Tricks and Treats

I cannot begin to tell you how many people lecture me about finding a balance in my work/life. They have the best of intentions, and they're not 100% wrong.

But they also just do not understand. I'm not hourly. And the amount of responsibility I carry can be overwhelming at times. Especially when dealing with deadlines and such.

I'm not complaining. Not at all. I love my job.

But......in order to make folks happy I have had to learn a few tricks. And to my great surprise, those tricks have turned into real treats for me.

For instance......I'm working from home a lot more. Oh, I still spend around 9-10 hours a day in the office or in the field. But....I'm also working from the apartment much more than I ever thought I would.

In the mornings....I make those difficult phone conversations in the privacy of my home. The walls are very thin in my office and this allows me to say what needs to be said as I need to say it. Plus....I can have a cigarette and pace without the sounds of traffic overwhelming the conversation.

I can also focus much better. I'm working on some detail heavy projects right now and I really need to focus on what I'm doing. Oh, my phone still rings, but I don't have people knocking or interrupting all the time. It's going much faster.

So my "trick" of still working but no one really seeing it has turned into a "treat" of relaxing and being comfortable and a LOT more productive.

To be honest - I'll take this over candy bars and carmel apples any day!