Since I've Been Busy I've been Better

I have have had my moments in the past week, but I have actually been better over the last couple of days. The reason: I have been busy.

Idleness only encourages anxiety

Yes, I am now waiting. I have found myself worried at times. The more bad news about the economy--the more I have worried. If I am worried, I am sure that others are worried.

I have found myself sitting around waiting. Of course, the things I have had to wait for included getting my paycheck so I could afford a few things. That was when my mind was really going.

My wife suggested that we put pictures back on the wall now that the siding is all on the house. That was actually quite meaningful. I put up my kids' baby and toddler pictures. It was low-demand concentration that made the walls look good.

My job also has been busy. I have someone out sick. I have had extra to do. It focused me on the business at hand.

Focusing on what you can do

Mind you, I am estimating that at least 92 percent of whoever is reading this has his or her job. They, like me are still working and bringing home the paycheck. That is something that can make us feel better or at least less stressed.

At my place of work, the economy talk has gotten old. That is a good thing given some of the characters I have to supervise. We are back to focusing on our main mission. It is a good thing.

At your place of work, this is a time to focus on your core product or your core service. Mind you not all of us like our jobs, but our work is what is in front of us.

Focusing on the details of your work is better than focusing your mind on things you have no control over. The quality of your work can get better when you focus on it which can lead to more personal satisfaction.

We want to avoid being driven

While focusing on quality in our jobs, it is important to maintain a sense of balance. I have been learning some non-examples of balance from my interim assistant vice president.

She has been literally driven in the way she has been doing her work. She has been driving my boss crazy. I have found myself irritated by her behaviors. I have had to put out some fires with my subordinates.

People who are driven are essentially distracting themselves from the pain or anxiety inside. They work all the time. They act like they are going a million miles an hour. They are restless. They cannot stop.

In their driven state, they burn bridges or they distance themselves from what really matters.
My interim vice president has been quite condescending to some professionals who have been in the business longer than my the VP has been alive.

Driven people are going so fast down the highway of life that they miss the details along the side of the road. Their end result is often job burnout if the burnt bridges did not get them first.

Enough!

To reduce the likelihood of being driven, it is important to set some boundaries. First, you must be able to tell yourself "ENOUGH!" Only so much quality work is going to get done in a day.

Manage your boss

I think that there is much flexibility with many of our bosses. I have found it necessary to say to my boss that I will get as much done as possible today. I have worked to stop saying I will get it all done today. The exceptions to this are if you are under a quota or you have a set route you must run.

Even with the pressure that many firms and corporations are under to be as economizing and miserly as possible, I think that it is possible to negotiate some projects and tasks. If you know your boss's tendencies, you have some tools for negotiation.

What is it all about?

Bringing it back to full circle, I am about feeling better, feeling some sense of peace and some sense of sanity in this otherwise stressful time. The message is to be busy if you are anxious. Work is a good thing. Being productive and active is better than being idle and fretful. There is a limit to how busy one can get--balance is important.

So, find something that needs to be done, and get to it. There is satisfaction in doing something and doing it well.