Image credit: Lukas Blazek on Unsplash

I don't know why I keep thinking that anything I do to try to save time, that involves other people, is actually going to work. I've written about this before in my post We Really Are Our Own Worst Enemies, and even recently, I've experienced even more evidence that this is the case.

And, as I get older and more jaded, I'm also pretty sure it doesn't have to do with people intentionally being time wasters, it's that most people simply lack the ability to think in such a manner that will actually save them (or others) time.

Now, this has nothing to do with an unrealistic expectation on my part that everyone be perfect just to please me. However, it makes me sad to think that so few people are capable of saving themselves or others any time at all by doing something, anything, more efficiently.

Every now and then I do come across someone that maybe will say, “how about if we save ourselves a bit of time and do it this way?”, to which I metaphorically fall to my knees in gratitude, ready to cry tears of joy. That's how rare it is.

And perhaps it's not a matter of competence at all. Perhaps the people doing these jobs that require me to interact with them are simply miserable. So miserable that they have no incentive, inclination, or desire to want to do anything to make someone else's life easier. So miserable and mundane that they're just simply aloof, if not completely apathetic.

So, whenever I make any extra effort to try to answer questions before they're asked, instead of someone simply reading the answer right in front of them, they'll just ask it anyway. Whenever I try to “get ahead of the game” by adding extra information to an email, instead of reading the email, I'll get asked about the very thing I already wrote.

When someone says they'll do something by a certain date, instead of actually doing it ON or BEFORE that date, I have to be the one to chase them down to ask where the thing they promised is... or schedule the meeting/appointment because, even though they promised to call me back to do it, it's now my problem to have to solve by dropping what I'm doing to have to call them instead.

I just wish that dealing with people and the systems (business or service workflows) under which they're forced to operate were not such a huge waste of time. Just because most people don't value their time doesn't mean I should have to waste mine to pull them along to where they should already be as grown-ass adults.

tags: #rants #opinion

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This post was originally posted on my previous blog site called Jay's Journal on March 31st, 2018.

When I look around, I see an unending amount of examples of people just simply getting in their own way. I’m sure I do this as well, but it’s easier to look outward rather than inward sometimes.

Mainly because I strive to be efficient and save time, without sacrificing quality, every chance I get.

For me, time is more valuable than money. For as long as I can remember, I’ve looked at time in this way. I value it, I hate to waste it, and I resent others who just piss it away freely and without a second thought.

Time is the probably the ONE thing you can’t get back, make more of, stop, or even slow down. And, so, for me, time is a precious unit that I can’t bear to waste.

But, aside from a few exceptions, most people just don’t care how much time they waste. It gets rather frustrating.

Sometimes I feel like I’m alone in a sea of people who all do things in the worst way possible, wasting so much time without giving it a thought, and I’m the one guy who really tries to get it done faster, easier, and with much less stress.

Today is a great example. A week ago, I sent an email to someone detailing exactly what I was needing from them and why. My thought was that if I explain this ONCE, I won’t have to answer questions piece-meal, one email question followed by one email answer at a time.

The alternative would be to drag out a simple 5 minute request to instead be spread across several days, with multiple emails for the one simple request (borrow 2 company laptops for testing software).

In other words, I was trying to be efficient by getting it all done in one shot. I know, silly me, what was I thinking?

My email goes a week unanswered. Sigh. So now, I have to send another email to follow up to the one I already sent, basically re-requesting what I already spent time requesting the first time.

The good news is, the second email worked. The question for me is: Why did it take TWO emails to get ONE response?

Ok, so, in this person’s reply, he adds another person to the CC, and says that he’s directing my request to her and that I can work with her to get what I’m requesting.

Great... another person to have to work through to possibly NOT get what could be given in 5 minutes.

And, so I send the obligatory reply, thanking Mr. One Week for his reply, and then have to acknowledge the new person on the email, offering to work with her and help her in any way necessary to complete my request. (It’s TWO laptops to test some software on, that’s it!)

Which in turn begins another loud-sigh moment. She replied, and adds YET ANOTHER person onto the email, saying that I’ll need to set up some time to discuss my “needs” with her and this new person.

All when the original request is typed out TWICE in the email thread below her message.

So, now I have to set up a meeting to request two laptops that were already requested twice before, so they can understand what I’m asking with at best a 50% chance that they can actually fulfill my request, or instead, and more likely, send me over to someone else.

And I know what you’re thinking, because it’s exactly what I’m thinking. Just write back and reference the other emails below and save the time in the meeting.

And you’re thinking that, and I’m thinking that, because it would be efficient, and the fastest, even easiest way to get things done.

HOWEVER, we’re dealing with people who just couldn’t care about doing anything the easy way. And so, my daily uphill battle in Corporate America continues, just as it always has, and always will... with no improvement in sight.

HOPELESS SIGH...

tags: #observations #rants #thoughts #opinion

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Image credit: Zac Durant on Unsplash

Let's start off with the fact that I've had jobs in my life that required me to get up early. And, in several of those jobs I've had to pull all-nighters many times.

And, while in the military, I've pulled 36-hour shifts before. I really don't recommend that as the mind and body gets severely punished when that amount of a lack of sleep is forced upon your body. It physically hurts to move when you've gone that long without sleep and without the aid of some equally toxic or dangerous chemical stimulant.

Having done my time in the past when it comes to waking up before the sun, hitting the ground running, I really do prefer to not do that anymore. To be fair, I've been waking up before my alarm, most days, but not all.

I also find that with my weight loss, I'm requiring less sleep. But all of that doesn't matter for the purpose of this post. What I aim to rant about are these early risers that love to call meetings a full hour before I'm scheduled to start work for the day.

You have to know them. They're the ones that extoll the virtues of getting an early start to the day, how wonderful it is, and all that crap. Save it. I hate getting up early because my circadian rhythm has always been that of the opposite of most people.

Translation: I'm a night owl. I have been for as long as I can remember, and it still holds true to this day. So, while most people love waking up at 4am, 5am, 6am, I prefer to be going to bed at those times after being up all night.

So, these early risers, love scheduling calls first thing in the morning. Like, right at at a time that doesn't even allow you to log on, get settled, read your emails to address anything urgent. Nope. MEETING.

It's just stupid. And, by the way, what are you trying to prove to the world? That you're awesome because YOU like to wake up early, and get right to meetings? Trust me, you're not awesome, you're an idiot.

There's value in letting your team start work at a reasonable hour, letting them get their coffee, settle in, log on to see what landed in their inbox overnight that might need attention, THEN MEET.

Yeah, I know, I sound like an entitled Millennial, or a Gen Z. But, the difference is, I've paid my dues and done the whole waking up at zero-dark thirty for military and civilian jobs. I'm middle-aged now, and should have some say-so as to my schedule.

And actually, I do. Aside from the way-too-early meetings our directors like to have, most days and the schedules of me and my team are of my making.

I just can't stand the showy “look at me, I like to get an early start to my day, and everyone around me should, too!” types. The ones that do their early morning wakeup crap without trying to thrust it upon the rest of us are fine. You leave me alone, I'll leave you alone – you do you.

But for those of you that think the rest of us should conform to you. Well, fuck you. Fuck all y'all. I don't admire you, I don't envy you, and instead, I just loathe you. For the love of God, go take your early morning shit somewhere else.

tags: #rants

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Since the Write.As platform is a minimalist blogging/writing service, there's not a lot by way of sidebars and frilly site navigation. I love that.

It's clean and, well, minimalist, which makes in uncluttered. However, I'd like to give you a way to see all the groupings of blog posts by their tags, so here we are. The tags page.

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