'For many people a job is more than an income...

by tosca on Thursday, July 28, 2011

... - it's an important part of who we are. So a career transition of any sort is one of the most unsettling experiences you can face in your life.'
~ Paul Clitheroe

In which Tosca discovers the importance of tea breaks, namely that I feel less like whacking people if I regularly get sugar and food, and then realises that if something as simple as a tea break solves that problem then maybe she can find other tricks to make work more enjoyable. And perhaps the workplace will be a more enjoyable (although I'll settle for bearable) environment to be in.



No, I'm not changing my job. Or at least, not today and, very probably, not tomorrow. For the most part I enjoy what I do for a buck. Some days I don't. What kinda days? Days when there are meetings, performance development reviews, events that involve me speaking etc. I'm one of those people that doesn't really want to be heard - I just want to work somewhere out the back and be left alone to get it done. Often I find it hard to switch my brain off so normal things like tea breaks/lunch breaks aren't something I do often. If I need sugar/food/whatever I tend to eat it at my desk (I know, bad habit). Because I can't switch off, more often than not I take work home with me at night and on weekends - things like eNewsletters (creating and editing), researching ideas for blog posts and tweets, looking for ideas for developing our social media streams and constantly scanning for information that is relevant to what I do and the field I work in. After a while, though, if you're starting to feel iffy about the job and your role in the organisation, things like working outside of work and not taking proper breaks add to the general feeling of discontent. Thinking it was about time I did something about that I hunted around for simple ideas/tricks that I could use to make what I do, who I do it with, and where I do it something I will enjoy. Surely some of that responsibility is mine? There will be no meditation, no joining social clubs, no joining work sports teams and, most definitely, I'm not going to suddenly start channelling positivity. That ain't my style. Here are 5 simple things I'm going to do to try to like work more:

  • take breaks away from my desk - not necessarily in the lunchroom with other staff (when it's empty because I need alone time)
  • get out of the building at least once a day - walk around the square, sit in the courtyard and people watch, something that involves being away from the office (and, really, people)
  • set one fun (not necessarily silly although yes if that's what I want to do) work goal to achieve each day
  • don't talk about work during break times - this is one of the reasons why I stopped hanging out in our lunchrooms, for some reason people want to talk about work and, worse, annoy me while I'm reading: book + Tosca = SILENCE
  • leave work at work - or, maybe, keep a better eye on my working hours


    • Two things: 1)I changed the format of the blog so there's a timetable to the top left that gives an idea of what I will post about on a particular day 2) I didn't stick to the format today - sorry.

    4 comments

    Good luck with your top 5 list Tosca. :D
    The one I found most useful is to get out of the building - some days I took all my breaks outside to relieve some frustration. And people watching is always a goodie.

    by Sally on July 28, 2011 at 9:29 PM. #

    Tosca, my much-loved hobby became my job. So I get you!

    I now have trouble distinguishing when I am working, and when I am indulging in my hobby.

    Us Genealogists/family historians are used to routinely skulking in message boards and other online forums. We like to help each other out. As well as post our own questions!

    Finding where to draw the line can be an issue.

    by genebrarian on July 28, 2011 at 9:47 PM. #

    ahahahahah join the discontent train

    by Anonymous on July 29, 2011 at 12:30 AM. #

    Wow I really understand where you're coming from in this post.

    One thing I'm missing hugely now I'm not a children's librarian is the chance within my work to do things out of simple joy, like sing songs and read stories with children.

    I'm also going through similar process in terms of make work work and home home, which is a bit of a shift but it does seem to be the right idea.

    by Anonymous on July 29, 2011 at 9:30 AM. #

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