Photo credit: Sarah MaeHow often do you hear someone tell you that they are "swamped" at work? I've been thinking about this phrase a lot, and it's no irony that it's usually while I'm at work. I haven't touched a topic like this lately, but I used to quite a bit in the past. If you've been a reader for a while you know that I am a big fan of the the concepts of the 4 Hour Workweek and the idea of ROWE (Results Only Work Environment). And since I'm still a 9 to 5 working man, I still very often have thoughts like this, even though I'm not writing them.

I think everyone has found themselves saying "I'm swamped at work" at one time or another. How often do you hear it? Do you hear it more than you did 5 years ago when the economy was blazing? Well, I guess that's a real possibility considering the layoffs that are going around and the fact that your company just might really need to squeeze a bit more out of you, but it's also probable that you don't hear it any more often. I was thinking about it abstractly today, and I realize that being swamped is often indicative of mismanagement. If you are swamped it means your boss or manager is giving you more work than you can handle. Of course there are exceptions, and also industries which are more susceptible to creeping deadlines. But at my company, IMO it's mostly due to mismanagement. Changing tasks on people and losing attentiveness to what was last week's priority results in wasted time and effort, plain and simple. If it is repeatedly happening that something was a priority last week and it's not this week, there is clearly a problem. It's probable that giving you more work is just based on rash project decisions by management, or even worse is just a way to get you to work longer hours. At my company, it's both.

Do you know why I know?


Photo credit: reemerBecause I fell into the trap when I started. I would try to impress my boss by completing a task, but after about a year I realized that it was like chasing the dragon (see definition #3). The longer I worked the more I was expected to work, and the more I tasks I completed the more I was given. And even worse, all that work wasn't even helping the bottom line. As mentioned above, some of my tasks would change priority after a couple weeks or even daily. And other projects were completed "in a push by management" never to even be used.

I have secretly identified hours and hours worth of work that I have put in and my company expects that could be totally removed without even hurting the company. But do you know why no one isolates these tasks and axes them? Because 1) then everyone would only work 10-20 hours per week and we'd look like a bunch of slackers, or 2) the big boss would be so thrilled that another 10-20 hours worth of workload would be added that still wouldn't improve the bottom line.

So I slowly started pushing back, getting myself to an 8 hour day, and on many days much less. And you know what? Nothing changed. As long as they see my face and me sitting at my desk, all is well. There is no tangible measurement of success, the measurement is for the most part hours logged, and the impression of being busy. The company is still around, I get my paycheck, and my stress is lower. And you know what? As long as you are smart enough to determine what really is priority, you can work this out and still be the superstar with a bonus at the end of the year.

I do want to point out that I am quite aware that this isn't the most ambitious plan, nor is it particular enviable to admit to this form of slacking. I also realize that if I need to work like this then I am obviously in the wrong job. But this is not a long term solution, and I have not just settled for handling my workload like this. Instead it is a way to keep myself sane while I explore other options and keep myself motivated in other ways. And even though I have some guilt about it, like I said, I have worked much harder in the past and put in many hours on other projects that just turned out to be wasted effort, which is why I don't feel so bad.

So what did I learn?

I learned that you have to be responsible for managing your own expectations. If you get cornered into a tight deadline, or get more work than can be done in a reasonable amount of time, speak up. Otherwise the work will keep coming. With certain exceptions, being "swamped" is no more than having a boss who likes to give you too much work. Know what is priority, know how to make a difference, but manage your workload on your own terms. If you want to try to be the office rock star, go ahead, people will always find work for you to do, and in the end you may be lucky to have an appreciative boss and get all that your little heart desires, but more likely than not you will just end up stressed out and overworked, and you will continue being able to say "I'm swamped", while I'm sitting in my cubicle with a moderate workload, relaxed and stress free.

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Labels: 4HWW, 9to5, how-to, productivity, work

What is the American Dream?
Photo by hellochris.The other morning on the way to work I was listening to NPR and they were having an interesting discussion about the American Dream. What they were considering was the idea that the American Dream is now outdated in the face of current events and the current state of the economy. It was an interesting discussion and one which I am glad that I caught. And I have to say that I am happy that people are looking for the Next American Dream rather than the old one. I have thought for a long time that the pursuit of the American Dream is making people unhappy, and this conversation really was able to help me put my finger on why.

According the the discussion, there are (or were) four pillars of the American Dream.

• education and the ability for anyone to go to college
• opportunity and mobility
• home ownership
• retirement

The basic premise that they were exploring was that the New American Dream is becoming less about materialism and more about personal freedom. Which to me means choosing to live life as each of us wants to, with less emphasis on what we have and more emphasis on what we do. So the idea of trying to keep up with the neighbors and constant yearning for more "things" is less important, and people can focus on doing and experience rather than accumulating.

But to go back to the four pillars that they discussed, it does seem about time to consider that these all mean very different things than they did when the term "American Dream" was coined in 1931.

I think that education is still very important and should still be something everyone strives for, however the idea that going to college means success is not really accurate anymore. In the age of the technology and the internet, self learning is much easier than it ever was, and college is also a different place than it was 50 years ago. In today's market, having a college education doesn't guarantee much, nor does lacking one keep you from lofty achievement. There are plenty of successfully programmers, entrepreneurs, and multi-millionaires out there that prove that.

Opportunity and mobility, in my mind, are still mostly the same, however again, due to technology and globalization, the game is an entirely different story.

The ideal of home ownership has certainly changed just in the past year. I think it is still part of the dream, but many are reconsidering the lengths that they will go to reach that dream. With rising oil prices, urban sprawl, climate change, and the foreclosure crisis, the way that people approach home ownership is sure to change over the coming years. Some may choose to rent in cities rather than own in the suburbs, some may reconsider where they live to save their commutes, and hopefully many will pass on the McMansions and opt for modest homes that bring them happiness and enjoyment rather than headache and debt.

As for retirement, that should remain a goal, however again in the current economy and with the inevitable demise of the social security system many are having to look at the goals for their future through different eyes. I have been a long time fan of Tim Ferriss, and he goes so far as to challenge the whole notion of retirement, instead suggesting taking mini retirements throughout your life. Certainly the idea of sabbaticals is nothing new, but this could be something more people will consider when they see that their traditional retirement at 65 may not pan out, if it does at all. Enjoying life in younger years may become more important than trying to skimp and save for just the possibility of an easy retirement.

See the NPR American Dream report here.

Labels: 4HWW, 9to5, American Dream, lifestyle, work

Photo Credit Timothy FerrissOver at one of my favorite blogs, The 4 Hour Workweek, Tim Ferriss recently wrote a post about rethinking office design for higher productivity. I really like his progressive thinking on these topics, and also really like that he finds real world examples to showcase them. This is especially important to me since I have yet to see these Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) suggestions implemented in any of the places I have worked, including present employer.

The second thing I really like about his post is that he shows his home office setup, which is pictured to the right. The simple, uncluttered, and comfortable layout all really give me something to shoot for in designing a home office, which will hopefully be my one and only place of employment. :)

Labels: 4HWW, de-clutter, productivity