In this day and age, our personal space is trespassed apone more than ever. All our modern conveniences somehow rather than giving us more time for leasure, travel, family and friends. Have simply create a system of 24 hour work. Where half of the ‘work’ we do is busy work, or simply redundant. This seems to be a condition particularly plaguing the melenials work force. Really anyone who reached the working work around the year 2000. Those impacted by the Great Recession, and current global economic roller coaster.
At the end of last year, I was completely burned out. Just done. Not angry, not tired just done. After effectively sleeping for three weeks. I’ve spent the remainder of my holiday, decluttering , destressing and generally attempting to reclaim headspace in the workspace.
Being that I’m not good at boundaries, or saying no to people. I find that in the academic space is even more pressed, and constantly trespassed on, than in any other place I’ve worked. Everyone want your time, the senior staff, students , administration, lecturing, and of course research gets pushed to the back of the cue. Which is ultimately why we do what we do.
What ever you do, if you work with someone and they say NO. I don’t have the time, respect that. Particularly if it has a desperate tone to it. Don’t push those you work with to the point of complete and utter exhaustion, or retaliatory lack of caring in the quality of their work.
Anyway here are my sudgestion of declutering the work space and making time for the things you are passionate about and good at.
1. Emails, yes emails and WhatsApp I have a few points about emails,
We are paid to work between the hours of 8-5pm. Which is a long day, we seldom get time for lunch, particularly melenials take less and less of our annual leave. We are often defecto on call 24/7.
So no 1. I answer emails, twice a day, once in the morning, and directly after lunch.
Email, is not on my cell phone, I use it only on my computer. If something is urgent, please call, or text.
Or better yet, walk to my office and ask me a question. We all need the exercise.
WhatApp is not a business tool. See above.
Don’t send an email, if a conversation could suffice. People are terrible at conveying tone in emails, half of office stress can be avoided by actually calling or talking to people in person.
2. keep your office clean and organized.
I prefer a paperless office, which thanks to the cloud means, if I’m away I can access the relevant information from anywhere.
Scan paper for records file and recycle the hard copy.
Use all those wonderful digital tools, we have at our disposal, they can make your work space more enjoyable.
Only keep essentials in your office. That way you can focus on what’s important.
3. Keep your celphone in your bag and stow your bag away.
4. Keep a journal for notes on your desk. Bye a nice one.
5. Keep a calander, I prefer google Calnders as they are most portable, and will remind you via desktop or platform accross multiple platforms.
6. Keep on top of daily admin, clean your coffee mug, clean up your desk at the end of the day, clean your bin out, if there is not cleaning service vacuume and wipe down surfaces.
7. Take your coffee break, connect with someone. Make a new acquaintance. The Swedish, tradition of Fika has its merits.
8. Eat your lunch away from your desk.
Amazingly we are more productive when we’ve had a break, we are more creative. As someone who has been retrenched three times, I understand the knee jerk reaction to be seen to be working, encase you get the chop in the next cycle of redundancy. But one cannot work from an empty well, and good work comes from a place of creativity. What ever field you work in.
9. Find the time to move, take up a sport, go for a walk, what ever fits your shape and time.
10. And finally take 10 min each day to meditate, it really helps you de stress.
