[Mezla PigDog]

So I've had moderate success over the last 2 weeks since being back after Christmas.

My unread email count is totally out of control but I'm ignoring that and focusing on what I want to get done - which is train my brilliant newer team members to do stuff I do so I don't have to do everything. I've said no to loads of meetings. The overdrive thoughts stuff is hard to kill off but I'm just telling myself it's not my problem out of hours and that I do a darned fine job in work hours so should think about it then. I've had one sleepless night so far but that's after 2 bits of wild news in one day and it's better than before Christmas when more nights were interrupted than weren't. And I have worked late three nights, the rest I logged off by 5pm. Two of those were due to late meetings organised by government types who you can't really say no to so I've only worked late by my own volition once.

Not sure how to make it last. I've temporarily quit drinking because it was affecting my sleep alongside the stress so I'm rather well rested and I realise that I was so worn out I wasn't making healthy decisions. Which makes complete sense from this side of it but you can't do it when systematically exhausted. I could murder a glass of wine though.

Some of the things I've not got done though....shit. Oh well - so many of my colleagues have quit, I'll have to get seriously bad before they could risk firing me!

[James Hutton]

Well done!!

[Imperial Historian]

Mezla PigDog, on 19 January 2022 - 08:06 PM, said:

Some of the things I've not got done though....shit. Oh well - so many of my colleagues have quit, I'll have to get seriously bad before they could risk firing me!

More people should take this attitude so companies actually employ enough people instead of overworking the ones they have.

[Mezla PigDog]

I have been doing a Culture Shaping workshop this week. Apparently senior management did it already and I'm doing it now along with my middle management colleagues. I foolishly assumed that the higher ups had chosen some key behaviours or whatever that they wanted to instill and we would be learning about how to implement them to improve our internal business culture.

NO!

Turns out we hired external consultants to tell us how as individuals we can improve our culture. So things like keeping our energy positive, recognising our own strengths and weaknesses, learning how to take ownership of negative outcomes and getting used to giving constructive criticism and positive feedback.

So it's on me to improve our culture by doing a remote workshop where I get about 40mins of breaks in each of three 5 hour sessions AND then have to catch up on my days work afterwards? And I'm expected to remember to stay positive!!

The workshop is well put together but fuck those managers who think my behaviour is the problem and not the excessive workload!

[Imperial Historian]

Mezla PigDog, on 27 January 2022 - 09:18 PM, said:

I have been doing a Culture Shaping workshop this week. Apparently senior management did it already and I'm doing it now along with my middle management colleagues. I foolishly assumed that the higher ups had chosen some key behaviours or whatever that they wanted to instill and we would be learning about how to implement them to improve our internal business culture.

NO!

Turns out we hired external consultants to tell us how as individuals we can improve our culture. So things like keeping our energy positive, recognising our own strengths and weaknesses, learning how to take ownership of negative outcomes and getting used to giving constructive criticism and positive feedback.

So it's on me to improve our culture by doing a remote workshop where I get about 40mins of breaks in each of three 5 hour sessions AND then have to catch up on my days work afterwards? And I'm expected to remember to stay positive!!

The workshop is well put together but fuck those managers who think my behaviour is the problem and not the excessive workload!

This sounds far too familiar.

Novel idea, cut down on the workload, eliminate unnecessary meetings and let everyone just do their job!

[HoosierDaddy]

I've finally just decided to see a therapist to talk to. Maybe she'll have some great insight as to why I let myself get so worked up over work. Which is nice. I truly do appreciate working somewhere where "after hours" are pretty respected. It's my own issues that keep me checking my e-mail at 8 pm at night when there is fuck all I can do about that shit til the morning anyways for the most part.

[Mezla PigDog]

Transmit her findings this way HD, free therapy all around.

[Malankazooie]

I would be open to giving this concept a try. The break room/kitchen talk would be awkward though. I guess you would have nothing but work related topics to chit-chat about? Nothing along lines of "how was your trip to Cozumel?", instead more like - "the space heater in my cubicle is fickle, sometimes it barely heats my area, other times I have to turn it off because it runs too hot."

[Gwynn ap Nudd]

The only thing that gets me to stop thinking about work is to be mentally or physically engaged with something else. If I have downtime where I am not actively doing something else, my mind will turn to work things. It's generally only that time between going to bed and falling asleep that I have issues with this now.

The only times I check my work email on weekends or evenings are if I have pre-arranged with someone to check something outside of normal hours (basically, construction crews work weekends sometimes and there are small items where a contractor will send me photos to review rather than me going to site for an inspection). My only work phone is a land line in the office and I only give out my personal number when meeting someone on a work site/airport/whatever. It is understood that I don't take calls outside of work hours. One of the first things I do when I get home from work is to turn off and take a break from my cochlear implant. That's when I stop thinking about work - and if someone calls, no chance of me hearing it anyway.

HoosierDaddy
I hope you found a therapist available outside of your normal working hours. I saw a one a couple times a few years ago when I was having some issues, but could only get appointments 9-5 Monday through Friday. It honestly made the situation worse.

[Mezla PigDog]

My zen attitude has died a terrible death. Lasted maybe 8 weeks into the year, probably 6. White knuckling the overwork again and it's under my skin in a way that is hard to shake despite knowing better.

[amphibian]

Mezla PigDog, on 17 March 2022 - 11:08 PM, said:

My zen attitude has died a terrible death. Lasted maybe 8 weeks into the year, probably 6. White knuckling the overwork again and it's under my skin in a way that is hard to shake despite knowing better.

You can get back on the wagon. It's ambling along at your pace. I believe in you and the power of saying "No", enjoying time with your family, and extremely shitty movie marathons with some booze.