One of the problems with going away is that I get behind and it seems impossible to catch up. I have over 6 weeks of accrued vacation time but somehow I never seem to be able to actually take any, or at least very little of it, and I work almost every holiday. I get comp time but I’m not working for that; it’s just to try and catch up but it doesn’t ever work.
Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just went in and wiped the desk clear and tossed all the paper into the recycling bin. It all looks alike, all those printouts from the web or email or the online system, and they sit in piles waiting for me to make decisions. Delegating to other people is difficult when you are short-staffed and people are still being trained. It’s a Catch-22 that it takes time to train people for new responsibilities but if you take the time that you don’t have to do that, you don’t have time to do the work yourself.
I have only two weeks before my next trip and looking at the calendar, I can’t quite figure out how everything will fit. But it always does. The first day back is the hardest, the re-entry to the office after time away. One casualty of being overwhelmed is my lunch “hour” which in reality is more like 10-15 minutes of stolen time, eating a sandwich while doing IM with a friend or searching the web on personal business. It would be better for me to set up an Outlook reminder to take an hour away from the office, to take a walk or at least get away from the desk and really have a break.
Something to set up tomorrow for at least one day this week. I need to start somewhere. If I don’t take care of myself, I won’t be any good to anyone else.
Random Thoughts of a Disordered Mind 