Thoughtful Thursday: Hard Work
January 9, 2014
Happy New Year!
Sorry to disappear for a month — so, so busy. It turns out that my promotion brought a 30% pay increase and a 100% work increase. I deeply enjoy my work, but I am not enjoying having this much of it. I am not enjoying staying up working until 3 a.m. once or twice a week in advance of fake deadlines.
I never used to mind, and sometimes used to really enjoy, working super-hard. But I only enjoyed it when it was by my own volition, which is much more palatable than being asked/told to work super-hard.
But, since I’ve been ill, I just can’t push push push like I used to. I still work very hard when I’m working, and I mostly enjoy it once I get started, but I now have a hard time getting started. Sometimes I procrastinate for hours. Which then means that I have to make up those lost hours or work twice as hard in fewer hours. Which means that I do have to push push push after all.
Which perhaps explains why I haven’t blogged in a month. But here I am.
How often do you work really hard? Do you like it?
Baby Smiling In Back Seat 
January 10, 2014 at 5:48 am
What an apropos post. The other day I was walking back to my office from a bathroom break, thinking to myself “Gosh, I feel like all I did today was work.” And then I realized that such a feeling shouldn’t be a surprising one, because, you know, that’s what I’m employed to do — come into the office regularly and work. I further realized how lucky I am that most days when I do just that, I don’t come away at the end of the day feeling like all I’ve done is work, that most of the time, I really enjoy what I’m doing and find it fulfilling, not draining.
As for when do I work really really hard? When I’ve got a paper deadline coming up…or passed. As is the case right now. So I should stop procrastinating and get back to work. 🙂
January 11, 2014 at 9:59 am
I literally just said something related to this YESTERDAY! I had to lecture for class, hold a clinical conference, meet with a family awaiting liver transplant, have a screening test myself, meet with IT regarding passwords, drive to the parking area to pick up passes for guest lecturers, drop them off at my admin office, drive to another area of campus for a clinical research meeting, and THEN go home! I didn’t get to sit down until 9pm. I feel like those type of days are really unsatisfying. I was doing a lot of “things” but didn’t get much actually “done”. But I was remembering that this was the normal type of day at my previous job. Now I have the freedom to be a little more flexible and academic….but it causes you to work harder in a different way, you know? I feel that in my current job I might work MUCH harder sitting at my desk than I ever did by teaching a million classes and running around.
Like Sara, above, I procrastinate too much and do better when I have a REAL deadline. In fact, I’ve perfected the art of “procrastiworking” 🙂
January 11, 2014 at 11:35 pm
I’m glad you take time to play once in awhile, too 🙂
I break things into chunks, especially to get started. Something bite-sized that I actually put into my calendar.
“Starting is half-finished” so if I can get going, I’m usually soon cruising.
That said, yes, I can procrastinate with the best of ’em.
January 12, 2014 at 10:24 am
I worked insanely hard the past 5 months to finish up my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I was determined to do the entire course of study in one semester, so I worked my butt off constantly. It paid off, and I did finish in the one semester. 🙂 And now I have a little bit of a lull where I can relax.
January 13, 2014 at 2:30 am
I like to work, but not too hard. 🙂
But things can get nuts, and I know that there is no other option but to get a’cracking! However, I do like to have pockets of low activity between such episodes, and there are essential for my sanity.
Happy New Year!
January 14, 2014 at 12:50 am
I almost never work REALLY REALLY hard. I can, I just don’t. The last time I did, I lost about 15 pounds in three months from the stress – not a great way to do it.