, too?

[htmb]

Though I am pretty good at multi-tasking, when I have a major project to complete and looming deadlines I tend to stick to the task doggedly until I get it done, with the exclusion of almost everything else. This has been the case for the past couple of weeks as I work towards meeting a major work deadline; the first in a series. I go into work, pick up where I left off the day before, and stay late until I just cannot think straight any more. During my down times I escape to AnyPort and/or plan my upcoming trip, which is calculated to follow the ending of this prime work period.

At home, my cat is getting only her dry food since I haven’t been to the pet store to pick up more canned, and I’ve been eating out of cans myself, or getting take out, as I had not been to the grocery store in two weeks until last night. I wake up in the middle of the night with thoughts of details not yet tended to. My exercise schedule is way off track, my nail polish is chipped and my hair has gone wild, but my work tasks, which if done poorly would have a major negative impact, are getting done with time to spare. The “time to spare” part is critical because it has been my experience that many unexpected things will always pop up at the end and will need to be dealt with proactively.

So while my work will get done, for the moment everything else is on hold. I am looking forward to coming up for air and getting back to some sense of normalcy soon, but I am wondering if anyone else has work moment like this, either in your professional or personal life. Incidentally, this is also why I don’t sew. I’d want to work on a garment from start to finish until it was completed. Does anyone else here do this?

[Deleted]

I think I used to be more that way a few years ago.
I have always worked better under pressure. As much as I do dislike it, I am a procrastinator.
One technique I have learned to adopt when it comes to work projects is to try and set a goal for the allotted time I have set aside. If I surpass that then great. I feel I have achieved something without getting too overwhelmed and daunted and subsequently frustrated and discouraged. If I feel I can go on a bit more I do.

[mich64]

Yes htmb, I understand this very well. I used to get like this when I would take on projects to form data bases for nation wide access that came with strict deadlines.

I enjoyed being chosen for these projects but they were difficult on the rest of my life and with every one that I took on the maintenance of them followed.

Thank goodness for vacation time and for places like Any Port to escape too!

[Deleted]

I was 'lucky' enough to have a job where just about all of the paperwork or reports that I created would just sit untouched at the destination for anywhere from several weeks to several months, even when strict deadlines were given -- so I often ignored the deadlines if necessary and did not mind telling any boss, no matter how high up, when I didn't have time to do something.

But of course, this is learned behaviour after more than 30 years. When I first started at the company, I was a hyperactive work fiend who sometimes stayed until 10 pm or sneaked into the office on the weekend to get more work done (pre-computer age!). Oh, how silly we can be.

It was only during the two years that I spent preparing the redundancy programme that I felt quite a bit of pressure and expectations from my fellow colleagues who had to depend on me completely since I held their fates in my hand. However, my experience with useless paperwork over all of those previous years really helped me to determine which things were real emergencies and which things were based on foundless rumours and could be ignored, even in the new situation.

[tod2]

When employed by a boss that wasn't my husband.....I used to insist that I stayed at work after closing hours to complete the work of the day. Sometimes weekends too. We both worked in an estate agency - he sold the properties...I did the paperwork, for a boss. Sales Agreements waiting for the buyers signature were needed before they had time to reflect and maybe change their minds ;D

I'm still like that today in my own business. I complete a task to the end. Then if the task has been done by someone else, I check it and see that it's all correct.
Unfortunately last week I happened to open a file at random only to be confronted by a page which did not "look right"- upon checking I found it was definitely NOT right and had to explain to the very intelligent member of staff that she had not taken note when "bells and whistles" were ringing in her ears!

[Deleted]

Actually, one thing that reconfigured my priorities was my mother. Once she was institutionalised, I knew that my visiting time was before dinner in the evening. Dinner was at 18:30. The office officially closed at 17:00. Travel time on the metro was 35 minutes. Walking time from the metro was 10 minutes. That meant that I had 45 minutes with my mother. I told everybody that I would be out of the office like a rocket henceforth at 17:00, no matter what was going on, and everybody totally accepted that without question (which frankly was quite nice), including the general manager for Europe who was based in Paris. If there was a late afternoon meeting and anybody noticed me glancing at my watch, the meeting was always wrapped up in time. Naturally, there were a few times when I was not out the door until 17:05 or 17:10, generally involving people not aware of my constraints, but the world is not a perfect place.

And actually, when I finally left the company and the general manager for Europe made his big speech in front of all of the employees, he said that one of the things that he admired about me the most was the fact that I knew how to establish my priorities and stick to them.

[mossie]

You must get the priorities right. For the last 15 years or so at work I managed a small company doing road surfacing work. I had 3 gangs out on the road, an asphalt plant to supply their materials, a chemist and lab to keep on top of the technical stuff and an assistant dogsbody. I was completely responsible for getting work in right round to agreeing, and submitting, the accounts and making sure the money came in.
My main priority was a cup of tea
First call normally each day was at the asphalt plant which was my nerve centre, but they always brewed tea at 9 am . Then it was either visit a gang at work, or go to meet a customer, or attend a meeting somewhere. But I knew which places I would get a mug of tea or coffee, normally brewed on a site about 10 am ;D ;D. Meetings were very often later in the morning where coffee would be served. Lunch would follow, sometimes liquid . if I was lucky a rep would visit me and that generally meant a decent lunch washed down with a bottle of something ;D ;D
After lunch I needed to go back to the asphalt plant to sort out the next days programme, and get that vital mug of tea about 3pm. Then up to the office to call in on the lab to see what he had to do and sort out new specifications etc., over a cup of tea Then into my own office by about 4pm to panic through my paperwork, say 5 or 6 quotations for work, a couple of bills, ask outside firms for prices for materials etc etc. At least my typist would rustle up a cup of tea. ;D ;D ;D So home about 6 or so refreshed to begin another day
In my spare time I would attend seminars or boozy trade lunches in London. I was also my firms representative on the national trade association, and the technical bod on the local association branch, more flaming meetings.
No mobile phone in those days meant a lot of mileage just to make sure things were going to plan.
There was on old saying "He doesn't know if his arse is punched, bored, or countersunk" That certainly applied to me at times, but I realized that I needed to be under pressure before I could get anything done, I have absolutely zero patience and everything had to be done immediately

[htmb]

I appreciate your responses Casimira, Mich, Tod, Kerouac, and Mossie. I see similarities in what I do in comparison to each of you. Like Casimira I tend to work better with a deadline. Similar to Mich the work I do affects many different people and can influence the finances of others. Like Tod, I look on my position as if it were my own business, and this time of year I am searching for more caffeinated beverages just like Mossie. As for Kerouac, I believe I have done this job long enough to know what is important and what's not. I'm pretty good at streamlining a project and working as efficiently as possible. I definitely don’t do unnecessary work, but neither am I asked to most of the time.

I failed to tell you that I work for a non-profit organization. I also direct the majority of my time and have a lot of flexibility built into my position. While this is a hectic time of year, there are slower periods when I can take time off from work. I keep track of my extra hours and will use them later in the year to take little bits of time off here and there, as well as occasional larger chunks.

When I asked about work styles, I didn’t necessarily mean the work you do/did to earn a living. I meant to ask more about how you work on projects for which you have a passion.

[Deleted]

Unfortunately, I was never able to have a job (or even a project) for which I had a passion.

[htmb]

Oh, but Kerouac, you have a passion about the things you post on this site! Your travel stories and your photographs are a huge passion for you. So, when you begin to plan a trip, or a local post, do you often get completely caught up in the details to the momentary exclusion of other things? When you are creating a report to post here and to link elsewhere, does your mind get so caught up in the passion of the moment that you forget to eat or lose some sleep?

[nautiker]

my sis had to organise a small exhibition, however its opening got postponed by the management for eight weeks - rarely did I encounter her cursing that much: 'I had everybody in line, deadlines etc. - but now everyone will immediately relax claiming there's time to kill, it will be a total mess!' unfortunately, it proved she was right...

[Deleted]

Apr 26, 2013 21:12:24 GMT htmb said:

So, when you begin to plan a trip, or a local post, do you often get completely caught up in the details to the momentary exclusion of other things? When you are creating a report to post here and to link elsewhere, does your mind get so caught up in the passion of the moment that you forget to eat or lose some sleep?

No, I never pay attention to détails, which is what gets me into trouble. I have about reached the point where I don't even pack my bag until one hour before I leave to go to the airport or train station.

[htmb]

I've already started gathering a few things together for my summer trip, the rest I've thought through in my head.

[mossie]

It takes me about a week. I start laying things out on a spare bed as I think of them, then eliminate unnecessary things. Then do a trial pack, if that is OK unpack and repack just before departure when the wash bag can go in the top.
Average weight of packed bag..........16lbs. Enough for 5 or 6 days.

[bixaorellana]

That is absolutely the correct way to pack. I know, because it's the way I do it.

[htmb]

It's not so much the clothes I think about way ahead of time. I start actually packing my suitcase a few days before leaving also. I also travel very light and try never to check luggage.

As you have learned from my other thread, it's my electronics I review. Also my shoes. This year I've changed the type of shoes I'm taking on my trip and am in the process of getting them comfortably broken in.

At the moment, I'm in the "comfortable diversion" stage of preparing for a trip. By that I mean when I need to take a break and tear my mind away from my professional tasks I think through the aspects of my upcoming trip.

My work preparations for this particular project are in place and stage one will soon evolve into stage two, an exhausting period in an intirely different way. Stage two will come to an abrupt end after several weeks, and they I leave for a vacation. The preparations now will make all go smoother later.

[tod2]

Even though I have not booked a flight, apartment or hotel, everytime I open my wardrobe and pick out something to wear that day I often think, Mmmmm I must remeber to pack that blouse/those pants/those shoes....... Not California dreaming - Paris dreaming ;D

[Deleted]

Actually, there is one thing that I keep in mind ahead of time before packing -- I make sure that the clothes that are "the best to sweat in" are clean and available. I get overheated extremely easily (a trait I inherited from my mother) and generally can't even make it to the plane without already dripping sweat, even in mid-winter, so you can imagine how I am in Thailand or Egypt or whatever.

The most awful clothes for me are the ones that radically change colour in the wet spots -- they are totally banned from my wardrobe.

[mich64]

For the sake of our Jebidiah, I used to pack as late as possible before departing whether for weeks or even over night trips, he would stress over us leaving him. That little darling would watch my every move and he would become very curious when piles of clothes would begin to appear.

This year will be so different, I hope I do not over pack with all the extra time I will have.

[htmb]

Poor Jebidiah. I know you must miss him terribly, Mich.

Funny how animals pick up on clues. I think the main reason the cat has now become mine is because of what the she did in my daughter's camp trunk. My daughter had a steamer-type trunk with all her clothes for five weeks of camp packed neatly inside. Sometime, just before the trunk was closed for good at home, the cat must have decided to punish my daughter. On arrival at camp, when the trunk was opened, the strong odor of cat urine wafted out. Fortunately, only a few things on top were wet and I was able to wash the clothes at home and mail them back to camp. My daughter has never forgiven the furry beast.

[bixaorellana]

*orp!*

Your Jebidiah must have been exceptionally intelligent and observant, Mich. That story you told of his being able to distinguish between your husband's work & leisure clothing is amazing.

I had to go out this evening at the exact time the dogs & I usually go for their walk. They were so thoroughly confused that they didn't even try to guilt-trip me. They just cocked their little heads quizzically back & forth, wondering why I was forgetting to put on their leashes or have them accompany me out the gate. Little did they know that those looks were giving me agonies of guilt.

Sorry ~~ back to the topic! (she said, guiltily)

[bjd]

I pack light too. For family holidays, I used to have a list to remember things and all my kids ended up with a permanent "travel" list. I no longer have one.

A few days before leaving I put stuff on a spare bed -- passport, camera, some clothes as I think of them. Then stick it all in the bag the night before leaving.