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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on October 6, 2006, at 9:02:41
If I work at home, I get distracted easily.
If I work at the office, I'm not as distracted. However I physically only have a limited time to spend there, and I leave feeling so tense and overwhelmed that I'm pretty much useless for the rest of the day. Yesterday my back was so knotted when I got back that I spent the entire evening being unable to sit for long, and getting massages from my husband.
Bottom line?
The same number of hours worked either way. And not enough.
Posted by Poet on October 6, 2006, at 13:33:34
In reply to Just can't win, posted by Dinah on October 6, 2006, at 9:02:41
Hi Dinah,
What are the distractions at home? Are you thinking that the dishes need to be done or the laundry and stopping work to do them? Do you have a home office that is just for your use when you're *working?*
I've been having trouble studying at home because I think of all the things I *should* be doing though studying should be a priority. I'm trying to create a Poet study space. Unfortunately we only have one computer and so my study space won't have a PC in it, but at least I can read there.
I sure know that can't win feeling.
Poet
Posted by Dinah on October 7, 2006, at 11:00:39
In reply to Re: Just can't win » Dinah, posted by Poet on October 6, 2006, at 13:33:34
My husband and I each have a study. It's great. I have file cabinets, a computer, printer, scanner, really efficient and well organized desk. I bought some extra supplies when I thought we were moving so that I could work long distance. Of course, there's also a TV, a very small Barbie city, and an enormously comfortable daybed. :) But I haven't cuddled into the daybed lately.
And one way that it's good for me to work at home is that I can eat when I feel hungry, because once I hit sugar low, I'm useless for the rest of the day, even if I up my sugar level. My body's just gone into shutdown mode.
But on the way to eat, or to go to the bathroom, it's hard not to notice that the towering pile of clothes is about to fall onto the piddle pad that really needs changing, and that the dog is looking a bit depressed and oops, they really need some more water in their Drinkwell pet fountain, but it really needs to be cleaned before I add more water or the motor will burn out again, and oooh there's the mail on the floor and oops that reminds me that I still haven't called the roofer.
Still, I manage to get as much work done as I get done at the office. Because if I put in five hours at the office, I'm shot for the day, and part of the next day, with back muscle spasms, migraines, and intense sleepiness from the stress.
They're asking if once we move back into our regular office from our cramped filthy (don't even mention the restrooms, just hold it all day) temporary office where my desk, and everyone else's, is cramped into what doubles as the reception area, I'll be coming into work more often. It'll probably be better, but I've lost my private office and will be sharing, and I find that distracting and stressful. Also, I have more file cabinet space at home than I will at the refurbished old office. :( I love my file cabinet space. I wouldn't mind a closet with a desk and file cabinets if I could be alone, but there are none to be had. :(
I miss my old office. I miss the office I shared with Daddy, so he wouldn't have to yell down the hall to me. I miss Daddy at the office. I don't like the level of support I get from my current bosses, or all but one of them I suppose. One of them is sort of like Daddy in how our working relationship goes.
I couldn't get rid of the ongoing project I tried to give up, because it's impossible to hire anyone right now and we lost most of our employees anyway. :(
I'm discouraged, overwhelmed, and I think my tendency to freeze in the headlights has kicked in. My therapist says "Yes, you do tend to do that." Sigh.
Posted by liliths on December 21, 2006, at 10:54:04
In reply to Re: Just can't win » Poet, posted by Dinah on October 7, 2006, at 11:00:39
hi Dinah
sorry if I'm jumping into something that's been ongoing but I REALLY related to what you wrote at the end of your post
I have a tendency to become frozen as well. I used to come down really hard on myself about it - well, I still do BUT I have learned it is a symptom and not something I'm doing to myself. It's such an awful feeling to know that if I could just do something, I'd feel better, yet not be willing (as that's what it feels like) to take any action. I get really angry with myself and that certainly doesn't help the depression that bears down on me when I freeze
if I may ask, what kind of work do you do? And did you recently lose your father? I guess I must be coming into this since I have so many questions. One of the things I've always liked about working out of the house (I have my own studio/office as well though I no longer have any employment) was that if I did become distracted, I could always go work again whenever I wanted to. Of course, I think you have to really love (or at least derive some satisfaction from) the work you do when you work out of the house.
are you happy with what you do? Will you be able to continue working from home once the new office is available?
and are you at least getting enough done to satisfy your job requirements? Could you split your time if you needed to?
I apologize if I haven't been very helpful. I guess I hope some of my questions lead you to some answers you can use :)
namaste,
lilith> My husband and I each have a study. It's great. I have file cabinets, a computer, printer, scanner, really efficient and well organized desk. I bought some extra supplies when I thought we were moving so that I could work long distance. Of course, there's also a TV, a very small Barbie city, and an enormously comfortable daybed. :) But I haven't cuddled into the daybed lately.
>
> And one way that it's good for me to work at home is that I can eat when I feel hungry, because once I hit sugar low, I'm useless for the rest of the day, even if I up my sugar level. My body's just gone into shutdown mode.
>
> But on the way to eat, or to go to the bathroom, it's hard not to notice that the towering pile of clothes is about to fall onto the piddle pad that really needs changing, and that the dog is looking a bit depressed and oops, they really need some more water in their Drinkwell pet fountain, but it really needs to be cleaned before I add more water or the motor will burn out again, and oooh there's the mail on the floor and oops that reminds me that I still haven't called the roofer.
>
> Still, I manage to get as much work done as I get done at the office. Because if I put in five hours at the office, I'm shot for the day, and part of the next day, with back muscle spasms, migraines, and intense sleepiness from the stress.
>
> They're asking if once we move back into our regular office from our cramped filthy (don't even mention the restrooms, just hold it all day) temporary office where my desk, and everyone else's, is cramped into what doubles as the reception area, I'll be coming into work more often. It'll probably be better, but I've lost my private office and will be sharing, and I find that distracting and stressful. Also, I have more file cabinet space at home than I will at the refurbished old office. :( I love my file cabinet space. I wouldn't mind a closet with a desk and file cabinets if I could be alone, but there are none to be had. :(
>
> I miss my old office. I miss the office I shared with Daddy, so he wouldn't have to yell down the hall to me. I miss Daddy at the office. I don't like the level of support I get from my current bosses, or all but one of them I suppose. One of them is sort of like Daddy in how our working relationship goes.
>
> I couldn't get rid of the ongoing project I tried to give up, because it's impossible to hire anyone right now and we lost most of our employees anyway. :(
>
> I'm discouraged, overwhelmed, and I think my tendency to freeze in the headlights has kicked in. My therapist says "Yes, you do tend to do that." Sigh.
Posted by Dinah on December 28, 2006, at 9:48:38
In reply to Re: Just can't win » Dinah, posted by liliths on December 21, 2006, at 10:54:04
I think I don't mind the work so much as the job. I lost my father two years ago, but he had retired four or five years before that. I think I'm only just coming to grips with the changes that made in my job satisfaction and in the job requirements. It sort of seeped slowly into consciousness in bits and pieces as I struggled to figure out why I was having so much trouble with the work that I used to pile up overtime on.
It's not so much the work that I'm doing that I dislike, it's more the job. And I can trace that directly back to when my father retired. I think I got my job satisfaction from taking care of someone I loved (my father). But I can see that my current work situation won't last forever, so I should take advantage of it now. I'm going to dislike what comes afterwards even worse than this.
I'm managing to get some work done right now, but I am hopelessly behind and have been for years. And when I'm behind and have too much on my to do list and it's hard to figure out where to start, I get overwhelmed.
I've been noticing patterns of things that I do better at, and areas where I clearly have problems. Like a lot of small things to do tends to overwhelm my ability to organize and I jump back and forth in a less than ideally productive way. But if I am working on one large project, however daunting, I can get in the flow and be more productive.
I need to work on organizational skills to handle the little stuff. Or try to do all the little stuff at the office and the big stuff at home, which is what I used to do.
Unfortunately, my office arrangements do not appear to have gotten off to a good start. Perhaps I'm not meant to share close quarters with others.
:(
Thanks for asking. I'm trying very hard to break down my problems at work into their smallest parts, so that answers will be easier to find.
This is the end of the thread.
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