Lost my luggage...

After the breaking point at work I briefly touched upon yesterday, the frustration I felt at having spent most of the day on one page of my catalog while stopping to work on other things, while time spiraled down the drain, I got some good advice from some coworkers today. There were basic common sense practices that I already employed to some degree, but not far enough.

At the end of the day I do make a checklist of things I haven't completed, to take care of the next day. I e-mail it to myself and leave it unread, so it remains bolded in my inbox. While not a bad practice, a coworker suggested taking it to the next level and actually printing it out so it's in front of me, a physical checklist to keep me organized and steering in the right direction instead of letting the currents set me adrift. I also organize my work into folders, but I don't deal with them in priority order. It was recommended that when something new lands on my desk, I put it aside or beneath the other folders if it's not urgent, and finish one thing before moving on to the next. Perhaps the hardest bit of advice though was that I should make my checklist at 4:45, and leave at 5 NO MATTER WHAT. I've fallen into a pattern of increasing workload and decreasing ability to go home with things unfinished. It's hard for me to drop what I'm doing and just leave. I don't think I'd ever depart as early as 5 anyway since I go to gym after work and I'd rather not go when it's very crowded. Besides not wanting to wait for equipment to be available, I'm somewhat self-conscious when I exercise. Still, employing some of these practices, I left around 6 tonight which for me is a decent time, and a start.

I don't really want to write about work tonight. To be honest, I feel it's safer to say little or nothing about one's career on a blog. I want my writing to be a separate part of my life, but sometimes work just bleeds out and becomes so significant that my life story here would be incomplete without at least mentioning the impact of my job. I'm off for four days now, so I honestly can say my unfinished tasks will have to wait until next year. Tonight I'm suffering from a bit of writer's block, but not from lack of ideas. I was given a very apt analogy about the way I approach my work today, that the way I jump from one thing to another I have too many “connecting flights” and risk “losing my luggage” along the way. That's what happened tonight. I thought about what to write, tossed and turned, played a game, lay back and thought some more, sat up and surfed through other blogs for ideas, and all the while the clock kept ticking. That's when I realized I was doing the same thing and I had my title, albeit to a light post.

The next two days will probably consist of some sort of year-end wrap-up that I'll iron out tomorrow when I'm rested and thinking more coherently. Everybody’s doing it. Sean listed his favorite trade paperbacks form the year. Xtine ran a “Best of 2005” series this week, while Janet listed her favorite posts from the year. And of course there are those year-end contests like Mister Snitch's and the Best of Blogs. I've already covered my personal favorite posts in an Essential MCF entry based not on the calendar year, but my blogging anniversary. The bases are covered, but I can find something to contribute about THIS year before 2006. At the very least, I'll probably revisit my Unresolutions, to see which things I didn't do.

I have my game plan to wrap up the year here and as long as I follow it, I shouldn't lose my luggage again. Thank you for flying the Nexus of Improbability.