May 24, 2018 at 11:00 am
Yeah, I'm not interested in doing that. Definitely need something to occupy my days.
May 24, 2018 at 11:53 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor - Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:50 AMjasona.work - Thursday, May 24, 2018 6:10 AMI'm glad I found (well, it found me) my current position. While there are some stressful periods, very rarely do I have to deal with weekend / holiday work and when I do, I get comp time for it that I can use later, my pay is far better than my previous job so I'm finally able to start indulging in some of the hobbies I'd put on hold (model trains can be EXPENSIVE!) and (my Dr is happy about this) I'm finally getting off my butt and working on getting into shape. I'm even planning, once I get a bit more into shape, on riding my bike to and from work a couple days a week (~15 miles one-way)Good for you. I used to live 12mi from work and I started commuting by bike. One hint, weather and life comes up, so I used to drive to work Mon am. I'd have clothes/bike in the car. I'd then ride home Mon pm and commute all week. Fri, I'd drive home.
That kept me going, and I could usually arrange a ride if I needed one because of weather.
Yeah, my current plan is to ride in once or twice a week (maybe three,) depending on the weather. If the weather changes during the work day, well, the wife works about 2.5 miles from the office and her car has the bike rack on the roof, so I'd just ride there, load up the bike, and stretch out in the passenger seat for a couple hours.
Of course, I have to build up the stamina to *make* the ride, I gave it a try last week and about 3 miles from the office ran out of gas to keep going, so I went to took the wifes car home...
May 24, 2018 at 12:37 pm
jasona.work - Thursday, May 24, 2018 11:53 AMSteve Jones - SSC Editor - Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:50 AMjasona.work - Thursday, May 24, 2018 6:10 AMI'm glad I found (well, it found me) my current position. While there are some stressful periods, very rarely do I have to deal with weekend / holiday work and when I do, I get comp time for it that I can use later, my pay is far better than my previous job so I'm finally able to start indulging in some of the hobbies I'd put on hold (model trains can be EXPENSIVE!) and (my Dr is happy about this) I'm finally getting off my butt and working on getting into shape. I'm even planning, once I get a bit more into shape, on riding my bike to and from work a couple days a week (~15 miles one-way)Good for you. I used to live 12mi from work and I started commuting by bike. One hint, weather and life comes up, so I used to drive to work Mon am. I'd have clothes/bike in the car. I'd then ride home Mon pm and commute all week. Fri, I'd drive home.
That kept me going, and I could usually arrange a ride if I needed one because of weather.
Yeah, my current plan is to ride in once or twice a week (maybe three,) depending on the weather. If the weather changes during the work day, well, the wife works about 2.5 miles from the office and her car has the bike rack on the roof, so I'd just ride there, load up the bike, and stretch out in the passenger seat for a couple hours.
Of course, I have to build up the stamina to *make* the ride, I gave it a try last week and about 3 miles from the office ran out of gas to keep going, so I went to took the wifes car home...
Sorry I am still trying to figure out what this "9 to 5 IT job" even looks like that you all keep mentioning. Every employer I've ever had knew that IT was exempt and took full advantage of expecting people to be other than just clock-watchers and timecard-punchers.
Perhaps I've been unlucky or it's a defect in my character that makes me gravitate to high-pressure IT, but I can't remember the last time I had a job that comfortably fit into a 40-hour per week schedule. I enjoy the job and the challenge therefrom, but a definite part of the challenge is in the balancing of personal versus professional time.
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Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?
May 24, 2018 at 1:33 pm
Matt Miller (4) - Thursday, May 24, 2018 12:37 PMSorry I am still trying to figure out what this "9 to 5 IT job" even looks like that you all keep mentioning. Every employer I've ever had knew that IT was exempt and took full advantage of expecting people to be other than just clock-watchers and timecard-punchers.Perhaps I've been unlucky or it's a defect in my character that makes me gravitate to high-pressure IT, but I can't remember the last time I had a job that comfortably fit into a 40-hour per week schedule. I enjoy the job and the challenge therefrom, but a definite part of the challenge is in the balancing of personal versus professional time.
I've certainly had jobs that expected you to work when needed. What I've usually done is not push to work more than 50 hours on a regular basis. That might mean I'm working until 10 Fri night, but I'll shift my schedule that day or leave early/come late others.
You might be surprised how often companies push to eat up all your time, but they'll back off if you push back. No idea what your situation is, but I have had luck here. The exception is with startup type, small companies. In those, you sometimes get stuck working more hours because there aren't other people and you're racing the problem of running out of money.
May 24, 2018 at 2:14 pm
Jeff Mlakar - Thursday, May 24, 2018 8:13 AMthisisfutile - Thursday, May 24, 2018 7:58 AMJeff Mlakar - Thursday, May 24, 2018 7:28 AMI like this topic - it encompasses many of the soft skills that technical people are not often taught. Ex. how many of your peers are good at advocating for themselves or being assertive (not aggressive but simply assertive)? Compare that with the personalities of your sales staff. Pretty different.I liked your whole comment but this part really stood out to me. I can learn 10 different programming languages in a year but it may take the same amount of time for me to figure out how to confidently approach my boss for a raise, a task that any decent sale rep doesn't even consider a task. It just comes naturally to confidently approach another human with your thoughts.
Thanks. I am a very introverted person and this has been my focus for the past few years. I don't want the limelight or stage but I do want to be heard. I've come up with some strategies for that. IMO this is a skill that can be learned.
You have my full attention. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, even if just the highlights (like bullet-points for example).
May 24, 2018 at 2:37 pm
thisisfutile - Thursday, May 24, 2018 2:14 PMJeff Mlakar - Thursday, May 24, 2018 8:13 AMthisisfutile - Thursday, May 24, 2018 7:58 AMJeff Mlakar - Thursday, May 24, 2018 7:28 AMI like this topic - it encompasses many of the soft skills that technical people are not often taught. Ex. how many of your peers are good at advocating for themselves or being assertive (not aggressive but simply assertive)? Compare that with the personalities of your sales staff. Pretty different.I liked your whole comment but this part really stood out to me. I can learn 10 different programming languages in a year but it may take the same amount of time for me to figure out how to confidently approach my boss for a raise, a task that any decent sale rep doesn't even consider a task. It just comes naturally to confidently approach another human with your thoughts.
Thanks. I am a very introverted person and this has been my focus for the past few years. I don't want the limelight or stage but I do want to be heard. I've come up with some strategies for that. IMO this is a skill that can be learned.
You have my full attention. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, even if just the highlights (like bullet-points for example).
Well for robots like you and me it is harder. I read a great book called "Quiet Influence". It was so good I decided to implement the suggestions inside.
I write about it here: http://www.mlakartechtalk.com/introvert-work-survive-success-developer/
May 25, 2018 at 3:39 am
Rod at work - Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:30 AMI've got a suggestion I'd like to make. I suffer from poor circulation, resulting in my hands and feet being cold. I've just thought it was me; my body, etc. However, recently I read an article online about how to address cold feet/hands. It said you could get up briefly every 20 minutes or so, to stretch or something. Windows 10 has an Alarms & Clock app, with a built-in timer. I've created a timer for 20 minutes. At least twice an hour when it goes off I'll get up and do some squats for 30 seconds, then sit down and get back to work. I've been doing this for about 3 months and I've noticed my hands and feet are no longer cold. 🙂 I hope this will help someone else.
I slightly suffer from this as well but not quite so bad - I find a small amount of Asprin every day helps me.
Its not really a problem day to day - I windsurf and if I go in the water it chills my hands which slightly degrades my blood vessels. I then have to watch for the following week if I am sleeping at night that I don't place my arms above my core body - Riding a bike which has poor suspension can lead to white finger for me as well.
Still not giving up windsurfing or riding bikes 🙂
May 25, 2018 at 3:48 am
Jeff Mlakar - Thursday, May 24, 2018 8:13 AMThanks. I am a very introverted person and this has been my focus for the past few years. I don't want the limelight or stage but I do want to be heard. I've come up with some strategies for that. IMO this is a skill that can be learned.
I have come to the conclusion that programming / technical work is all about the head and sales is all about the heart. Members of this forum probably practice to analyse thing correctly and carefully come to a balanced conclusion and access a solution that is most appropriate.
I think it is possible to practice the delivery of the message while just ignoring the validity of the message. There are I think people who practice this kind of things in front of mirrors. I think I would feel crazy doing that. I have a friend who changed his handwriting to appear as professional as possible. That both impressed and disappointed me. (He is a high up accountant now!)
May 25, 2018 at 8:22 am
Matt Miller (4) - Thursday, May 24, 2018 12:37 PMjasona.work - Thursday, May 24, 2018 11:53 AMSteve Jones - SSC Editor - Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:50 AMjasona.work - Thursday, May 24, 2018 6:10 AMI'm glad I found (well, it found me) my current position. While there are some stressful periods, very rarely do I have to deal with weekend / holiday work and when I do, I get comp time for it that I can use later, my pay is far better than my previous job so I'm finally able to start indulging in some of the hobbies I'd put on hold (model trains can be EXPENSIVE!) and (my Dr is happy about this) I'm finally getting off my butt and working on getting into shape. I'm even planning, once I get a bit more into shape, on riding my bike to and from work a couple days a week (~15 miles one-way)Good for you. I used to live 12mi from work and I started commuting by bike. One hint, weather and life comes up, so I used to drive to work Mon am. I'd have clothes/bike in the car. I'd then ride home Mon pm and commute all week. Fri, I'd drive home.
That kept me going, and I could usually arrange a ride if I needed one because of weather.
Yeah, my current plan is to ride in once or twice a week (maybe three,) depending on the weather. If the weather changes during the work day, well, the wife works about 2.5 miles from the office and her car has the bike rack on the roof, so I'd just ride there, load up the bike, and stretch out in the passenger seat for a couple hours.
Of course, I have to build up the stamina to *make* the ride, I gave it a try last week and about 3 miles from the office ran out of gas to keep going, so I went to took the wifes car home...
Sorry I am still trying to figure out what this "9 to 5 IT job" even looks like that you all keep mentioning. Every employer I've ever had knew that IT was exempt and took full advantage of expecting people to be other than just clock-watchers and timecard-punchers.
Perhaps I've been unlucky or it's a defect in my character that makes me gravitate to high-pressure IT, but I can't remember the last time I had a job that comfortably fit into a 40-hour per week schedule. I enjoy the job and the challenge therefrom, but a definite part of the challenge is in the balancing of personal versus professional time.
In my current position I am not exempt. No one in IT is. We're all hourly. So yeah, there are "9 to 5" type IT jobs out there. But it is odd. All the time I've worked in IT I've been exempt, until this job.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
May 25, 2018 at 8:29 am
Dalkeith - Friday, May 25, 2018 3:39 AMRod at work - Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:30 AMI've got a suggestion I'd like to make. I suffer from poor circulation, resulting in my hands and feet being cold. I've just thought it was me; my body, etc. However, recently I read an article online about how to address cold feet/hands. It said you could get up briefly every 20 minutes or so, to stretch or something. Windows 10 has an Alarms & Clock app, with a built-in timer. I've created a timer for 20 minutes. At least twice an hour when it goes off I'll get up and do some squats for 30 seconds, then sit down and get back to work. I've been doing this for about 3 months and I've noticed my hands and feet are no longer cold. 🙂 I hope this will help someone else.I slightly suffer from this as well but not quite so bad - I find a small amount of Asprin every day helps me.
Its not really a problem day to day - I windsurf and if I go in the water it chills my hands which slightly degrades my blood vessels. I then have to watch for the following week if I am sleeping at night that I don't place my arms above my core body - Riding a bike which has poor suspension can lead to white finger for me as well.
Still not giving up windsurfing or riding bikes 🙂
Taking aspirin. Hmm, I didn't know about that. Thank you!
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
May 25, 2018 at 8:30 am
Dalkeith - Friday, May 25, 2018 3:48 AMJeff Mlakar - Thursday, May 24, 2018 8:13 AMThanks. I am a very introverted person and this has been my focus for the past few years. I don't want the limelight or stage but I do want to be heard. I've come up with some strategies for that. IMO this is a skill that can be learned.I have come to the conclusion that programming / technical work is all about the head and sales is all about the heart. Members of this forum probably practice to analyse thing correctly and carefully come to a balanced conclusion and access a solution that is most appropriate.
True that!
Working with myself is the one task I have been persistently pursuing for my entire life. Because it does not come naturally. If I am not conscious about how I react to human interactions, I am not the best version of myself.
More than once have I experienced that I tend to over-analyze things. I don't want to get something wrong.
That is a blessing! I make a living off that because it is not a frequent trait (many think it is, but it is not - too many "achievers" achieve simply by lying to themselves and others...). Being genuine obsessed with getting something right, is rare.
But it is also a curse! If I don't stop myself, everything takes too long (leading to long work-hours, just as one example) and I miss out completely on all the benefits gained from simply being lucky in the first stroke! If you are a success, nobody really gives a damn that you knew you would be a success - because you have planned it that way, and you had all bases covered. But of course, I can sleep well every night, because I am rarely exposed to nasty surprises (from my own work and doing at least). That is, however, also a bad thing: I don't naturally learn how to sidestep my own errors (= I am terribly at blaming others and I hate my own gut over things I might have done differently, so I present my errors badly when I have to make them publicly known!)
Getting a workout, shift positions (not sitting all day), and a decent size and selection of diet, is the main thing for me. That, and then simply: stop working, if I can feel it creeps in on me. Cold turkey is the only solution. Then I reset, and after a week or two, I can begin increasing productivity again. Of course, I have to keep showing up at work 😉 but there is a HUGE difference between the output. The trick is to convince the manager that what he sees in that period is temporary, but if he doesn't let me, I will just slowly decline to that level permanently. Neither he nor I have any wishes for that to happen.
May 25, 2018 at 8:45 am
Rod at work - Friday, May 25, 2018 8:29 AMDalkeith - Friday, May 25, 2018 3:39 AMRod at work - Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:30 AMI've got a suggestion I'd like to make. I suffer from poor circulation, resulting in my hands and feet being cold. I've just thought it was me; my body, etc. However, recently I read an article online about how to address cold feet/hands. It said you could get up briefly every 20 minutes or so, to stretch or something. Windows 10 has an Alarms & Clock app, with a built-in timer. I've created a timer for 20 minutes. At least twice an hour when it goes off I'll get up and do some squats for 30 seconds, then sit down and get back to work. I've been doing this for about 3 months and I've noticed my hands and feet are no longer cold. 🙂 I hope this will help someone else.I slightly suffer from this as well but not quite so bad - I find a small amount of Asprin every day helps me.
Its not really a problem day to day - I windsurf and if I go in the water it chills my hands which slightly degrades my blood vessels. I then have to watch for the following week if I am sleeping at night that I don't place my arms above my core body - Riding a bike which has poor suspension can lead to white finger for me as well.
Still not giving up windsurfing or riding bikes 🙂
Taking aspirin. Hmm, I didn't know about that. Thank you!
Aspirin at 75mg dose is routinely administered in the UK as a mild anti-platlet therapy . especially after a stroke/heart attack . the standard dose is usually 300mg which is not recommended for extended periods due the risk of stomach bleeding
May 26, 2018 at 6:03 am
My wife bought me a Garmin Fenix watch that tracks all sorts of metrics including stress, sleep and heart rate. It's been an eye opener for many reasons. Last week I worked long hours to solve a difficult problem and the watch showed low stress, low resting heart rate. Basically I was doing what I'm born to do.
The week before I worked shorter hours, did less coding but far more task coordination. Stress levels high, resting heart rate all over the place.
I also found out that alcohol has a dramatic effect on resting heart rate. The lesson is that Project management isn't for me and I will burn out if i choose it as a career progression option.
I've also reached the stage of life where the people I looked up to are dropping off the perch. I am reflecting on their pearls of wisdom. From my late father in law "Physical fitness won't necessarily make you live longer but it does allow you to enjoy what time you have". From a late uncle "Do your best for your own satisfaction and self respect. To do less risks losing your self respect and once you've lost that you've lost everything". From a late friend "Most facts are actually opinions. Opinions are driven by experience and circumstance. If you can identify true facts from opinions and empathize with experience and circumstance then that is the lever you can use to move the world".
It's far easier to see stress and burn out in our friends and colleagues than it is to spot it in ourselves. A few words of honest appreciation for a colleague, or half an hour helping them out can make a world of difference to their well-being.
August 5, 2018 at 5:45 pm
Geoff.Sturdy - Friday, May 25, 2018 8:45 AMAspirin at 75mg dose is routinely administered in the UK as a mild anti-platlet therapy . especially after a stroke/heart attack . the standard dose is usually 300mg which is not recommended for extended periods due the risk of stomach bleeding
The routine small daily dose in the UK changed from 50 mg to 75mg a few years back, about the same time as the routine small daily dose in Spain changed from 75mg to 100 mg. I imagine that Britain will change to 100 mg in a few years time, and maybe switch to enteric coated pills instead of the so-called dispersible form for routine daily use (because "dispersible" is pretty wishful thinking in practice - a 75mg so-called dispersible aspirin pill in 300 ml of water takes about quarter of an hour to disperse properly even if the liquid is agitated).
Tom
August 6, 2018 at 6:43 am
Dalkeith - Friday, May 25, 2018 3:48 AMI have come to the conclusion that programming / technical work is all about the head and sales is all about the heart. Members of this forum probably practice to analyse thing correctly and carefully come to a balanced conclusion and access a solution that is most appropriate.I think it is possible to practice the delivery of the message while just ignoring the validity of the message. There are I think people who practice this kind of things in front of mirrors. I think I would feel crazy doing that. I have a friend who changed his handwriting to appear as professional as possible. That both impressed and disappointed me. (He is a high up accountant now!)
Recipe:
1 part knowing your audience, because if you approach your boss the same as the salesman approaches his/her boss, you'll lose. Being assertive and "go-getter" is a strength in their position. Will your boss feel that way about you?
1 part evidence. Even bad salesmen will get turned down if they ask for a raise, because there is no reason to give them one. Be good at what you do, and track it so you can prove you're good at it.
1 part business savvy - are you asking for a raise right after half the company got down-sized? Or just after a new bid was won bringing in lots of new business?
1 part practiced approach - know what you're going to say, how you're going to say it, and when to back down if it's the wrong day, without losing face. Prep the conversation by gaining recognition for the things you are doing well, multiple times, before you ever say the words "I need a raise", and you may not ever have to say it. Perhaps by pointing out what you are doing your boss will decide you need one on their own.
1 part drawing a line in the sand. If the salesman is confident enough that they are a good enough salesman to merit a raise, then they have the skills necessary to go get another sales job. What happens when your boss says no? Are you leaving? Are you staying but getting grumpy? Are you going to go do worse work now because you're upset and be LESS likely to get a raise? Be willing to put in the work to prove you're worth it after you have the conversation, or ready to brush up that resume to find it somewhere else. Sometimes the business may truly be unable/unwilling to give you the compensation you need, and you have no choice but to look elsewhere to find it.
Mix well, bake in the oven of consideration for as long as needed or until golden brown. Remove and let sit for at least 24 hours before consuming.
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