Something’s Gotta Give

I thrive on positive feedback. I pride myself on being known by peers and executives as a high-performance employee: I will push myself to the hilt to achieve the best outcomes. And I’m usually pretty good at recognizing when something is a worthless waste of my time, and saying “no” comes rather easy. In fact—and to my own detriment at times—I’m usually satisfied with no more than a good pat on the back. The confidence knowing that my superiors find me trustworthy, dependable, never-miss is like a drug, and I’m hooked.

But despite nearly two decades of wisdom and experience, I have yet to figure out how to do “it all.” And when I finally succumb to the perceived equal importance of “it all,” because I can’t seem to find anything to scratch off the to-do list, something inevitably slips. Soon, the one the thing I dread more than anything comes calling: the boss, or husband, or son, or friend who’s concerned or disappointed with my performance.

And so, this week, I got a well-deserved, swift kick for one of the things I’ve let slip in recent months: this blog.

Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but I’ve been less than regular with my posts. It’s not for lack of stories, rants, or stories to share. Far from it—and far more complicated. The amount of change at work is real. And while it’s all positive, directional stuff, that’s just the problem—it’s all good stuff to work on. There is so little I want to turn down, and even fewer places to find help or delegate. Welcome back to the first decade of my career: I’m logging 60–plus-hour weeks again. On the personal side, my husband is switching careers, so both he and my son have been hitting the books. And I try to spend as much free time with our son as possible, which means I haven’t had a date with my husband in three months.

Nice sob story, as I told Jay Thursday afternoon.

So I’m going to do a couple of things: First, I’m going to look over that to-do list again. So something’s gotta give elsewhere, and I know I can find it. I’m also going to rethink some ideas about the format and frequency. Is this blog a priority for me? Yep. And I’ll be damned if I ever get a note like that from Jay again. :-)

I’ll be back in a regular rhythm soon. Thanks, everyone.

How are you doing? Swamped, I would guess . . . —Jay, September 23, 2009

Comments

[Whatsername]

Wow - thank you so much. It's hard at times to know if people are actually reading my rants! I have no intention of abandoning this blog - rather, I need to find a more suitable rhythm for it.

Today is CASE IN POINT: I came out here to escape hell for a few minutes. I am literally maxed out - too much information, too many things to do, and not enough time. Quality work? What the hell is that?

W.

[Long time reader]

I agree with Shelly...I look forward to Tuesdays to read the latest rant or advice from Whatsername. I've been disappointed this year because it seems she is on a break more often than she's writing. Now I completely understand.
I'm just like her in the regards to not being able to say no, because I really want to do the things I'm asked to do at work. I have recently come to the conclusion that I need to stop and think about what I'm currently working on before I say yes. (I'm still saying yes, but I am thinking of saying no...that counts doesn't it?)

I'm always striving for balance too. But recently I've decided to embrace my unbalanced life and suddenly I feel so much more relaxed and I'm finding a way to get it all done without all the drama.
Hang in there Whatsername. I'll understand if you quit the blogging, but I will miss your opinions and observations.

[jenny]

'like.' as the kids say these days...

hehe - whatever.

i used to have a blog. just random day-to-day chronicles of my life, then turned more work-focused, then i switched to a different blog that *was* intentionally work-themed...then...it just sort of died out. i know exactly how that goes, but the difference is, youre far more entertaining & insightful than my BS ever couldve been, and more relative.

i rediscovered both recently, and remembered that i had started them initially to vent, let it all out, explain, etc etc yadda yadda minus the actual 'yadda..'

and i've been a different person ever since. and now nobody listens to me ;) and i'm sure nobody has kept reading this comment this far either on top of that ;) hehe - which is fine, of course, it was never attention-seeking, it was just the concept of the written word compared to my thoughts...*yawn* exactly. anyway.

keep it up. if you can. its good for the soul, or whatever. :) xo

[Shelly]

Hi Whatzer. I totally get it - getting bogged down so much that something slips off the to-do list. But I know I'm speaking for many when I say - "Don't Go!" I hope you'll find something other than this blog that's gotta give. Each week, I look forward to it. I find myself smiling and shaking my head (yes or no) when I read it - your writing style cracks me up - it speaks to me. Thanks for taking the time to write it .. whenever you have the time!