It's been a busy couple weeks, with the hallmark chaos trailing in the wake of time. As far as I can tell, this really extends back to the end of vacation in August. We got back from Europe and - shock of shocks - we were exhausted! Hanna, fortunately, had a couple weeks to recover while between grad classes and before the public school year began. I was not so fortunate, and really suffered the toll ever since (well, until now, anyway). This leads to what I consider to be the opposing concept from the movie title "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (see movie info here). Allow me to attempt to articulate without rambling endlessly for hours on end (oops, too late!).
(you may want to jump to the end to get to the point if you're not interested in the babble of minutia)
There has been an accumulation of clutter within my office, my apartment, and my mind for the past several weeks. Part of this detritus was cast-off from the return from vacation. Travel items strewn here, pictures uploaded there, emails a-plenty everywhere. This all piles up and begins to create what is, to me, an overwhelming distraction (to the point that I can no longer think or act, just numbly move through the days like one continuous, confused blur).
Now, add to the mix a piquing level of frustration with my employer, at a time where the company seems to be on the verge of self-destruction, and with senior management so challenged in the area of "leadership" that we have no idea what to think, and are constantly given the answers "maintain the status quo" and "improve efficiencies" - operational directives - to the question "what strategy are we to align with."
Given the frustration, I launch into a frenzied job search and strike some appealing opportunities immediately. These opportunities are pursued, an offer is tendered, and... oops, pause... hold that... I'm getting ahead of myself...
Picture, if you will.... late August... the office is a mess... you're getting behind in emails... you've ordered a bunch of new computer stuff to replace your failing PC workstation and it's all slowly rolling in... you're working out at home (with kettlebells, in my case) because you simply can't find the time to get to the gym... and you're about to leave for the holiday (Labor Day) weekend...
So, we head to NYC for Labor Day, we spend a ton of money for a 3-night stay (about a grand - eep!), and we enjoy the wonderful weather at the US Open. Fabu! :) But, as a result of this stay, we've now been busy and away from home 3 consecutive holidays (Memorial Day @ Ocean City, July 4th @ DC, Labor Day @ NYC), such that you've had no down time at home for more than a weekend in which to clean, organize, throw junk out, get all the laundry and vacuuming done for a while, etc. No down time is a bad thing.
Ok, so, you get back from NYC... right back into the work groove... the wife is back at school full-time and taking a grad class one night a week... and I'm exhausted. Physically, emotionally, intellectually... collapse seems imminent...
Mid-September, one of those job opportunities pans out... I get an offer, I take the offer, I give 2 wks notice, and, at the request of my new employer, plan to start with 1 day off in between jobs. Ok, sure, no problem. Wait... there is a problem...
About 3.5 weeks ago I hurt my back in the area of the cervical spine... to the point that painful muscle spasms prevent me from lifting my arms to shoulder level. I go to my orthopedist a few days later and we find out by the end of the week that I've in fact suffered a full avulsion of the C7, meaning that the little tail of the C7 vertebra has snapped off and embedded into nearby soft tissue. The muscle spasms aren't as severe, but I'm still hurting. The good news is: no surgery required, stable injury, I can return to exercising.
At about the same time, I begin to migrate to my new workstation. Oh, and this isn't just a simple Windows to Windows move. Nope, I'm ditching Windows and moving to Mac OS X for good. Woohoo! Of course, migrating data turns out to be more difficult than I had underestimated for. Mainly, I find that (I think) one of my external drive enclosures is faulty. Oh, well, life moves on.
All the while, I'm getting further behind on email, not sleeping very well, and in significant pain. Oh, and not working out, and keeping busy at work (the old job) trying to make sure as much as possible is transitioned or closed.
Ok, this brings us up to about a week ago... we drive up to Maryland to get apples and fresh apple pie... come home... and *poof* the weekend is gone... again... However, along the way we had stopped at a Mattress Discounters store to check out the Tempurpedic line of beds - something we'd been meaning to do for months (since roughly March?). We find the one we like and think about it for a day. That night, my back is killing me, and it's very clear that the bed is now a co-conspirator.
Over the past week, then, I've...
- Ended my job @ AOL, including going away lunch on Monday
- Bought a new bed
- Had 1 day off between jobs (Wed)
- Started the new job - and met with the client at lunch that first day
- Received the new bed
- Finally began to get organized!
So, what all did I need to do to get organized? Well, several things - all of which relying upon prioritization of tasks. This include:
- Prioritizing mail by Low, Medium, High, and Critical levels
- Actioning mail (paying bills, mostly)
- Cleaning the office by consolidating computer equipment to be recycled, pulling stuff out of bags and boxes and putting it into the new shelving I purchased the previous weekend, and beginning to clean out the file cabinet.
- Making a CRITICAL todo list and executing against it above all others.
- Getting those tasks done and then begin the new todo list.
- Catching up on old emails to the point of being caught up (finally).
- Getting the bills paid that needed to be paid (including annual car tax).
And so on... we also managed to get a bunch of shopping done yesterday, including buying a new comforter and new sheets sets for the new, bigger bed.
THE POINT...
All of this is to say that I've been stuck in a rut for close to 2 full months. This rut came about due to several issue converging at once. First, I was exhausted. This exhaustion came from a very busy (and stressful at work) Summer, combined with no down-time and poor quality of sleep. Second, I was extremely stressed. Stress can amplify the effects of exhaustion. Third, I was disorganized. My office was a mess (physically). My inbox was a mess. My notes were out of order. I literally felt like I was stumbling mindless through every day like a zombie.
In order to get control of things, I finally took a stand for myself. Last weekend I took the first steps by buying and assembling 2 new bookshelves (one for me, one for my wife). Then, on my day off on Wednesday, I sat down and prioritized my mail by literally setting out 4 pieces of paper labelled Low, Medium, High, and Critical. I defined what these meant in terms of the turnaround time required:
- Critical: <24 hours
- High: 24-36 hours
- Medium: > 36 hours and < 5 days
- Low: > 5 days
Once I got through the Critical and High items, I then moved on to cleaning the office this weekend. I put books and papers on the shelves. I sorted the computer equipment and prepared it for taking to the recycler in a couple weeks. I went through 2 drawers in the file cabinet and got those things sorted (leaving the worst 2 drawers full of piles of papers). I got caught up on emails. I sorted the rest of my tasks.
Basically, I finally got things done. Oh, and last night? Good sleep for a change because the new bed came during the day.
That brings me to now. It's Sunday night, I'm ready for bed, and I've accomplished pretty much everything I'd hoped to accomplish this weekend. For the first time in months, I feel ready for Monday. Let's hope I'll feel this good about things in the morning.
If you're feeling overwhelmed, then follow my lead and take back control of your life!
