It's the middle of the week and my eyes are firmly fixed upon the end of the working week as usual but, not one to wish away my life, I'm living in the present and that means my working week dominates.
I've had a bit of strife this week.
Things I'd thought were sorted and put to rest have come back once more and with their return has come additional workload for me and others and we could really have done without the additional work considering the project we're currently in the middle of. That's how life and work go sometimes though, sometimes to plan and sometimes it just doesn't work out.
I was talking with a colleague today who was feeling exasperated and had had a bit of a stress attack, some tears and a hasty exit from the office.
I know why it happened, she is one of those people who dislikes her rhythm and process being upset; she's meticulous, strategic and diligent. It works really well and her manner and work process fits in well with others who are different in make-up, collectively it just works. But when things run off the rails her stress levels increase quickly and exponentially and usually that means panic, chaos and eventual tears follow.
I feel similar things although manage it differently.
I'm probably just as or more meticulous and structured as she is and I apply strategy to tasks the same as her; the difference is that I slow things down, my mind and thoughts, expectations, what I'm actively doing and how I do it and what I ask of those around me. I break it down into easily-achieved portions and do each in that meticulous and structured way, calmly and carefully. I don't push away stress, just manage it and use it to motivate, keep me focused and working towards the mini and ultimate goals I've set. Slowing it down ends up making me faster, more efficient, effective and productive and usually means deadlines are met and the results achieved.
I felt quite sorry for the woman today, we had all worked very hard on getting those things completed over the last weeks and to have it pop up again like it did made us all feel exasperated; it tipped that lady over the edge of her tolerance though and she fell, momentarily. She picked herself up amazingly well however, that's one of her strengths. He brain snaps itself to attention, says, "there's work to be done and this is how it's going to be done," and she applies her other attributes towards moving forward to the solution and resolution; she's a bit of a machine when it comes to that aspect and we all feed of her energy.
She had a little laugh later on, apologised to the team which was not necessary, and we all got down to work collectively. I think today's episode will make Friday night drinks at the pub in a couple days more enjoyable and I've made a mental note to buy the lady a drink, she deserves it.