Slumping?

"So many ideas come to you when you're slumping, that you want to try them all, but you can't. You're like a mosquito in a nudist camp. You don't know where to start." - Reggie Jackson

Wouldn't that be nice... to have a mosquito not know where to start, I mean.

For many of us, summer not only brings the heat and mosquitoes, but also brings lots to do: outdoor projects, construction season, more daylight to squeeze in more activities. Things start to pile up on desks, in voicemails, and in email inboxes to the point we feel overwhelmed, often because we don't know where to start. When this happens, it's easy to think the best way out is to do only what is needed to get the job off our desk and out of our hands; never mind that in doing so, we didn't do our best work.

But rather than sacrifice accuracy and quality (and possibly clients), take a moment and take a deep breath. You will be amazed at what you can do when you are relaxed and have a clear mind.

For instance, the last several weeks have left me feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and easily agitated. When I feel like I am in over my head, I dread coming into work in the morning to face the mound of work on my desk. If I am proactive, however, I catch myself before I get too deep into this state, calm myself down, and start chipping away at my task list. The next morning, I am back to enjoying my job and waking up is much easier.

If I don't catch myself, my coworkers let me know by not coming around my desk or greeting me in the hallway. You see, when I get in a slump at work, not only do I restrict my own enjoyment, but I also deny my coworkers/clients/anyone else I may talk to that day of their enjoyment, too.

I am going to make a much greater effort to enjoy my own work environment so those around me can enjoy theirs too. What about you? I think I'll pass on the nudist camp...

- Matt Hoying