Four days shy of the summer equinox of 09 and life feels great! Wait…there’s that dull ache, maybe the stomach, sometimes the head, an itch or two, a bruise on the arms and legs…no real damage but something doesn’t seem to be smiling on the list of all things that should be correct.
Your career front feels sort of strange…almost out of whack. Memories of past chapters written unveil the faces and voices of fellow cast members who once spent Monday hours laughing about Saturday and Sunday adventures while toying with newer ideas of discovering deeper paths to chase while silently uncovering the annual mysteries summer always brings.
Whipping out the official seasonal checklist, your eyes wander down the page like a cat being introduced to the taste of sashimi tuna. While the sun beats its heat deep into the cushions of your unprotected car seats and the invisible edges of your assumed under control imagination remains focused on the proper measurements of the average day requirements to call it a success…something feels oddly different this three month go around.
Nothing sounds odder than identifying to the remnants of an echo. A picture of friends dangling from your cubical wall highlights the afternoons where Friday quitting time was usually Thursday at 3 pm. The digital shots grabbed from each individualized world gifts your search with something to hold…only to realize quick moving storms described as economic conditions forced the hands of decision makers creating an unforgettable swath of openness nearly cutting down your entire summertime forest.
More than anytime time in American history the workplace has become exactly that…a “work” place. Department head emails have calmly invited employees to turn off their radios, CD players and other methods of mental stimulation. Please do everything within your power to halt having lengthy lunch breaks and without a doubt do not talk about television shows you watched last night.
Camaraderie is near its death bed in America. Zen levels are empty. In several parts of the country, the act of accepting a coworker as a Facebook friend has cost a few employees their job. The new business front features the idea of fun as being something based on what your imagination tosses out after completing one of ten thousand tasks delivered to you daily by every department once considered separate.
Who killed workplace fun? Being part of a clique has nothing to do with it.
“Your honor…I call to the witness stand Multitasking. Evidence proves it’s 100% responsible for bringing silence to the presentation of unstoppable summertime fun, excitement and great music!”
Be it a fear of losing your job and only family income, be it a need to exceed the limits of expectation to become a leader, be it an example of far out cool work ethics that were given to you by parents who spent every second of their lives working day and night…whatever the situation…multitasking was spotted on corner of walk and don’t walk holding the smoking gun.
Leo Babauta who authored the book The Power of Less calls multitasking low on efficiency, due to the need of having to constantly switch gears for each new task then switch back again. Multitasking creates oceans of stress inviting out of control errors. Multitasking is guilty of generating this generation’s newest shape of crazy makers. Without sanity and calmness the workplace reins with terror.
Leo Babauta is currently in hot pursuit of convincing CEO’s, GM’s and other department heads to adopt the idea of single tasking.
One thought, one idea at a time. Every morning should begin with the most important project. Once complete…stop…leave the room and return in a few minutes to begin the next task.
Learn to take control of distractions. The number one cause of stress on the job isn’t the boss but emails and cell phones.
If new expectations suddenly arrive at your desk do not put energy into them…set them aside and get back to the task at hand.
During times of great urgency like maybe a sales rep’s life won’t go on unless you drop your entire process of success and give them three pats on the back so they can burp…make a note of where you are on your current task. If no path was documented your stress level will create high blood pressure when returned to.
Never stop breathing. No matter how horrible the day or brilliant it turns out to be…the golden rule is breathe. Long deep breaths keep the body, mind and soul focused. The moment you deny your lifeline oxygen…trouble sets in. In martial arts we study one method...if it takes four seconds to suck it in...it should take four seconds to push it out. Breathe not from your lungs...use your entire body by pushing air into your stomach. You'll feel fat for a brief moment but wow that natural rush of fresh oxygen is so much better than a boss screaming at you, "Why? Why? Why?"
We all know none of this works unless you have a support staff, people who are willing to see eye to eye with your efforts without stealing from the final chapter. Locating coworkers to man the support staff is difficult because it involves trust and patience. Yep, the part of everyday life your parents failed to tell you about during their heyday of keeping the family going. How can you trust and not be impatient?
Communication… But please don’t become a drama queen like me and take it too far. In 1994 I looked at a fellow coworker and softly said, “You seem to always come to me at the last minute with demands that take hours to complete. Do you know where this energy to write and produce comes from? There’s a child inside me that has a brilliant day everyday. I’d say your tardiness and lack of respect for my art is abusing my inner child. So I ask, what are your personal feelings about child abuse?”
Ouch!
He was never late again….fifteen years later I still hold the guilt for being so open. Why did it have to go that far? Single tasking in a multitasking world works. Every budget can be met if you single task. Every dream can be lived if you single task. Koby Bryant had only one job to do this past weekend…help his LA Lakers win the national championship a fourth time which has earned coach Phil Jackson his tenth NBA grown inside nineteen years.
Steal their art….and have an unforgettable hot rocking flame throwing summer!
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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