Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Clutter-rers

Every morning I walk into office with focus. Focus on what needs to be done, what's on priority, what's not. My mind draws out a neat task list even before I pour it out in my notebook so I don't forget anything.

And then it happens!

He calls me to his desk, engages me into an unnecessarily long conversation, punctuated with multiple digressions from the actual topic, laughs, cracks jokes. All this while I restlessly (and quite visibly!) writhe and throw frantic glances at my desk and the humoungous job list sitting fat and heavy on it. Often, I have to escape, making hurried reassurances that what he asks for will surely be done. And then I sink into the security of my chair, close my eyes to erase 80% of what we'd discussed and meditate on what 'really' needs to be done.

My phone rings a thousand times, mostly calls for my colleague (thankfully!), but it does break into my concentration. Many a random, idle person ambles in for a small kitty party with the boss, which (I am very grateful to them), they soon take outside. Those few precious moments of his absence....aaaaah! The amount of work I cram into them is incredible. They also amble in for a word with me, to take their minds off work, and since I'm the universal entertainer, I have no choice but to indulge in some informal banter, while my eyes stay on the screen. Rude yes, but I'm sorry; when there's work to be done, there's work to be done. It's true that I do the same sometimes, in order to rest my sore eyes and finger tips, and to occupy my mind elsewhere to make room for fresh ideas. But when a person fidgets in his/her seat at my sight and talks to me with all eyes on the screen, I get the message and walk away.
 
God please tell these people that the amount of time we spend in meetings, we could be at our desks or out in the field actually making something big happen! Meetings bore me. Particularly, when they're needlessly lengthy, most people are talking crap and inside we all know that nothing's going to change; we're just going to end up doing exactly what we have been doing. So I boycott meetings, whenever I feel like. I'd rather be conquering my target deadlines and have concrete evidence of what I do in the organisation than sitting around talking in the air.

Phone calls, random individuals, boss kitty parties, responses (through email) from 'over enthu' persons who develop cataract when they're supposed to be reading my emails carefully and replying with precision and in context. Did somebody tell you that you are an utter pest???

So before approaching me the next time, as I sit frowning at a design dilemma on the screen, my brain working quick and deft, blocking everything else out - go clutter somebody else's head.