It was 5pm my time. Pacific Standard Time. I had been going since 9:30am East Coast time. I always came in early to make calls to the East Coast. The office was clearing out. The phone was probably about done ringing and I couldn’t really make any more calls because people were done for the day. Time to work on the List for tomorrow. Update with the day’s activities, hopefully a few accomplishments, add on new items, check calendar to see if anything is due tomorrow.
1pm. Lunch break. I forced myself to get up from my desk and physically leave the office for a half hour lunch. Put the List aside for a brief period. Too many times it was Taco Bell in my car. I liked to drive to Alameda point and watch the pelicans diving in the bay for fish. Beautiful view of San Francisco. Quality of view was quite a contrast to quality of my lunch. I got in the habit of a late lunch. One of my few good friends in the office, Bob, always took a late lunch. Said he liked a short afternoon.
I had a job that was overwhelming. Just too much to get done. Combined with hard deadlines and daily emergencies. My boss believed that you always gave people more than they could get done. Forced prioritization and kept time from being wasted on projects that weren’t important. Drove productivity and we were a turnaround company. Plus my boss didn’t really like me. I was not one of the original team. Never fully trusted. He was happy for me to either fail or just as happy if I succeeded because that meant I was getting the job of three people done. By the way I had no experience in my current position; my boss said you’re a bright kid you will figure it out.
I developed a set of habits that got me through. And I learned so much. It was actually a very good time in my life. My day revolved around the List. I updated the List every day before I left the office. Had a good set of priorities for the next day and my first several calls planned out. I prepared for my morning calls the night before so I could hit the phones running in the morning. The List focused me. The List kept me on task. Had to move the List forward. The List also kept me sane. Gave me an illusion of control. The List also became my protection for my boss. The basis of my one-on-one’s and the answer to random, head stuck in my office, “what the heck is going on with this?” questions.
Today my life is much calmer and downright serene by comparison. But still if I start to get a little overwhelmed, or too much is hitting me too fast, I stop and take a minute to make a List.
This is my entry into #challenge30days by
