Work-Life Imbalance - Logging on

 

 

 

 

 

Ever picked up the phone at home and dialled 9 for an outside line? Your work life has crept into your subconscious and you have a work-life imbalance. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a normal morning.  

 

The bus - thank God - was uneventful.  No overly loud conversations, nobody smelling of the previous night's indulgence.

 

I made it into the office in good time, said hello to my the colleagues I passed on my row, got to my cube and put my purse down.  I took off my coat, hung it up, pulled my chair forward and sat down.

 

Right, first things first.  Log on, then go and get water.

 

I moved my mouse around.

 

Nothing.

 

I hit the Enter key a few times.

 

Nothing.

 

Hmmmm...

 

I reached over and hit the button on my monitor.  Sometimes I remembered to switch it off and be environmentally responsible. 

 

Nothing.

 

I pressed it again.

 

What the---?

 

Goddammit!  The last thing I wanted to do was have to call the Helpdesk.

 

Wait.  I was confident I could figure this out.

 

Just sit still.  Think.  Look.

 

And then I got it.

 

I had worked from home on Friday.  I'd forgotten to bring my laptop back to the office with me.  There was no computer to switch on!

 

Sigh!  

 

Work-life imbalance.

 

 

To read more in this series, click here. 

You might like:

• Sunday Sick Day
• Tap Tap

 

Work-Life Imbalance - Home office

 

We have a new puppy.  

You have probably gathered that.  If not, scroll down a few posts.

When we got her, we didn't know what to name her.  

We discussed some options on the way home from the breeder.  We looked some female baby names up online.  We got friends to send suggestions via Facebook and Twitter.

Then I got a piece of Fluffy Bear's home office stationary, and wrote all the top names on it.

This seemed like a perfectly good plan to me.  I figured that, when our friends came round to see the puppy the next day, they could weigh in on the top choices, or add some new suggestions.

Until, that is, they actually arrived on Sunday morning and I saw the look on their faces when I pointed at the flip chart page, like a giant post-it, symbolizing my co-conspiracy in the invasion of the private universe by the corporate realm, hanging in our lounge wall with the scribbles of a name-brainstorm all over it.

Sigh.

Work-life imbalance.

Work-Life Imbalance - Elevator madness

Last week I got into the elevator at the gym and looked for the scanner below the panel of buttons so I could swipe my pass and get electronic permission to push the button for my floor.

Work-life imbalance.

Work-Life Imbalance - Stakeholders

Ever picked up the phone at home and dialled 9 for an outside line? Your work life has crept into your subconscious and you have a work-life imbalance. For more posts on examples, click on the Work Life Imbalance Category.

This somewhat frightening quote was contributed by the inimitable Bill.

"You know it's getting bad when you refer to your parents as stakeholders."

Work-Life Imbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalaaaaaaaaaaaaance.

Work-Life Imbalance - Sunday sick day

Ever picked up the phone at home and dialled 9 for an outside line? Your work life has crept into your subconscious and you have a work-life imbalance. For more posts on examples, click on the Work Life Imbalance Category.

I didn't feel well yesterday.

I ate some really White Trash Chow on Saturday followed Upper Middle Class Fodder that I am sure was cooked with some nice things - like full fat butter and cream. And so I wasn't hungover, I was... what shall we call it?

• Indulgedover?


• Fatovered?


• Eatovered?

Anyway, I pretty much lay on the couch all day watching movies and feeling sorry for myself.

And here's the kicker.

I kept feeling that guilty feeling you get when you take a sick day from work. I kept getting this little voice in my head that asked:

"Are you really sick enough to be spending the day on the
couch? Shouldn't you be trying to at least do some small work task?"

And I kept having to remind myself:

It's SUNday you fool!

Work-life imbalance.

Work Life Imbalance

Ever picked up the phone at home and dialled 9 for an outside line? Your work life has crept into your subconscious and you have a work-life imbalance. For more posts on examples, click on the Work Life Imbalance Category.

Yesterday, about noon, I started feeling hungry. I thought about getting a sandwich and immediately visualized the sandwich counter in the work cafeteria, thinking I'd ask for Mayo and Mustard on my whole wheat today.

It was Sunday.

There was no work cafeteria.

There was only my house, my kitchen, my fridge and no little lady in a white cap to serve me.

And here's the fecked up thing. I wanted a work cafeteria sandwich. I was jonesing for one.

Work-Life Imbalance.

Work-Life Imbalance - Cntr+Alt+Del

Ever picked up the phone at home and dialled 9 for an outside line? Your work life has crept into your subconscious and you have a work-life imbalance. For more posts on examples, click on the Work Life Imbalance Category.

Today I switched on my home laptop and hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete to log on.

Sigh.

My home laptop doesn't need me to log on and input a password. It is my laptop.

Work-Life Imbalance.

Work-Life Imbalance - On the same page

Ever picked up the phone at home and dialled 9 for an outside line? Your work life has crept into your subconscious and you have a work-life imbalance. For more posts on examples, click on the Work Life Imbalance Category.

A few weeks ago I was at Happy Hour with a friend, talking about going to a show. We were discussing dates, who we wanted to invite to come with us, whether we should have dinner before, etc.

We thrashed it out, came up with two options, and discussed who would email which of our friends.

"Great!" I said to her, "I'm glad we're on the same page."

I looked up and saw her horrified expression. It took me half a second to register what was wrong, and then I felt a soft, squidgy disgust at myself.

Then, even worse, I felt the full realization of how deeply the work BS has penetrated my subconscious, managing to creep into the darkest recesses of my mind. Like a worm.

Work-Life Imbalance.

Work-Life Imbalance - No pass, no passing

Ever picked up the phone at home and dialled 9 to get an outside line? You are taking work home in the worst possible way - it's subconscious. You have Work Life Imbalance. There are many examples:

Today I got home from work and started getting undressed and redressed to go to the gym.

I took off my shirt, bra and jeans and headed to get my sweats.

Then I felt something on my thigh. I looked down. And then I saw it.

As I took off my jeans, I had automatically detached my work security pass from them and... I HAD CLIPPED IT TO MY UNDERPANTS.

Work-Life Imbalance.

Work-Life Imbalance - Tap tap

Ever picked up the phone at home and dialled 9 to get an outside line? This is a sign that you work too much, because you are taking work habits home with you. I call this Work Life Imbalance and you can see more posts under this Category name. There are many signs:

Today I was at the gym, and I washed my hands after going to the bathroom. I rinsed off the soap, turned to the automated paper towel thingy, waved my hand in front of it, tore the paper off and dried my hands. Then I noticed that there was still the sound of water running.

I thought: "That tap is set to run a long time."

I turned and looked back at the tap to make sure it was going to switch off, and that's when I realized - it was a real tap. I had to turn it off. Myself. Manually.

Work-Life Imbalance.