Down time

I understand this woman.

Day 5 - Experiment Complete

Well, I am pleased to say that my 5 day concious desicion to enjoy my work has paid off. I've been more motivated and organised and felt more 'useful' since making the desicion to enjoy work.
Interestingly, on the Friday, I found out that I am going to be amping up the finance side of things in my job, which frankly, is a little depressing because finance is not my forte and even less so, given that it will also involve the new computer system which scares the pants off me, but I am going to put every effort in to see this as an opportunity to learn a new skill.
Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up my positive perspective for the coming weeks!

Day 4

I struggled to put my finger on something I actually 'like' about my work today, but suffice to say, I had a good day. While I was sipping my coffee (see Tuesday's perk), my friendly colleague asked if I would like to go out to one of our hospital sites with her for a bit of a meet and greet. So I got an hour out of the office and an opportunity to learn a bit about some of our claims processes.
One thing I thought of yesterday is that my attitude this week has not been much different from my first week on the job. I came in, positive attitude, determined to make the best of this new opportunity and determined to learn. I think learning is the key here. When we stop learning, we stop....period! I had stopped seeking out new challenges (not consciously - it just happened) and that is why I was starting to get so disillusioned with work.
One more day - if I can do this for a week, surely I can maintain it for a year!

Day 3

Well, day 3, being Wednesday, that is easy. Wednesday's I get to knock off at 12! Flexible work arrangements! What's not to like!?

Day 2

Ok, day two of liking my job. All going well. Today's positive, apart from keeping really busy and finishing my filing (there is something about completing mundane tasks that is so satisfying!) I decided that today's positive is the coffee machine. I love a good coffee in the morning and my work has a really good quality coffee machine, so I can have my latte for free, saving me $20 a week!

A 5 Day Experiment - Day 1

So, it's no secret. From around 8am to 4:45pm Monday to Friday (save for about 30 minutes in the middle of the day and from 12 on Wednesdays) there are a million places I would rather be. I haven't really enjoyed my job for about 6 months now. This morning, while walking to work, for some reason, I had a little spring in my step. Maybe it was the result of a restful and satisfying weekend, or serendipitously running into a friend en route from the train station, either way, I felt....positive! So with that positive mind set, I made a desicion. I am going to make every effort to enjoy my job this week. If I can find something positive to say about my work every day this week, I have a sporting chance of being able to look back at this week and remind myself of what is good about my job and why I haven't leapt out the window yet. Really, it CAN'T be that bad!

So my positive thing today: my boss has been on leave for a week and a bit and went to Hong Kong on holiday. Today, he gave me a really nice little gift that he bought over there. I have a very thoughtful and kind boss. That is a lot more than I can say about other places I have worked and places that many of my friends work. The people that we work with can make or break the whole 'going to work' experience and I am pleased to say that my current job is made all the more bareable by my 2 colleauges.

The Upside of the Dark Side

I think my last blog post said it all. My job really gets me down some days and the day that I wrote that was one of the days where I sit at my desk holding back tears of frustration. Interestingly enough, the following day, I took a long lunch and walked to the museum and saw an amazing art exhibition and as I walked back to the office, I realised that it was working for a flexible employer and working in the CBD that enables me to do this.
I'm still not 100% happy, because I feel that sitting here is a bit of a waste of my time and talent, but a friend sent me an email the other day with a whole bunch of suggestions, that, while they may not have been a perfect fit, exploring them has made me look at some of my talents and abilities and has sewn a seed of an idea. It's something that could fall flat on its face, or it is something that could be remarkably successful, but I won't know until I give it a go.
Watch this space (for at least 3 years, good things take time!).