Less Hustle More Coffee

I know my blog regulars are about ready for quarter end and year end to literally END so I’ll quit talking about it, worrying about it and obsessing about it. I’m with ya. I even overheard a superior saying “I’m so ready for this month to be over”. I think we all are. The end is near and boy, is it! I think the excitement of the deadline date itself approaching is giving me happiness instead of fear because one way or the other – finished or not – at least the deadline will be here. Zippo -dead and done! The obsessing and worrying will be over. Que Sera Sera! Then I will feel like I can live my life again to some degree.

As mentioned, I don’t really have time to put extra duties of month end, heaven forbid year end, into my already busy schedule, but yet there it is. It is the same for all of us in our department at least, that I can see. I’m not sure what the others tricks are to being able to accomplish the feat of the dreaded time crunch each year, but here’s mine.

Saving Time During Crunch Week

• Eat breakfast at the desk while reading the mornings first emails, getting work desk set up, etc.
• Eat lunch at the desk – and while a quick break is probably necessary and mentally healthy, avoid going out for lunch as it takes extra time – time you don’t really have driving there and back.
• Wear less make up or even no makeup. Use that time at your desk. It may have its downside of not feeling like you look the best, but if your goal is to get things done and not impress people it’s time to pull that one out of the hat as we are in dire straits here.
• Really pull the plug and let the hair go! Pony tails if you can or barrettes! If it’s clean don’t worry about it, we are still taking our showers here. You can go for pomp and circumstance later and people will notice you can fix up. People will also notice “oh she’s going through a rough patch” lol lol by your lack of attention to self and that is ok. Perhaps they (company and coworkers) should notice and should realize what you go through for the teams sake!!!!!!!!!
• Put off personal appointments, goals, and projects until later. I didn’t make any of my own doc appointments in January. Of course I can’t ignore the ones for my Mom so I had those. And if it had not been my grandson’s 1st birthday I wouldn’t have taken those 3 PTO days to travel to Texas. But when it’s not family responsibility – put off what you can. I even put a LOT of my personal goals, to do’s, projects on hold because I knew I’d be exhausted coming home and also would have less free time. But it is important to have one fun thing to do each day if you can – like reading a chapter in a book, watching a quick TV show, so you don’t feel like your life is totally obliterated during crunch week.
• Prep and pump up your immune system, take vitamins, drink water, wash hands, use sanitizer, eat better, do preventative things for your wellness. How does this save time? You might avoid the flu taking you away from work, or having to work WITH the flu which Lord knows we’ve all done out of fear of otherwise not getting things done!
• Put off all non-essential work duties! I protect crunch weeks with all my heart and soul! I have a list of things I need to do once crunch time is over. It’s a massive build and may take me til next QE to do it all.
• Stay a bit longer, come in a bit earlier, take less time for lunch or all of the above. Just add a few or a lot of extra minutes each day and that really helps to get through the “list of many’s”.
• Having supplies handy at work (whether it’s work supplies, water, snacks, etc.). Any time spent looking for supplies and work needs just sucks time away from accomplishing things.
• Do as much of your tasks as you can ahead of the crunch time. Calculating things up, looking up information, organizing information. I’m limited with quarter end/year end as I can only do most of it after a certain payroll date.
• Rally around those that you need help or information from that impacts what you are doing. I try to ask, beg, plead, remind others when I need info from them – in advance instead of the last minute. So that we are not left scrambling. Guess what? We usually are scrambling anyway. For example, there’s still info I’m waiting on right now as the week closes in. But at least you have tried right? There is a lot of information I have received though just by asking. I didn’t get it all yet, but I got a lot of it and I’d be more behind if I hadn’t asked.
• Wear easy comfy no fuss clothes. Aside from the comfort it will bring, there is no ironing, primping, and fixing and fussing involved. Just throw it on and go. You can fix up later. lol
• Try not to have too many conversations that are not productive. I love to say “hello” and “how was your weekend?” and answer back and I do it anyway. But it is a way to save time during crunch week – keep it short. After crunch week you can go back to being more friendly and caring at the coffee center, hallway, or bathroom sink and discuss grandkids, life’s woes, and how’s momma and ‘nem!

I could add to this list to give up blog time and donate that time to work each morning, but nahhhhhh, I think I’ll claim and keep SOME of my personal time as my own. I’m probably already some sort of “bear” during crunch weeks and we don’t want me to be more of one. It gives me a sense of having something in my day I like to do during crunch time. But if I can tame the bear in me from having to rush around like a chicken with her head cut off and can just be silent and work – that saves time. Right? So maybe I should put “be sure and do your blog entry or a fun thing on the list so you are not a bear” because it’ll save time complaining and being negative, lol!

Ya’ll have a good one and leave any suggestions you want to add. I’m sure there’s room for more.

UPDATE:

Daughter Katy is feeling better from recent dehydration and stomach flu/illness/food poisoning (we don’t really know). Fluids and IV helped her feel better along with nausea meds. She was able to nibble some yesterday. So prayers for her and also prayers for grandson Little Roo who is transitioning from formula to regular milk and having some throw up episodes. Hard to know if milk or if he had a virus too, except that he doesn’t act like he felt bad at all. So as a Mom it’s hard to know what to do and especially being sick herself. So prayers for them. It’s been a rough patch.